Chris Sparling (born March 21, 1977) is an American filmmaker from Providence, Rhode Island.
Career
Upon graduating from
Roger Williams University
Roger Williams University (RWU) is a private university in Bristol, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1956, it was named for theologian and Rhode Island cofounder Roger Williams. The school enrolled approximately 4,400 undergraduate and ...
and
Bridgewater State University
Bridgewater State University is a public university with its main campus in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, United States. It is the largest of nine state universities in Massachusetts. Including its off-campus sites in New Bedford, Massachusetts, N ...
with degrees in Criminal Justice, and after writing, directing, and producing several low-budget independent films, Sparling found mainstream success when his feature length screenplay
''Buried'' was purchased by producer
Peter Safran. Spanish director
Rodrigo Cortés
Rodrigo Cortés Giráldez (born 31 May 1973) is a Spanish film director, film producer, producer, screenwriter, film editor, editor, writer and occasional actor. He is best known for directing the 2010 psychological thriller ''Buried (film), Buri ...
and actor
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds (born October 23, 1976) is a Canadian and American actor, producer and businessman. Known for starring in comedic and superhero films, he was the List of highest-paid film actors, world's second-highest-paid actor in 202 ...
worked on the project. The film premiered at the
2010 Sundance Film Festival
The 26th annual Sundance Film Festival was held from January 21, 2010, until January 31, 2010, in Park City, Utah, Park City, Utah.
Awards
*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - ''Restrepo (film), Restrepo''
*Grand Jury Prize: Dramatic - ''Winter's Bone ...
to high critical praise and was eventually sold to
Lionsgate Films
Lionsgate Films (spelled as Lions Gate until 2005, and formerly Cinépix Film Properties until 1998) is a Canadian-American film production and distribution company founded in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on June 15, 1962. It was owned by Lionsga ...
. After later playing additional film festivals worldwide—including the
Toronto International Film Festival
The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF, often stylized as tiff) is one of the most prestigious and largest publicly attended film festivals in the world. Founded in 1976, the festival takes place every year in early September. The organi ...
, as well as winning the Méliès d'Or Award at the
Sitges Film Festival
SITGES - International Fantastic Film Festival of Catalonia () is an annual film festival held in Sitges, Catalonia, Spain. It specializes in fantasy film, fantasy, Horror film, horror and Cult film, cult films. Established in 1968, the festiva ...
—it received a limited theatrical release in September 2010, earning over $18 million worldwide. The film was later released on DVD in January 2011. Sparling was awarded Best Original Screenplay by the
2010 National Board of Review for ''Buried'' and the film was selected as on the 10 Best Independent Films of 2010. He also won a
Goya Award in 2011 for Best Original Screenplay, and he was nominated for a Gaudi Award as well in the same category.
Sparling later wrote the script ''ATM'', a suspense thriller produced by Peter Safran and shot in Winnipeg, Manitoba in the fall of 2010 and released in 2012 by IFC Films. He also wrote ''Reincarnate'' for producer
M. Night Shyamalan
Manoj Nelliyattu M. Night Shyamalan ( ; born August 6, 1970) is an American filmmaker. His films often employ supernatural plots and twist endings. The cumulative gross of his films exceeds $3.3 billion globally. Shyamalan has received vario ...
, the second film of a three-part series known as
The Night Chronicles.
In 2014, Sparling was hired by Warner Brothers and
Leonardo DiCaprio
Leonardo Wilhelm DiCaprio (; ; born November 11, 1974) is an American actor and film producer. Known for Leonardo DiCaprio filmography, his work in biographical and period films, he is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received ...
to adapt the crime novel ''Blood on Snow'', written by author
Jo Nesbø
Jon "Jo" Nesbø (; born 29 March 1960) is a Norwegian novelist and musician. His books had sold over 50 million copies worldwide by 2021, making him the most successful Norwegian author to date. Siegel, Lee (5 May 2014).Pure Evil: Jo Nesbø and th ...
. This same year, his original screenplay, ''
The Sea of Trees'', went into production, starring
Matthew McConaughey
Matthew David McConaughey ( ; born November 4, 1969) is an American actor. He achieved his breakthrough with a supporting performance in the coming-of-age comedy '' Dazed and Confused'' (1993). After a number of supporting roles, his first su ...
,
Naomi Watts, and
Ken Watanabe, and directed by
Gus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant Jr. (born July 24, 1952) is an American filmmaker, photographer, painter, and musician. He has earned acclaim as an independent film, independent auteur. His films typically deal with themes of marginalized subcultures.
His ...
.
''
Variety'' named Sparling one of "10 Screenwriters to Watch" in its November 2014 issue.
Two months later, Sparling's horror-thriller film ''
The Atticus Institute'', which he both wrote and directed, was released by Anchor Bay Films. Universal Pictures distributed the film internationally. His directorial follow-up, ''
Mercy
Mercy (Middle English, from Anglo-French , from Medieval Latin , "price paid, wages", from Latin , "merchandise") is benevolence, forgiveness, and kindness in a variety of ethical, religious, social, and legal contexts.
In the social and le ...
'', was released by Netflix in 2016.
He later wrote the 2020 film
''Greenland'', which opened at number one at the box office in 26 countries and earned positive reviews from critics. The film stars
Gerard Butler and
Morena Baccarin, and was directed by
Ric Roman Waugh. He will also write its sequel, titled ''
Greenland: Migration'', which was announced at the 2021
Cannes Film Market. 2021 also saw the release of two films he both wrote and produced: ''
The Desperate Hour'', starring
Naomi Watts and directed by
Phillip Noyce, and ''
Intrusion
In geology, an igneous intrusion (or intrusive body or simply intrusion) is a body of intrusive igneous rock that forms by crystallization of magma slowly cooling below the surface of the Earth. Intrusions have a wide variety of forms and com ...
'', a Netflix Original starring
Frieda Pinto.
Filmography
References
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sparling, Chris
1977 births
Living people
21st-century American male writers
21st-century American screenwriters
American male screenwriters
Film directors from Rhode Island
Film producers from Rhode Island
Screenwriters from Rhode Island
Writers from Providence, Rhode Island
Roger Williams University alumni
Bridgewater State University alumni