Michael Gracey | |
|---|---|
 Gracey at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival | |
| Occupation | Filmmaker |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Notable work | The Greatest Showman |
Michael Gracey is an Australian filmmaker. He is best known for directing the films The Greatest Showman and Better Man .
Gracey grew up in Melbourne – in Carlton then Kew – then started working in visual effects and music videos before making his reputation in advertising, gaining a name for himself with his Christmas commercials in the UK and US. [1]
Gracey worked for two years at animation and visual effects studio Animal Logic from 1994 to 1996 as an animator and visual effects compositor. [2] He left the company to work at Complete Post, during which time Gracey met and began working with director Baz Luhrmann, who invited him to work on Moulin Rouge! . "We worked on what we called 'visual scrapbooks'," Gracey told shots.net. "Baz would shoot some footage of Nicole Kidman singing or something and we'd do little mock-ups, and cut mood reels together." [3]
Gracey made his feature directorial debut in 2017 with The Greatest Showman starring Hugh Jackman as P. T. Barnum. [4] [5]
Gracey was also slated to direct an adaptation of manga series Naruto , [6] but was replaced by Destin Daniel Cretton, [7] and an adaptation of the novel Daughter of Smoke and Bone , [8] which fell in development hell.
In 2022, Gracey directed a short film for Tourism Australia, G'Day, starring Rose Byrne and Will Arnett, with cameos from Hamish Blake & Andy Lee. [9] The commercial is the salient feature of the 'Come and Say G’day' campaign. [10]
Gracey is a member of the Australian production company: FINCH. [11]
Gracey directed the Robbie Williams biopic Better Man (2024). [12] He is also set to direct the live-action version of Tangled . [13]
Visual effects
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | Amy | Digital artist |
| 1998 | The Genie from Down Under | Visual effects artist (6 episodes) |
| 2001 | Cubbyhouse | Digital compositor |
| 2002 | Double Vision | |
| 2003 | Ned Kelly | Digital compositor – Complete Post Visual effects supervisor – Complete 2003 Post |
| 2005 | The Magician | Visual effects supervisor |
Director
| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | The Greatest Showman | Yes | No | No | |
| 2021 | Pink: All I Know So Far | Yes | Yes | Yes | Documentary film |
| 2024 | Better Man | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
Executive producer
| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2019 | Rocketman | Originally attached to direct the film before being replaced by Dexter Fletcher |
| 2023 | Ladybug & Cat Noir: The Movie | Also song lyrics |
Special thanks
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