David Gordon Green

David Gordon Green (born April 9, 1975) is an American filmmaker. Green began his career in 1997 and gained fame with the independent film George Washington (2000). He directed two additional independent dramas, All the Real Girls (2003) and Snow Angels (2007), as well as the thriller Undertow (2004), all of which he wrote or co-wrote.

In 2008, Green transitioned into Hollywood studio comedies, directing the films Pineapple Express (2008), Your Highness and The Sitter (both 2011). He briefly returned to his dramatic roots with the independent films Prince Avalanche (2013), Joe (2013), and Manglehorn (2014). Following this departure, he returned to studio films with Our Brand Is Crisis (2015) and Stronger (2017). Green directed a trilogy of slasher films for the Halloween franchise: Halloween (2018), Halloween Kills (2021), and Halloween Ends (2022), which he co-wrote with frequent collaborator Danny McBride. Most recently, Green directed The Exorcist: Believer (2023) and the Christmas comedy Nutcrackers (2024).

Green has also directed episodes of the comedy series Eastbound & Down (2009–2013), Red Oaks (2014–17), Vice Principals (2016–17), and The Righteous Gemstones (2019–2025), on all of which he additionally served as executive producer.

Early life

Green, one of four children, was born in Little Rock, Arkansas, and grew up in Richardson, Texas. His mother, Jean Ann (née Hunter), was a Lamaze instructor, and his father, Hubert Gordon Green Jr., was a medical school dean.^[1][2] Green attended Richardson High School, the University of Texas at Austin, and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he studied film directing.^[3] He currently lives in Charleston, South Carolina.^[4]

Career

As a college student, Green made the two short films, Pleasant Grove and Physical Pinball, at the North Carolina School of the Arts prior to his feature film debut in 2000, the critically acclaimed George Washington, which he both wrote and directed. He followed that with All the Real Girls in 2003 and Undertow in 2004. In 2007, he directed Snow Angels, his first adaptation, based on the Stewart O'Nan novel. The film debuted at the Sundance Film Festival^[5] and stars Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale. It was released by Warner Independent Pictures.^[6]

In 2008, Green's career transitioned when he directed the Seth Rogen buddy comedy Pineapple Express, and the HBO series Eastbound & Down, for which he directed twelve episodes and served as a consulting producer. In 2011, he co-created the animated series Good Vibes and directed the comedies Your Highness and The Sitter, both of which received negative reviews.

In 2013, Green briefly returned to independent film when he directed and co-wrote Prince Avalanche and Joe. He followed these films with Manglehorn (2014), Our Brand Is Crisis (2015), and Stronger (2017).

In 2018, Green directed the horror sequel Halloween, produced by Jason Blum, executive produced by John Carpenter, and co-written by Green and Danny McBride.^[7][8] He also directed its sequels Halloween Kills, released in October 2021, and Halloween Ends, released in October 2022.

In December 2020, it was announced Green will direct a new installment of The Exorcist franchise which will be a direct sequel to William Friedkin's 1973 film adaptation of the 1971 novel.^[9][10][11] The Exorcist: Believer was released in October 2023.^[12]

Green subsequently directed the Christmas-set comedy Nutcrackers, which premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.^[13] Of the film, Green stated; "This movie is a lot of things. It's a comedy, it's a drama, it's a horror movie. But for me, it's a reason to dance, you know, I just wanted to start moving, move my body a little bit, and get out to the farm and kick some pig shit."^[14]

Influences

Green's favorite films are, in order, Thunderbolt and Lightfoot, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Gravy Train, The Bad News Bears, Deliverance, Nashville and One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.^[15]

It has been suggested, even by the director himself, that Green's early films (most notably George Washington) take influence from the works of Terrence Malick.^[16] Malick himself served as an executive producer of Green's 2004 film Undertow.

Filmography

Film

Actor

Television

See also

• David Gordon Green's unrealized projects

References

1. ^ "Green, David Gordon". Encyclopedia of Arkansas. Archived July 31, 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
2. ^ "Pierces.org". Pierces.org. January 24, 2013. Archived from the original on April 15, 2013. Retrieved August 21, 2014.
3. ^ Fuchs, Cynthia. "Interview with David Gordon Green and Paul Schneider: All the Real Girls". PopMatters. Archived August 14, 2014 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved February 3, 2015.
4. ^ "Halloween director David Gordon Green talks anxiety, Charleston, and John Carpenter". Charleston City Paper. October 24, 2018. Archived August 22, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
5. ^ Ramos, Steve (March 7, 2008). "REVIEW | Quiet Anger: David Gordon Green's "Snow Angels"". IndieWire. Archived February 9, 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
6. ^ "WIP turns Green with 2 projects". The Hollywood Reporter. March 20, 2007. Archived August 22, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
7. ^ "David Gordon Green and Danny McBride Rebooting 'Halloween' for October 2018 - Bloody Disgusting". bloody-disgusting.com. February 9, 2017. Archived February 10, 2017 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
8. ^ Galluzzo, Rob. "David Gordon Green, Danny McBride Will Direct/Write The New HALLOWEEN Movie For Blumhouse!". Blumhouse. Archived from the original on February 11, 2017. Retrieved February 15, 2017.
9. ^ Couch, Aaron (December 20, 2020). "'Exorcist' Sequel in the Works with 'Halloween' Director David Gordon Green". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived December 22, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
10. ^ Katz, Brandon (December 20, 2020). "Exclusive: David Gordon Green in Talks to Direct 'Exorcist' Sequel for Blumhouse". observer.com. Archived December 21, 2020 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 24, 2020.
11. ^ Pulliam-Moore, Charles (December 24, 2020). "Blumhouse Is Summoning Another Exorcist Movie to the Mortal Plane". Gizmodo. Archived August 22, 2023 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
12. ^ Walsh, Savannah (2023-09-01). "The Power of Taylor Swift Compels 'Exorcist: Believer' to Move Release Date". Vanity Fair. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
13. ^ Vlessing, Etan (2024-07-16). "Ben Stiller's 'Nutcrackers' to Open Toronto Film Festival". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2024-10-05.
14. ^ "David Gordon Green Says Luca Guadagnino Is the Whole Reason 'Nutcrackers' Happened". IndieWire. September 6, 2024. Retrieved October 25, 2024.
15. ^ "Interview: Pineapple Express Director David Gordon Green". Firstshowing.net. August 3, 2008. Archived June 1, 2016 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved December 10, 2021.
16. ^ The Charlie Rose Show, PBS, episode aired 2000. Available on George Washington DVD. New York: The Criterion Collection, 2001.

External links

• David Gordon Green at IMDb