Christopher McQuarrie is a renowned filmmaker, celebrated for his multifaceted talents as a producer, director, and Academy Award-winning writer. Born and raised in Princeton Junction, New Jersey, McQuarrie opted to forgo college and instead spent the initial five years after high school traveling and honing his skills by working at a detective agency. This unconventional start ultimately prepared him for his future endeavors in the film industry.
Fast forward to 1995, McQuarrie's screenplay for The Usual Suspects, directed by childhood friend Bryan Singer, earned him the prestigious Academy Award and BAFTA Award for "Best Original Screenplay". Furthermore, he took home the Edgar Allan Poe Award and Independent Spirit Award, cementing his status as a master storyteller. The Usual Suspects has been hailed as one of the greatest screenplays of all time by the Writer's Guild of America.
Following his triumph, McQuarrie went on to direct The Way of the Gun, starring Ryan Phillippe, Benicio Del Toro, and James Caan. In 2008, he reunited with Singer to produce and co-write Valkyrie, featuring Tom Cruise. This collaboration marked the beginning of a fruitful partnership between McQuarrie and Cruise, with whom he would work on numerous projects in the years to come.
In 2012, McQuarrie directed Jack Reacher, which was swiftly followed by his re-write of Doug Liman's Edge of Tomorrow. It was during this time that Cruise approached McQuarrie to direct the highly anticipated Mission: Impossible - Rogue Nation. The fifth installment in the Ethan Hunt saga, penned by McQuarrie, shattered box office records, earning $124 million at the Chinese box office and grossing over $680 million worldwide. McQuarrie is set to write and direct the sixth chapter in the franchise, making him the first repeat director in the series' two-decade history.
