Christopher McQuarrie
McQuarrie in 2022
Born (1968-10-25) October 25, 1968[1]
Princeton, New Jersey, U.S.
Occupations
  • Film director
  • film producer
  • screenwriter
Years active1993–present
SpouseHeather McQuarrie

Christopher McQuarrie (born October 25, 1968) is an American filmmaker. He received the BAFTA Award, Independent Spirit Award, and Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for the neo-noir mystery film The Usual Suspects (1995).

He made his directorial debut with the crime thriller film The Way of the Gun (2000). He is a frequent collaborator with Tom Cruise, having written and directed the action films Jack Reacher (2012), Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (2015), Mission: Impossible – Fallout (2018), Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One (2023), and an untitled eighth Mission: Impossible film (2025). He was also a part of the writing and/or producing team on the films Valkyrie (2008), Edge of Tomorrow (2014), Jack Reacher: Never Go Back (2016), The Mummy (2017), and Top Gun: Maverick (2022), the last of which received Academy Award nominations for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture.

Early life

McQuarrie was born in Princeton, New Jersey.[2] After graduating from West Windsor-Plainsboro High School South in 1986,[3] he worked as an assistant at Christ Church Grammar School in Perth, Western Australia, recalling in 2013, “I was offered an Interim program ... I picked a place out of a hat and ended up at Christ Church Grammar School. I lived at the school and worked at the boarding school, though I did very little work".[4] Fired after nine months, "I hitchhiked for three months, came home, knocked around for about a month and then immediately started working for this detective agency.... [It] was actually a glorified security-guard position. I think in the four years I worked there I did about six investigations."[5]

Career

McQuarrie's first feature film was the 1993 thriller Public Access, directed by Bryan Singer. It won the Critics Award at the Deauville American Film Festival and shared the Sundance Film Festival's Grand Jury Prize. It was not released theatrically in the United States.[6] On review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes, it received an approval rating of 58%.[7]

McQuarrie wrote The Usual Suspects (1995), for which he received Best Screenplay awards from the British and American Academy Awards, as well as from Premiere Magazine, the Texas Board of Review, and the Chicago Critics, as well as the Edgar Award and Independent Spirit Award. It was later included on the New York Times list of the 1000 greatest films ever made, and the character Verbal Kint was included on AFI's list of the 100 greatest Heroes and Villains of all time. In 2006, the Writers Guild of America voted The Usual Suspects #35 on their list of 101 Greatest Screenplays. In his third collaboration with Singer, McQuarrie did an extensive rewrite on X-Men, but ultimately removed his name from the project.[8]

In 2000, McQuarrie made his directorial debut with The Way of the Gun, a modern-day Western for which he also wrote the script. It starred Benicio del Toro, Ryan Phillippe, Taye Diggs, and James Caan. The film, budgeted at US$8.5 million,[9] received mixed reviews[10] and grossed US$13 million worldwide.[9]

Eight years later, McQuarrie co-wrote (with Nathan Alexander) and co-produced Valkyrie, which opened on December 25, 2008, and is based on the real-life July 20, 1944, plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler. While researching the screenplay, the writers had access to members of the Stauffenberg family; consulted a book written by Fabian von Schlabrendorff, a conspirator who survived;[11] and spoke with Hitler's surviving bodyguard. The film, starring Tom Cruise and directed by Bryan Singer, received the BMI Film Music Award and the Bambi Award for Courage.[12] In 2009, McQuarrie was hired to pen the script for the then-untitled The Wolverine.[13]

McQuarrie co-wrote the 2010 film The Tourist with Julian Fellowes, Jeffrey Nachmanoff and director Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck. It starred Johnny Depp and Angelina Jolie and grossed US$278 million worldwide.[14] It received three Golden Globe Award nominations and several other awards, among them the Redbox Movie Award for the most rented drama of 2011.[15] McQuarrie then provided uncredited rewrites on the 2011 action spy film Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol during the film's production.[16]

McQuarrie at the Jack Reacher premiere

In 2011, McQuarrie directed his second feature, Jack Reacher, an adaptation of One Shot, the ninth in the series of 21 Jack Reacher novels by Lee Child. Filming began in the Pittsburgh metropolitan area on October 3, 2011, and continued through the end of January 2012. The movie was released in December 2012 by Paramount Pictures.[17] In 2012, McQuarrie stepped in to rewrite the script for World War Z after Drew Goddard and Damon Lindelof left the film.[18][19]

2013 saw the release of McQuarrie's fourth collaboration with Singer, Jack the Giant Slayer, co-written by McQuarrie. Critical reviews were mixed, and it was a box office failure, grossing only US$198 million against an estimated US$240 million budget (excluding promotion).[20][21] McQuarrie co-wrote the 2014 science fiction action thriller Edge of Tomorrow with Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, based on the Japanese novel All You Need Is Kill. While the film underperformed at the box office on its opening weekend, earning only US$28.8 million, it received strong reviews and became a word-of-mouth hit, grossing just over US$100 million at the domestic box office.

McQuarrie completed his third feature as director in 2015. Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, the fifth entry in the Mission: Impossible film series, which he co-wrote with Drew Pearce. It received strong reviews, grossed over US$195 million at the North American box office, and won a Golden Tomato for Best Action-Adventure Movie of 2015.

McQuarrie, Kenneth R. Whitesell, Tom Cruise, Joseph Kosinski, and Jerry Bruckheimer in the Top Gun: Maverick's premiere at the Naval Air Station North Island

By October 2015, McQuarrie completed a rewrite of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story and spent two weeks "tightening up the story".[22] McQuarrie and screenwriter Dylan Kussman were commissioned by Tom Cruise to write a new script for The Mummy.[23]

In November 2015, McQuarrie confirmed he would return to write and direct the sixth Mission: Impossible film, his third directing collaboration with Tom Cruise.[24] The film, titled Mission: Impossible - Fallout, was released in the United States on July 27, 2018. It received strong reviews from critics, and grossed over $791 million worldwide, becoming the franchise's highest-grossing title.[25]

McQuarrie and Cruise collaborated again on Top Gun: Maverick, for which McQuarrie co-wrote the screenplay and produced the film.[26]

Initially hesitant to return to the franchise,[27] McQuarrie finalized a deal to write and direct Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One and an eighth film in January 2019. Part One was released on July 12, 2023, while the eighth film is scheduled to be released on May 23, 2025.[28][29][30]

Upcoming projects

In February 2011, McQuarrie was hired by Skydance Media to write and produce a feature film adaptation of the 1970s animated television series Star Blazers (itself an adaptation of anime Space Battleship Yamato).[31] In 2013, he was selected to direct the project, with Zach Dean being hired to write a new draft of the script in 2017.[32][33] McQuarrie has also signed on to direct thrillers Ice Station Zebra, based on the 1963 novel and its 1968 film adaptation, Three to Kill, based on the novel by Jean-Patrick Manchette, and The Chameleon, based on a New Yorker article by David Grann about Frédéric Bourdin.[34][35][36]

In August 2022, McQuarrie announced on the Light the Fuse podcast that he was developing a new project with Tom Cruise, to be co-written by Erik Jendresen, which he claimed would be "gnarlier" than the Mission: Impossible films and described as being "something we've talked about for a really long time. It's way outside of what you're used to seeing Tom do."[37] A few days later, it was announced he and Cruise were also developing an original musical as a star vehicle for Cruise, as well as eyeing a potential project for Cruise to reprise the role of Les Grossman from Tropic Thunder, though it was unknown if Grossman would receive his own film or be included in the other films.[38]

Although the Reacher franchise has migrated to television, McQuarrie and Cruise are continuing to develop a Reacher-like thriller film.[39]

Filmography

Film

Year Title Director Writer Producer
1993 Public Access No Yes No
1995 The Usual Suspects No Yes No
2000 The Way of the Gun Yes Yes No
2008 Valkyrie No Yes Yes
2010 The Tourist No Yes No
2012 Jack Reacher Yes Yes No
2013 Jack the Giant Slayer No Yes No
2014 Live. Die. Repeat.: Edge of Tomorrow No Yes No
2015 Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation Yes Yes No
2016 Jack Reacher: Never Go Back No No Yes
2017 The Mummy No Yes No
2018 Mission: Impossible – Fallout Yes Yes Yes
2022 Top Gun: Maverick No Yes Yes
2023 Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One Yes Yes Yes
2025 Untitled eighth Mission: Impossible film Yes Yes Yes

Uncredited writing work

Television

Year Title Writer Executive
Producer		 Notes
1994 NYPD Blue Story No Episode: "The Final Adjustment"
2010 Persons Unknown Yes Yes Creator and executive producer (13 episodes) / Writer (Episode: "Pilot")
2022 Reacher No Yes 8 episodes

Awards and nominations

Award Year Category Title Result
Sundance Film Festival 1993 Grand Jury Prize Public Access Won
Academy Awards 1995 Best Original Screenplay The Usual Suspects Won
BAFTA Awards 1995 Best Original Screenplay Won
Independent Spirit Awards 1995 Best Screenplay Won
Edgar Awards 1995 Best Motion Picture Won
Hugo Award 2014 Best Dramatic Presentation Edge of Tomorrow Nominated
Saturn Awards 2014 Best Writing Nominated
Golden Raspberry Awards 2017 Worst Screenplay The Mummy Nominated
Saturn Awards 2018 Best Writing Mission: Impossible – Fallout Nominated
Writers Guild of America Awards 2022 Best Adapted Screenplay Top Gun: Maverick Nominated
Academy Awards 2022 Best Picture Nominated
Best Adapted Screenplay Nominated
Golden Globe Awards 2022 Best Motion Picture – Drama Nominated
Saturn Awards 2024 Best Writing Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One Pending

Bibliography

  • McQuarrie, Christopher (2000). The Usual Suspects. London: Faber and Faber. ISBN 9780571203253. OCLC 42659852.

References

  1. ↑ "Christopher McQuarrie Biography". Tribute. Retrieved July 22, 2023.
  2. ↑ "Christopher McQuarrie". Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015. Birth Place: Princeton, New Jersey, USA
  3. ↑ Miller, Lynn (December 15, 2007). "More West Windsor Filmmaking Stars on the Horizon". West Windsor & Plainsboro News. West Windsor, New Jersey. Archived from the original on January 8, 2008. Retrieved December 15, 2007. Two West Windsor-Plainsboro High School graduates are following in the footsteps of two other filmmakers from West Windsor, Bryan Singer and Christopher McQuarrie. Singer, Class of 1984, and McQuarrie, Class of 1986, have recently joined together for the filming of 'Valkyrie'... Archived from the original on January 8, 2008. Note: Name was simply West Windsor-Plainsboro High School until being renamed West Windosor-Plainsboro High School South in 1997.
  4. ↑ Harvey, Shannon (January 3, 2013). "Reaching for the Stars". The West Australian. p. 52. Archived from the original on July 14, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  5. ↑ Pelan, Tim (March 12, 2014). "Christopher McQuarrie Gets Verbal On The Usual Suspects". Archived from the original on April 2, 2015. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
  6. ↑ Stax (December 9, 2002). "Featured Filmmaker: Bryan Singer". IGN. Retrieved March 28, 2010.
  7. ↑ "Public Access". Rotten Tomatoes. January 28, 2003. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  8. 1 2 3 Reynolds, Simon (August 14, 2009). "McQuarrie tapped to write Wolverine 2". Digital Spy. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  9. 1 2 "The Way of the Gun". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  10. ↑ The Way of the Gun critical reviews, rottentomatoes.com; accessed August 28, 2014.
  11. ↑ "Christopher McQuarrie: Valkyrie". SuicideGirls.com. December 24, 2008. Retrieved December 24, 2008..
  12. ↑ "Awards". IMDB. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  13. 1 2 Bishop, Jackson (August 13, 2009). "Wolverine Sequel Uses Its Healing Factor and Hires Christopher McQuarrie". Collider. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  14. ↑ "The Tourist". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved August 28, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Scandal, flops and a very expensive private life: charting the steady decline of Johnny Depp". The Telegraph. May 25, 2017. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved July 31, 2019.
  16. 1 2 Covert, Colin (December 24, 2012). "Writer-director McQuarrie is an over-'Reacher'". Star Tribune. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  17. ↑ Falk, Joshua (September 9, 2011). "Tom Cruise movie 'One Shot' confirmed for Pittsburgh". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Archived from the original on September 26, 2011. Retrieved September 10, 2011.
  18. 1 2 Newman, Nick (July 11, 2012). "Drew Goddard Replaced Damon Lindelof on World War Z Rewrites; Christopher McQuarrie Possibly Coming Aboard". The Film Stage. Archived from the original on April 11, 2019. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  19. 1 2 Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 21, 2013). "World War Z Helmer Marc Forster Reflects On Watching His Zombie Movie Get Fed Through The Gossip Woodchipper". Deadline. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  20. ↑ Jack the Giant Slayer box office receipts, boxoffice.com; accessed August 28, 2014.
  21. ↑ Jack the Giant Slayer reviews, rottentomatoes.com; accessed August 28, 2014.
  22. ↑ Goldberg, Matt (January 18, 2016). "Star Wars: Rogue One: Christopher McQuarrie Brought In to "Save" Script". Collider. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  23. ↑ Setoodeh, Ramin; Lang, Brent (June 14, 2017). "Inside The Mummy's Troubles: Tom Cruise Had Excessive Control (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety Magazine. Retrieved April 10, 2019.
  24. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (November 30, 2015). "Christopher McQuarrie Accepts 'Mission: Impossible 6' Duties". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  25. ↑ "Mission: Impossible - Fallout (2018)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved April 11, 2023.
  26. ↑ Chitwood, Adam (October 31, 2018). "Christopher McQuarrie Is Working on the 'Top Gun 2' Script". Collider. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  27. ↑ Chitwood, Adam (August 6, 2018). "Christopher McQuarrie on Whether He'll Return to Direct Mission: Impossible 7". Collider. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  28. ↑ McNary, Dave (February 1, 2019). "Tom Cruise 'Mission: Impossible' Movies Dated for Summers of 2021, 2022". Variety. Retrieved February 1, 2019.
  29. ↑ Kroll, Justin (January 14, 2019). "Christopher McQuarrie Closes Deal to Direct Back-to-Back Mission: Impossible Films (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved January 23, 2019.
  30. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (October 23, 2023). "'Mission: Impossible 8' Jumps To 2025; 'A Quiet Place: Day One' Goes To Summer In 2024 Theatrical Shake-Up Due To Actors Strike". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  31. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 21, 2011). "'True Grit' Co-Financier Skydance Targets 'Star Blazers' For Christopher McQuarrie". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  32. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 30, 2013). "Chris McQuarrie To Direct 'Star Blazers' From '70s Sci-Fi Anime Series For Skydance". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  33. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 20, 2017). "Skydance Sets Zach Dean To Ready 'Star Blazers' For Christopher McQuarrie". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  34. ↑ Kit, Borys (May 6, 2013). "Christopher McQuarrie to Write, Direct Remake of 'Ice Station Zebra' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  35. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 20, 2013). "Christopher McQuarrie To Helm Colin Firth In 'Three To Kill'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  36. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 26, 2017). "Christopher & Heather McQuarrie Team With Rachel & Terence Winter On David Grann's 'The Chameleon' For Netflix". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 31, 2022.
  37. ↑ Taylor, Drew (August 3, 2022). "Tom Cruise and Christopher McQuarrie Set Their Sights on 'Gnarlier' Movie After 'Mission: Impossible 8'". The Wrap. Retrieved August 5, 2022.
  38. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (August 8, 2022). "Tom Cruise & Christopher McQuarrie Plotting New Musical, Action Thriller & More Les Grossman While Speed Flying Through 'Mission: Impossible 8'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
  39. ↑ Cotter, Padraig (August 27, 2022). "Could An R-Rated Jack Reacher Sequel With Tom Cruise Still Happen?". ScreenRant. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  40. ↑ "Batman & Robin". Montreal Film Journal. May 11, 2018.
  41. ↑ "Christopher McQuarrie". Screenwriter's Utopia. July 2, 2003.
  42. ↑ Solomon, Ed; McQuarrie, Chris; DeSanto, Tom; Singer, Bryan (February 24, 1999). "February 1999 X-Men script". Sci-Fi Scripts. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  43. ↑ Petrikin, Chris (January 20, 1999). "Rice gets Fox promotion". Variety. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  44. ↑ Siegel, Tatiana (July 31, 2020). "Bryan Singer's Traumatic X-Men Set: The Movie "Created a Monster"". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  45. ↑ Covert, Colin (December 25, 2012). "Writer-director McQuarrie is an over-'Reacher'". Star Tribune. Minneapolis, Minnesota. Archived from the original on June 9, 2017. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  46. ↑ Kit, Borys (August 13, 2009). "McQuarrie to pen 'Wolverine' sequel". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
  47. ↑ Perez, Rodrigo (August 29, 2018). "Chris Weitz Says Christopher McQuarrie, Scott Z. Burns & More Wrote On Rogue One: A Star Wars Story". The Playlist. Archived from the original on April 14, 2019. Retrieved July 14, 2023.
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