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Craig Zobel

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Craig Zobel
Born
Roger Craig Zobel

Alma materNorth Carolina School of the Arts
Occupations
  • Director
  • producer
  • screenwriter
  • actor
Years active2000–present

Roger Craig Zobel is an American filmmaker and actor whose work includes music videos, film, and television. He has directed the films Compliance (2012), Z for Zachariah (2015), and The Hunt (2020). On TV he has directed episodes of The Leftovers, American Gods, and Westworld. In 2021, he directed the miniseries Mare of Easttown on HBO. He also helped to co-create the online animated series Homestar Runner with Mike and Matt Chapman, known collectively as The Brothers Chaps.

Early life

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Zobel was born in New York and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia, later studying film at the North Carolina School of the Arts alongside David Gordon Green and other future collaborators.

Career

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After graduation, Zobel worked on Green's first three films — George Washington (2000), All the Real Girls, (2003) and Undertow (2003), as either co-producer, production manager or second unit director.[1] He also directed The Hunt (2020).

More recently, he reupped his deal with HBO, which was served for three more years.[2]

Homestar Runner

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Homestar Runner is an animated internet cartoon which mixes surreal humor with references to pop culture. Zobel co-created the initial concept and some characters for a book with Mike Chapman using the name "Homestar Runner", coined by their mutual friend James Huggins, which later went on to become the animated cartoon by Mike and Matt Chapman. On a day off while Zobel and Chapman were working summer jobs surrounding the 1996 Summer Olympics, a visit to a bookstore prompted them to parody the state of children's books, leading to the creation of the cartoon.[3]

Film career

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Zobel has directed, written, and produced several films, including Great World of Sound and Compliance.[4] In August 2019, the release of Zobel's horror thriller film The Hunt was postponed by distributor Universal in response to the 2019 El Paso shooting,[5] with the studio cancelling the film's original September 27, 2019, date, and moving it to March 13, 2020.[6]

Filmography

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Film

Year Title Director Producer Writer
2001 A Letter from My Father Yes No No
2007 Great World of Sound Yes Yes Yes
2012 Compliance Yes Yes Yes
2013 Prince Avalanche No Yes No
2015 Z for Zachariah Yes No No
2020 The Hunt Yes No No

Television

Year Title Director Executive producer Notes
2015 The Leftovers Yes No Episodes: "Lens", "International Assassin"
2016 Outcast Yes No Episodes: "The Road Before Us"
2017 American Gods Yes No Episodes: "Git Gone"
The Leftovers Yes No Episodes: "The Most Powerful Man in the World (and His Identical Twin Brother)"
2018 Westworld Yes No Episodes: "Akane no Mai"
One Dollar Yes Yes 10 episodes
2021 Mare of Easttown Yes Yes 7 episodes
2024 The Penguin Yes Yes 3 episodes

References

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  1. ^ Interview at Filmmakermagazine.com Accessed May 14, 2009
  2. ^ Petski, Denise (December 7, 2021). "'Mare Of Easttown' Director Craig Zobel Extends Overall Deal With HBO". Deadline. Retrieved December 8, 2021.
  3. ^ Interview at Wired.com Accessed May 15, 2009
  4. ^ Craig Zobel at IMDb Accessed May 10, 2009
  5. ^ Nate Nickolai (August 10, 2019). "Universal Cancels The Hunt release". Variety.
  6. ^ Masters, Kim (February 11, 2020). "'The Hunt' Is Back On: Universal Sets Release for Controversial Elites vs. "Deplorables" Satire (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 11, 2020.
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