Michelle Maxwell MacLaren is a Canadian television director and producer. She has directed episodes of The X-Files, Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad, The Walking Dead, Game of Thrones, and Westworld.
MacLaren won two back-to-back Primetime Emmy Awards for producing Breaking Bad in 2013 and 2014.
Early life MacLaren grew up in Vancouver, British Columbia. She graduated from Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario. MacLaren is a cousin of television anchor Ashleigh Banfield.
Career
MacLaren made her directorial debut on the season nine episode of The X-Files, "John Doe", which was written by her future Breaking Bad collaborator Vince Gilligan. She approaches shooting action sequences as mathematical deconstruction and likes using multiple cameras and wide lenses.
She was nominated for six Primetime Emmy Awards, all for Breaking Bad: one for directing the episode "One Minute" (season 3, episode 7) in 2010, one for directing the episode "Gliding Over All" (season 5, episode 8) in 2013, and the other four in 2010, 2012, 2013 and 2014 for Outstanding Drama Series, on which she served as an executive producer, winning in 2013 and 2014. She was also nominated for three Producers Guild of America Award for Best Episodic Drama for Breaking Bad, winning in 2014 and 2015. On the tenth anniversary of the premiere of Breaking Bad, io9 singled out MacLaren among the breakout directors on the series as the MVP, noting she directed 11 episodes, more than any other director.
In June 2014, it was announced MacLaren had signed a two-year first-look deal with HBO.
In November 2014, it was announced that MacLaren would develop the script and direct Wonder Woman, the iconic character's first solo cinematic appearance and the fourth installment of the DC Extended Universe. However, in April 2015 MacLaren left the project due to "creative differences".
She was the executive producer of and directed the pilot for David Simon's HBO drama The Deuce. She was the first director hired and established the overall 1970s tone and style of the show.
In August 2016, it was announced that MacLaren would direct the film adaptation of Kristin Hannah's novel The Nightingale. She was attracted to the prospect of directing The Nightingale because it is a "muscular" project and the female characters are unsuspecting heroes.
The same year she also directed the ninth episode of the HBO series Westworld. When the directors of the final season of Game of Thrones were announced, several prominent news sites, including Polygon and Nerdist, expressed disappointment that MacLaren, the only woman to direct on the series, was not included.
In December 2017, MacLaren visited the Dubai International Film Festival as a guest of OSN.
On January 31, 2018, MacLaren was confirmed as director for the film Cowboy Ninja Viking.
She is developing a miniseries for HBO with Breaking Bad co-producer Vince Gilligan called Raven, based on the Jonestown massacre.
Filmography Film Population 436 (2006)
TV series Year Title Director ExecutiveProducer Episode(s) 2000–2002 The X-Files "John Doe" 2002 Without a Trace "Midnight Sun" 2003 John Doe "John D.O.A." 2005 Night Stalker "Pilot"2006 Law & Order: Special Victims Unit "Infected" Kyle XY "Blame it on the Rain"2009–2013Breaking Badrowspan=11 rowspan=11 "To'hajiilee" "Buried" "Gliding Over All" "Madrigal" "Salud" "Shotgun" "Thirty-Eight Snub" "Abiquiu" "One Minute" "I.F.T." "4 Days Out"2010 Memphis Beat "Suspicious Minds" Lie to Me "Dirty Loyal" The Event "Your World to Take"2010–2014The Walking Deadrowspan=3 rowspan=3 "A" "Pretty Much Dead Already" "Guts"2011 Camelot "Igraine" Hell on Wheels "Revelations"2012 NCIS "Need to Know" The River "Doctor Emmet Cole" 2013 Chicks 'n' Guns Breaking Bad bonus scene2013–2014Game of Thronesrowspan=4 rowspan=4 "First of His Name" "Oathkeeper" "Second Sons" "The Bear and the Maiden Fair" 2014 The Leftovers "Cairo"2015–2022Better Call Saulrowspan=3 rowspan=3 "Nippy" "Breathe" "Mijo" 2016 Westworld "The Well-Tempered Clavier" 2017 Modern Family "All Things Being Equal"2017–2019The Deucerowspan=2 rowspan=2 "My Name Is Ruby" "Pilot" 2019 The Morning Show "Lonely at the Top"2021Coyoterowspan=2 rowspan=2 "Silver or Lead" "Call of the Void"2024Constellationrowspan=2 rowspan=2 "Live and Let Die" "The Wounded Angel"
TV movies Year Title Writer Producer 1992 Shame 1993 For the Love of My Child: The Anissa Ayala Story Moment of Truth: A Child Too Many 1994 Moment of Truth: To Walk Again Moment of Truth: Broken Pledges Heart of a Child Moment of Truth: A Mother's Deception 1995 The Other Mother: A Moment of Truth Movie 1997 A Child's Wish 1998 Beauty 1999 A Song from the Heart
Awards and nominations Primetime Emmy Awards Year Category Title Episode Result 2010Outstanding Drama SeriesBreaking Bad 2012 2013 2014 2010Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series "One Minute" 2013 "Gliding Over All"
Producers Guild of America Year Category Title Result 2011Best Episodic DramaBreaking Bad 2013 2014 2015
References
External links