Marcus Dunstan | |
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![]() Marcus Dunstan at 2012 New York Comic Con | |
Born | Macomb, Illinois, United States |
Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, film director |
Marcus Dunstan is an American screenwriter and director who, along with frequent collaborator Patrick Melton, wrote screenplay for the film Feast , which was the winner of Season Three of the filmmaking competition reality TV series Project Greenlight . Dunstan has since written the screenplays for Feast II: Sloppy Seconds , Feast III: The Happy Finish , and five films in the Saw franchise. Dunstan also directed and co-wrote the films The Collector , its sequel The Collection , and Unhuman.
Dunstan was born in Macomb, Illinois. He spent his formative years working in movie theaters and studying film at the University of Iowa. [1]
While in college Dunstan experimented with 16mm film often using himself as the guinea pig in poorly executed stunts that left him dragging behind a car, the target of flying knives, and thrice being set on fire. He holds the record for spilling the most fake blood ever in a student film. [2] Since moving to Los Angeles in 1999, Dunstan toiled in several odd jobs including a retirement home, an Optometry clinic, and a video store while spending his nights writing on a computer borrowed from fellow screenwriter, Patrick Melton.[ citation needed ]
In March 2005, Dunstan and Melton won Season Three of Project Greenlight with their screenplay, Feast , which was directed by John Gulager. The film starred Krista Allen and Eric Dane, and was produced by Dimension Films and Neo Art & Logic. [3]
Dunstan has written the screenplays for Feast, Feast II: Sloppy Seconds , Feast III: The Happy Finish , The Collector , Saw IV , Saw V , Saw VI , and Saw 3D . [4] He is also in pre-production and post-production for several of his other screenplays. [5] In addition to writing the screenplay for The Collector, he directed the film. He also directed the sequel to The Collector, titled The Collection . The film, produced by Liddell Entertainment and Fortress Features, was released in 2012. [6] [7]
In addition to writing and directing, he and writing partner Patrick Melton have made cameo appearances in Saw V, Supergator , Feast, and The Collector, appearing in the later two through the same puppet show clip shown on TV screens. [8] He, Melton, and Stephen Romano co-wrote the thriller novel Black Light - Don't Look Too Deep, which was published on October 5, 2011, over Mulholland Books as hardcover. [9] The novel will adapt in a feature film written by Melton and Dunstan, under the direction of Romano, Michael De Luca will produce for Warner Bros. [10] Dunstan co-wrote with Patrick Melton a screenplay for potential eleventh film of the Halloween franchise. [11]
In 2013, Melton and Dunstan were enlisted to perform uncredited rewrites on Pacific Rim when their spec script Monstropolis caught Guillermo del Toro's attention, and then were attached to a film version of God of War . [12] In October 2016, Dunstan, along with partner Melton, were selected to write for the adaptation of Brandon Sanderson's The Way of Kings.
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
2005 | Feast | No | Yes | No | |
2007 | Saw IV | No | Yes | No | |
2008 | Feast II: Sloppy Seconds | No | Yes | No | |
2008 | Saw V | No | Yes | No | |
2009 | Feast III: The Happy Finish | No | Yes | No | |
The Collector | Yes | Yes | No | Directorial debut | |
Saw VI | No | Yes | No | ||
2010 | Saw 3D | No | Yes | No | |
The Candidate | No | Yes | Yes | Short film | |
2012 | Piranha 3DD | No | Yes | No | |
The Collection | Yes | Yes | No | ||
2016 | The Neighbor | Yes | Yes | Executive | |
Rise | No | Yes | No | Short film | |
Crazy Baby | No | Story | No | ||
2017 | Naked Fury | No | Yes | No | |
2019 | Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark | No | Story | No | |
Into the Dark | Yes | Yes | No | Episode: "Pilgrim" | |
2022 | Unhuman | Yes | Yes | No | |
2024 | AMFAD All My Friends Are Dead | Yes | No | No |