John Michael McDonagh
John Michael McDonagh (left) and his cat, Puss. Photo taken by his wife, film producer Elizabeth Eves.
John Michael McDonagh (left) and his cat, Puss. Photo taken by his wife, film producer Elizabeth Eves.
Born (1967-11-07) November 7, 1967 (age 56)
London, England
OccupationScreenwriter, film director
CitizenshipIrish, British
Notable worksThe Guard (2011), Calvary (2014), War on Everyone (2016)
Spouse
Elizabeth Eves
​
(m. 2003)​
RelativesMartin McDonagh (brother)

John Michael McDonagh (born 7 November 1967) is a screenwriter and film director with Irish and British nationality.[1] He wrote and directed The Guard (2011) and Calvary (2014), both films starring Brendan Gleeson,[2] receiving a BAFTA Award nomination for the former. He was born in London in 1967.[3] He is the older brother of playwright and filmmaker Martin McDonagh.[4]

Early life

McDonagh was born in London in 1967. He was raised in England with his younger brother, playwright and filmmaker Martin McDonagh, although they spent their summers in his mother's Irish hometown of Easky, County Sligo, which was the setting for Calvary. Like his brother, McDonagh dropped out of secondary school, and ended up unemployed. He pursued a career as a writer and, after writing several unpublished novels, decided to try writing for film.[5]

Film career

McDonagh made his first foray into writing and directing with The Second Death, a short film released in 2000, which his brother served as executive producer for. Next McDonagh adapted Robert Drewe's 1991 novel Our Sunshine into the screenplay for the 2003 film Ned Kelly, which was directed by Gregor Jordan.

McDonagh gained considerable attention in 2011, with the theatrical release of his feature film directorial debut The Guard, starring Brendan Gleeson and Don Cheadle. The film received critical acclaim,[6] and went on to become the most financially successful independent Irish film of all time.[7] Among several honours, McDonagh was nominated for the BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay.[8] He followed this up in 2014 with Calvary, a blackly comic drama about a good priest tormented by his community. The film also starred Gleeson as the main character.[9]

McDonagh returned to the crime comedy genre for his 2016 feature, War on Everyone, which stars Alexander Skarsgård and Michael Peña as a pair of intractable Albuquerque police detectives.[10] His fourth feature, The Forgiven, was released in 2022.[11][12]

McDonagh frequently works with the same actors, including Brendan Gleeson, Liam Cunningham, David Wilmot, Marie-Josée Croze, and Caleb Landry Jones, He has also frequently worked with cinemtographer Larry Smith and composer Lorne Balfe.

Future projects

McDonagh has mentioned numerous forthcoming projects, including an adaptation of Percival Everett's novel Assumption,[13] The Bonnot Gang, a period gangster film based on the true story of a group of French anarchist bank robbers who operated before World War I,[14] and Chaos Inc, a television series about a Buddhist private investigator based in Las Vegas.[15]

In 2014 McDonagh spoke of plans to end the "trilogy" begun with The Guard and Calvary, reteaming him with star Brendan Gleeson. The film, titled The Lame Shall Enter First, will follow a paraplegic ex-policeman in London who has developed a hatred for able-bodied people and who gets caught up in a new investigation after one of his friends is murdered. It is intended to be an amalgamation of themes and tones present in his first two directorial features.[16]

Filmography

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
2000 The Second Death Yes Yes No Short film
2003 Ned Kelly No Yes No
2011 The Guard Yes Yes No
2014 Calvary Yes Yes No
2016 War on Everyone Yes Yes No
2021 The Forgiven Yes Yes Yes
TBA Fear Is The Rider Yes Yes TBA [17]

References

  1. ^ Mottram, James (7 August 2011). "John Michael McDonagh interview". The Independent. London. Archived from the original on 13 June 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2013.
  2. ^ "Chris O'Dowd, Kelly Reilly & Aidan Gillen Join Brendan Gl | The Playlist". Blogs.indiewire.com. Archived from the original on 10 December 2015. Retrieved 9 November 2015.
  3. ^ Cineurope: John Michael McDonagh
  4. ^ Wise, Damon (14 January 2012). "The Guard's John Michael McDonagh on success, roadkill and good priests". The Guardian. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  5. ^ "John Michael McDonagh - Rotten Tomatoes". www.rottentomatoes.com. Retrieved 8 May 2021.
  6. ^ "The Guard". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  7. ^ "'The Guard' Topples 'Barley' to Become No. 1 Indie Irish Film". IFTN. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  8. ^ Film – Original Screenplay in 2012
  9. ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (9 February 2012). "Protagonist To Proffer John Michael McDonagh's 'Calvary': Berlin". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  10. ^ Debruge, Peter (12 February 2016). "Berlin Film Review: 'War on Everyone'". Variety. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  11. ^ "The Forgiven". Film Distributors Association. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  12. ^ Erbland, Kate (20 April 2022). "32 Must-See New Movies to See This Summer Season". IndieWire. Retrieved 22 April 2022.
  13. ^ Ritman, Alex. "John Michael McDonagh Adapting Percival Everett Novel 'Assumption'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 10 February 2018.
  14. ^ Lyttleton, Oliver (21 October 2011). "'The Guard' Writer/Director John Michael McDonagh Reteaming With Brendan Gleeson For Drama 'Calvary'". The Playlist. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  15. ^ Lyttleton, Oliver (21 October 2011). "'The Guard' Writer/Director John Michael McDonagh Reteaming With Brendan Gleeson For Drama 'Calvary'". The Playlist. Archived from the original on 30 July 2012. Retrieved 10 April 2012.
  16. ^ Bateman, Conor (5 June 2014). "'Calvary' – An Interview with Writer/Director John Michael McDonagh". 4:3. Retrieved 19 July 2014.
  17. ^ Grobar, Matt (9 February 2022). "Abbey Lee & Christopher Abbott To Lead John Michael McDonagh Thriller 'Fear Is The Rider'; The Exchange Launches Sales". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved 16 May 2022.

External links

Films directed by John Michael McDonagh
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