David Gordon Green

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. 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. He currently lives in Charleston, South Carolina.

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 and stars Sam Rockwell and Kate Beckinsale. It was released by Warner Independent Pictures.

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. 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. The Exorcist: Believer was released in October 2023.

Green subsequently directed the Christmas-set comedy Nutcrackers, which premiered at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival. 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."

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.

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. Malick himself served as an executive producer of Green's 2004 film Undertow.

Filmography

Film

Actor

Television

References

References

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