Neil Marshall

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Neil Marshall
Neil Marshall promoting "The Descent" at Comic Con, 2006
Born	25 May 1970 (1970-05-25) (age 38) Newcastle upon Tyne, England
Occupation	Film director, screenwriter & editor
Spouse(s)	Axelle Carolyn (2007 - present)

Neil Marshall (born in Newcastle upon Tyne, England, on 25 May 1970) is a film director and screenwriter. Dog Soldiers was Marshall's first feature-length film. Although not a huge commercial success, the film quickly attained cult status and showed the director's flair for the horror genre. Marshall's second film, The Descent, follows an all-female group of spelunkers who get more than they bargain for when they enter an unexplored cave. The film quickly garnered acclaim from fans and critics alike.

1 Directorial Trademarks
2 Upcoming projects
3 Filmography
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Directorial Trademarks

The name 'Eddie Oswald' is always referred to in Marshall's feature films. In Dog Soldiers, Sergeant Wells (Sean Pertwee) tells a story about the death of a fellow soldier - Eddie Oswald. In The Descent, Sarah (Shauna Macdonald) finds an antiquated helmet with the name Oswald on the rim. In Doomsday the name Oswald appears again, this time in reference to the company that built the wall that surrounds the infected wasteland. In a recent interview Marshall said the name has become a running joke in his pictures. A3U Podcast Interview

“	...the reason horror films are being made is that distributors and financiers see a way of making easy money. The genre is riding a wave of popularity that it hasn't enjoyed in a long time. It has broken out of the hardcore audience section and is reaching a much more broad-based audience	”
	— Neil Marshall

[edit] Upcoming projects

Outpost

In June 2005, Neil Marshall announced after the completion of The Descent that he would be working on two projects: The Eagle's Nest and Outpost. Having completed a third draft of the Outpost script at the time, Marshall planned to begin filming Outpost first before the end of 2005. He said that the stars from Dog Soldiers, Sean Pertwee and Kevin McKidd may appear in Outpost.^[1] The following July, Marshall completed a deal with Pathé to produce the film, but said that the project would be on the backburner for the time being.^[2] Marshall said in July 2006 that Outpost would be about zombies terrorizing an oil rig, but that he would not begin producing the film until 2008 due to the influx of zombie films.^[3]

The Eagle's Nest

Marshall initially described The Eagle's Nest as a World War II action-adventure that would be a hybrid of Die Hard (1988) and The Remains of the Day (1993).^[1] The following July, Marshall described The Eagle's Nest as an action adventure tribute to films like Where Eagles Dare (1968) and The Eagle Has Landed (1976). Marshall said The Eagle's Nest would be about a rescue attempt for a parachutist, Rudolph Hess, who lands in Scotland during World War II. The rescue is botched, and Hess is taken by a German unit to a country castle.^[2]

The Sword and the Fury

In July 2005, Marshall described a project called The Sword and the Fury, which would be a heist film that takes place in medieval times. According to the director, the story takes place 30 years after the death of King Arthur when his sword Excalibur is stolen. Arthur's queen Guinevere hires a band of thieves to steal it back.^[2]

The Ninth Legion

The Ninth Legion, announced in July 2006,^[3] is a planned project by Neil Marshall based on the historical Ninth Legion.^[4] Marshall plans to develop the film with the same crew that worked on The Descent, and he said in July 2006 that he would begin The Ninth Legion after completing Doomsday.^[3]

Sherlock Holmes

In March 2007, Warner Bros. announced a film adaptation of the comic book Sherlock Holmes by Lionel Wigram. A script was written by Michael Johnson, and Neil Marshall was hired to direct the film. Sherlock Holmes is slated for production after Marshall completes Doomsday.^[5]

Sacrilege

In March 2008, Neil Marshall announced his involvement to write and direct Sacrilege, a horror film that would take place in the Old West. Marshall described the film, "It is set during the Gold Rush, a time remembered for incidents like the Donner Party. It is meant to be a pitch-black, gritty, period horror movie." The film will be themed on paranoia and isolation, and the director will draw inspiration from the 1982 film The Thing. "This is Unforgiven by way of H.P. Lovecraft, with that grim, gritty setting and a horror element nobody has seen before," Marshall said.^[6]

Drive

Also in March 2008, Universal signed Marshall to direct Drive, a film about a Hollywood stunt driver who is also a getaway driver in heists, starring Hugh Jackman. The movie is based on the novel by James Sallis. Marshall would like to start shooting in the summer of 2008.^[7]

The De2cent

Due to the film being a commercial and critical success, it was decided that a sequel would be produced. Although Marshall has no plans to direct the film, he told Bloody-Disgusting.com, "A treatment is in the works, I’m not directing it, but I will oversee it and want to be a part of it." According to Rotten Tomatoes, the sequel will be called De2cent.

Conan

First it was rumored to be Xavier Gens, then Rob Zombie, and now another name has been suggested as the director for Conan. IGN.com states that British filmmaker Neil Marshall has also been put into the running. The screenwriting team of Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer have recently begun work on the script for film, which will bring the classic character from Robert E. Howard's pulp novels back to the big screen.