Michelle Maxwell MacLaren is a Canadian television director and producer. She has directed episodes of ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'', ''

Better Call Saul ''Better Call Saul'' is an American crime and legal drama television series created by Vince Gilligan and Peter Gould. Part of the ''Breaking Bad'' franchise, it is a spin-off of Gilligan's previous series, ''Breaking Bad'', and serves as a ...

'', '' Breaking Bad'', '' The Walking Dead'', '' Game of Thrones'', and ''

Westworld ''Westworld'' is an American science fiction-thriller media franchise that began with the 1973 film ''Westworld'', written and directed by Michael Crichton. The film depicts a technologically advanced Wild-West-themed amusement park populate ...

''. MacLaren won two back-to-back

Primetime Emmy Award The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...

s for producing '' Breaking Bad'' in 2013 and 2014.

Early life

MacLaren grew up in

Vancouver Vancouver ( ) is a major city in western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the ...

British Columbia British Columbia (commonly abbreviated as BC) is the westernmost province of Canada, situated between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains. It has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that include rocky coastlines, sandy beaches, ...

. She graduated from Queen's University in

Kingston, Ontario Kingston is a city in Ontario, Canada. It is located on the north-eastern end of Lake Ontario, at the beginning of the St. Lawrence River and at the mouth of the Cataraqui River (south end of the Rideau Canal). The city is midway between Toro ...

. MacLaren is a cousin of television anchor

Ashleigh Banfield Ashleigh Dennistoun Banfield (born December 29, 1967) is a Canadian- American journalist and host of ''Banfield'' on the NewsNation network. She is a former host of ''Legal View with Ashleigh Banfield'' and ''Early Start'' on CNN. Education ...

Career

MacLaren made her

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

on the season nine episode of ''The X-Files'', "

John Doe John Doe (male) and Jane Doe (female) are multiple-use placeholder names that are used when the true name of a person is unknown or is being intentionally concealed. In the context of law enforcement in the United States, such names are often ...

", which was written by her future '' Breaking Bad'' collaborator

Vince Gilligan George Vincent Gilligan Jr. (born February 10, 1967) is an American writer, producer, and director. He is known for his television work, specifically as creator, head writer, executive producer, and director of AMC's '' Breaking Bad'' (2008– ...

. She approaches shooting action sequences as mathematical deconstruction and likes using multiple cameras and wide lenses. She was nominated for six

s, all for ''Breaking Bad'': one for directing the episode "

One Minute "One Minute" is a song recorded by American recording artist Kelly Clarkson taken from her third studio album, ''My December'' (2007). The song served as the album's second single in Australia on September 18, 2007, through 19 Recordings and RC ...

" (season 3, episode 7) in 2010, one for directing the episode "

Gliding Over All "Gliding Over All" is the eighth episode and mid-season finale of the Breaking Bad (season 5), fifth season of the American television drama series ''Breaking Bad'', and the 54th overall episode of the series. Written by Moira Walley-Beckett and di ...

" (season 5, episode 8) in 2013, and the other four in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 for Outstanding Drama Series, on which she served as an executive producer, winning in 2013 and 2014. She was also nominated for three Producers Guild of America Award for Best Episodic Drama for ''Breaking Bad'', winning in 2014 and 2015. On the tenth anniversary of the premiere of ''Breaking Bad'',

io9 ''io9'' is part of Gizmodo media since 2015, and it began as blog launched in 2008 by Gawker Media. The site initially focused on the subjects of science fiction, fantasy, futurism, science, technology and related areas but over the years has ...

singled out MacLaren among the breakout directors on the series as the

MVP In team sports, a most valuable player award, abbreviated 'MVP award', is an honor typically bestowed upon an individual (or individuals, in the instance of a tie) whose individual performance is the greatest in an entire league, for a particu ...

, noting she directed 11 episodes, more than any other director. In June 2014, it was announced MacLaren had signed a two-year first-look deal with

HBO Home Box Office (HBO) is an American premium television network, which is the flagship property of namesake parent subsidiary Home Box Office, Inc., itself a unit owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. The overall Home Box Office business unit is ba ...

. In November 2014, it was announced that MacLaren would develop the script and direct ''

Wonder Woman Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...

'', the iconic character's first solo cinematic appearance and the fourth installment of the

DC Extended Universe The DC Extended Universe (DCEU) is an American media franchise and shared universe centered on a series of superhero films and television series produced by DC Studios and distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures. It is based on characters that ...

. However, in April 2015 MacLaren left the project due to "creative differences". She was the executive producer of and directed the pilot for

David Simon David Judah Simon (born February 9, 1960) is an American author, journalist, screenwriter, and producer best known for his work on '' The Wire'' (2002–08). He worked for '' The Baltimore Sun'' City Desk for twelve years (1982–95), wrote '' H ...

drama '' The Deuce''. She was the first director hired and established the overall 1970s tone and style of the show. In August 2016, it was announced that MacLaren would direct the film adaptation of

Kristin Hannah Kristin Hannah (born September 25, 1960) is an American writer. Her most notable works include ''Winter Garden'', '' The Nightingale'', '' Firefly Lane'', '' The Great Alone'', and ''The Four Winds''. Biography Kristin Hannah was born in Califor ...

's novel '' The Nightingale''. She was attracted to the prospect of directing ''The Nightingale'' because it is a "muscular" project and the female characters are unsuspecting heroes. The same year she also directed the ninth episode of the

series ''

''. When the directors of the final season of ''Game of Thrones'' were announced, several prominent news sites, including ''

Polygon In geometry, a polygon () is a plane figure that is described by a finite number of straight line segments connected to form a closed ''polygonal chain'' (or ''polygonal circuit''). The bounded plane region, the bounding circuit, or the two toge ...

'' and ''

Nerdist Nerdist Industries, LLC is part of the digital division of Legendary Entertainment. Nerdist Industries was founded as a sole podcast (The Nerdist Podcast) created by Chris Hardwick but later spread to include a network of podcasts, a premium conte ...

'', expressed disappointment that MacLaren, the only woman to direct on the series, was not included. In December 2017, MacLaren visited the

Dubai International Film Festival The Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF, ar, مهرجان دبي السينمائي الدولي) is the leading film festival in the Arab region. The 12th edition of DIFF took place from December 9 – 16, 2015. In 2018, the DIFF announc ...

as a guest of OSN. On January 31, 2018, MacLaren was confirmed as director for the film ''

Cowboy Ninja Viking ''Cowboy Ninja Viking'' is an Image Comics comic book created by writer A.J. Lieberman and artist Riley Rossmo. The series debuted in 2009, released through Image Comics' partner studio Shadowline. Publication history The first appearance of the ...

''. She is developing a miniseries for HBO with ''Breaking Bad'' co-producer Vince Gilligan called ''Raven'', based on the

Jonestown massacre The Peoples Temple Agricultural Project, better known by its informal name "Jonestown", was a remote settlement in Guyana established by the Peoples Temple, a U.S.–based cult under the leadership of Jim Jones. Jonestown became internationa ...

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maclaren, Michelle Canadian expatriates in the United States Canadian television producers Canadian women television producers Canadian television directors Living people People from Vancouver Queen's University at Kingston alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Canadian women television directors