Greg McLean (film director)
Greg McLean | |
---|---|
Born | c. 1961 |
Occupation(s) | Director, writer, actor, producer |
Years active | 2001–present |
Greg McLean is an Australian film director, producer and writer, principally of horror films. He rose to fame in 2005 with his debut feature film, Wolf Creek, creating the character Mick Taylor (played by John Jarratt). The sequel to his first feature, Wolf Creek 2 was released February 2013. Mclean also wrote, directed and produced Rogue (2007) and was executive producer of Red Hill (2010) and Crawlspace (2012). He is also the co-author of two novels about Mick Taylor; Wolf Creek: Origin (with Aaron Sterns) and Wolf Creek: Desolation Game (with Brett McBean) and the four-part comic book series Dark Axis: Secret Battles of WW2 and the graphic novel Sebastian Hawks – Creature Hunter. In 2016, his film, The Darkness, was released, and a Wolf Creek TV series was released on Australian streaming service Stan.
Early life and education
[edit]After training as a fine artist specialising in painting, Greg McLean attended the National Institute of Dramatic Art (NIDA), completing a graduate diploma in directing.[1]
Career
[edit]In his early career he worked with theatre director Neil Armfield, and with Baz Luhrmann and Catherine Martin at Opera Australia.[citation needed]
McLean's first short film, Plead, won a Gold award from the Australian Cinematographers Society (ACS). His short film ICQ screened at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival, winning "Best Director of a Short Film". Under his production company GMF (Greg McLean Film), McLean produced television commercials and similar work.[citation needed]
McLean's first full-length film was the 2005 Australian independent horror film Wolf Creek. Reviews were mixed, but it achieved a cult following.[citation needed] In the United States, it received an NC-17 rating until being edited to obtain an R rating.[citation needed]
Mclean's next film Rogue, in 2007, was about a deadly salt-water crocodile attacking an international group of tourists in Australia's Northern Territory.[2] He was one of the candidates to direct Paranormal Activity 2.[3] McLean produced the Justin Dix thriller Crawlspace.[4]
In February 2013, McLean returned as co-writer (with Aaron Sterns), producer and director for Wolf Creek 2, the sequel to Wolf Creek. John Jarratt reprised his role as serial killer Mick Taylor, and co-starred with Ryan Corr.[citation needed]
McLean also joined The Legend of Ben Hall as an executive producer in February 2015.[5]
In 2016, McLean directed the poorly received horror film The Darkness.[citation needed] His next films were The Belko Experiment and then Jungle.[citation needed]
McLean directed the 2024 Netflix neo-western drama series filmed in the Northern Territory and South Australia.[6]
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2001 | ICQ | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film |
2005 | Wolf Creek | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
2007 | Rogue | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
2013 | Wolf Creek 2 | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
2016 | The Darkness | Yes | Executive | Yes | |
The Belko Experiment | Yes | No | No | ||
2017 | Jungle | Yes | Yes | No |
Executive producer
- The Edge of Reality (2009) (Short film)
- Red Hill (2010)
- Crawlspace (2012)
- The Legend of Ben Hall (2016)
- Down Under (2016)
Acting roles
Year | Title | Role |
---|---|---|
2005 | Wolf Creek | Old Man's Body and Police Officer |
2015 | Tales of Halloween | Ray Bishop |
Television
[edit]Year | Title | Director | Executive Producer |
Writer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016-17 | Wolf Creek | Yes | Yes | Yes | 3 episodes |
2020 | The Gloaming | Yes | No | No | 4 episodes[7] |
2021-23 | La Brea | Yes | No | No | 2 episodes |
References
[edit]- ^ "Wolf Creek production notes". Archived from the original on 4 October 2009. Retrieved 27 May 2009.
- ^ Interview McLean at Really Scary
- ^ Steven Zeitchik (25 February 2010). "Possible directors of 'Paranormal Activity 2': Several young genre maestros ... and Brian De Palma". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ Steve Barton (9 July 2014). "First Image Found in Justin Dix's Crawlspace". Dread Central.
- ^ "If.com.au". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 20 May 2016.
- ^ Slatter, Sean (17 July 2024). "Netflix turns 'Desert King' into 'Territory' with Anna Torv leading the cast". IF Magazine. Retrieved 25 July 2024.
- ^ Pickard, Michael. "Doom and Gloam". Drama Quarterly. Retrieved 9 January 2020.
External links
[edit]- Greg McLean at IMDb