Misha Green

{{Short description|American screenwriter, director, and producer}}

{{Infobox person

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1984|09|22}}

| birth_place = Sacramento, California

| occupation = Screenwriter, director, producer

| television = Lovecraft Country
Underground

}}

Misha Green (born September 22, 1984, in Sacramento, California) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. She is best known as the showrunner of the supernatural series Lovecraft Country on HBO and creator and executive producer of the historical drama Underground.{{cite web|last1=Littleton|first1=Cynthia|title=WGN America Gives Series Order to Slavery Drama 'Underground'|url=https://variety.com/2015/tv/news/wgn-america-gives-series-order-to-slavery-drama-underground-1201443472/|website=Variety|date=27 February 2015 |access-date= March 11, 2016}}

Career

Green has previously been a staff writer for Heroes and Sons of Anarchy{{cite web|title=Misha Green|url=http://www.niadmanagement.com/literary/mgreen.htm|website=Niad Management|access-date=11 March 2016}} and a producer for Helix.{{cite web|last1=Morales|first1=Wilson|title=Interview With WGN America's Underground Showrunners Misha Green & Joe Pokaski|url=http://www.blackfilm.com/read/2016/03/interview-with-wgn-americas-underground-showrunners-misha-green-joe-pokaski/|website=Black Film|access-date= March 11, 2016}}

In 2016, together with fellow Heroes alumnus Joe Pokaski, Green created Underground, a period drama about the Underground Railroad, which takes place primarily in the Antebellum South and bordering free states of the North. The first season premiered on WGN America on March 9, 2016,{{cite web|last1=Petski|first1=Denise|title='Underground' Gets March Premiere Date On WGN America|url=https://deadline.com/2015/12/underground-trailers-premiere-underground-railroad-1201666565/|website=Deadline Hollywood|date=December 14, 2015|access-date= March 11, 2016}} and the show received a positive critical response.{{cite web |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/underground/s01 |title=Underground: Season 1 (2016)|publisher=Rotten Tomatoes |access-date=March 9, 2017}}{{cite web |url=https://www.metacritic.com/tv/underground |title=Underground: Season 1 |publisher=Metacritic |access-date=March 9, 2017}} On April 25, 2016, the network renewed Underground for a second season,{{cite web|last1=Kissell|first1=Rick|title=WGN America Renews 'Underground' for Second Season|url=https://variety.com/2016/tv/news/wgn-america-renews-underground-season-two-1201759991/|website=Variety.com|publisher=Penske Business Media, LLC|date=April 25, 2016|access-date=April 28, 2016}} which premiered on March 8, 2017.

In 2020, Green wrote a supernatural horror show, Lovecraft Country, which was produced by Get Out director and writer Jordan Peele.{{Cite web|title=Lovecraft Country Comes to Life in Misha Green & Jordan Peele Produced HBO Series|url=https://people.com/movies/hbos-lovecraft-country-bhg/|date=August 24, 2020|access-date=August 24, 2020|website=PEOPLE.com|language=EN}} Based on Matt Ruff's novel of the same name, the series tackles race issues, set in the 1950s, while also utilizing elements of H. P. Lovecraft. The show received a "straight-to-series" order from HBO.{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2017/05/jordan-peele-lovecraft-country-hbo-series-misha-green-1202095066/|title='Get Out's Jordan Peele Teams With WBTV, HBO & Bad Robot For 'Lovecraft Country' Drama Series; Misha Green Writing|work=Deadline|first=Mike Jr.|last= Fleming|date=May 16, 2017|access-date= May 16, 2017}} The series co-stars Underground star Jurnee Smollett-Bell. On July 2, 2021, HBO announced that the series would not be returning for a second season.{{Cite web |last=Andreeva |first=Nellie |date=2021-07-02 |title='Lovecraft Country' Not Returning For Season 2 On HBO |url=https://deadline.com/2021/07/lovecraft-country-canceled-no-season-2-hbo-1234785811/ |access-date=2022-05-14 |website=Deadline |language=en-US}} In James Andrew Miller's book Tinderbox: HBO's Ruthless Pursuit of New Frontiers, several writers of the show claimed it was cancelled due to Green's alleged creation of a toxic work environment.{{Cite web |last=Hibberd |first=James |date=November 17, 2021 |title=James Andrew Miller on the Big Revelations in HBO Book Tinderbox |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/tinderbox-hbo-book-james-miller-interview-1235048630/ |access-date=May 23, 2022 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |archive-date=May 20, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220520223217/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/tv/tv-features/tinderbox-hbo-book-james-miller-interview-1235048630/ |url-status=live }}

In January 2021, she was chosen by MGM to write and direct the sequel to 2018's Tomb Raider, a franchise she has described herself as a fan of since its first entries on PlayStation.{{Cite web |last=Fleming, Mike Jr |date=January 25, 2021 |title=MGM Sets 'Lovecraft Country's Misha Green To Write/Direct Next 'Tomb Raider' With Alicia Vikander Reprising As Lara Croft |url=https://deadline.com/2021/01/tomb-raider-lovecraft-country-misha-green-write-direct-alicia-vikander-lara-croft-mgm-1234680071/ |access-date=January 26, 2021 |website=Deadline}}{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Misha |date=23 September 2021 |title=Nope. I've been a fan of Tomb Raider since I first played the games back when Playstations were grey. And writing is the house of my best accomplishments. I'm saving all my nerves for directing it! |url=https://twitter.com/MishaGreen/status/1440831816038948864 |access-date=14 May 2022 |website=Twitter}} Green confirmed via her official Twitter account in May 2021 that the first draft of the script, with the working title Tomb Raider: Obsidian, had been completed.{{Cite web |last=Green |first=Misha |date=14 May 2021 |title=Still a long journey to production. Title's not even approved. But first draft finished!!! #TombRaider |url=https://twitter.com/MishaGreen/status/1393326187296874497 |access-date=14 May 2022 |website=Twitter}} In July 2021 Alicia Vikander told Collider that the sequel is still happening but had not been greenlit yet.{{Cite web |last=Chitwood |first=Adam |date=2021-07-20 |title=Alicia Vikander Says 'Tomb Raider' Sequel Isn't Yet Greenlit, But She's Hopeful It'll Happen |url=https://collider.com/tomb-raider-2-sequel-script-update-alicia-vikander-interview/ |access-date=2022-05-14 |website=Collider |language=en-US}} In September 2021 Green responded to a fan question about the status of the film, and indicated that she was still set to direct her own script. In July 2022, it was reported that MGM had lost the film rights to the Tomb Raider franchise, after the window ran out to give the sequel the green light, culminating in Vikander's departure from the lead role. The rights reverted to the game company and prompted a bidding war among studios.{{Cite web |date=2022-07-28 |title=Tomb Raider Bidding War Erupts as MGM Loses Film Rights |url=https://www.thewrap.com/mgm-tomb-raider-movie-rights-bidding-war-exclusive/ |access-date=2022-08-09 |language=en-US}}

In July 2021 Green signed a multi-year overall deal to create and develop television projects for Apple TV+.{{Cite web|last=Otterson|first=Joe|date=July 9, 2021|title='Lovecraft Country' Creator Misha Green Sets Apple Overall Deal|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/lovecraft-country-misha-green-apple-overall-deal-1235015943/|access-date=July 10, 2021|website=Variety|language=en-US}}

In April 2021 Green was announced as producer for the upcoming film, Cleopatra Jones.{{cite web|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=April 29, 2021|title='Cleopatra Jones': 'Lovecraft Country' Scribe Ihuoma Ofordire To Pen Reboot Of 1973 Pic For Macro & Warner Bros|url=https://deadline.com/2021/04/cleopatra-jones-lovecraft-country-scribe-ihuoma-ofordire-to-pen-reboot-of-1973-pic-for-macro-warner-bros-1234746661/|access-date=April 29, 2021|website=Deadline Hollywood}} She will also wrote and produced the Netflix film The Mother,{{cite web|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=February 1, 2020|title=Jennifer Lopez To Star & Produce Action Pic 'The Mother' At Netflix, Niki Caro In Talks To Direct|url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/jennifer-lopez-netflix-movie-the-mother-mulan-niki-caro-to-direct-1234684653/|website=Deadline Hollywood|access-date=February 1, 2021}} and write the upcoming Black Canary film for Warner Bros.{{Cite web|last=Kit|first=Borys|date=August 20, 2021|title='Birds of Prey' Spinoff In the Works With Misha Green, Jurnee Smollett|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/birds-of-prey-spinoff-in-the-works-with-misha-green-jurnee-smollett-1235000948/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210820234049/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/birds-of-prey-spinoff-in-the-works-with-misha-green-jurnee-smollett-1235000948/|archive-date=August 20, 2021|access-date=August 22, 2021|website=The Hollywood Reporter}}

In January 2023, she was announced to make her directorial debut with Sunflower, a Lionsgate film. The script was the first she sold after arriving in Hollywood.{{Cite web |last=Vlessing |first=Etan |date=January 31, 2023 |title=Misha Green to Make Directorial Debut With Jurnee Smollett Thriller 'Sunflower' |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/misha-green-directorial-debut-jurnee-smollett-lionsgate-sunflower-1235314782/ |access-date=January 31, 2023 |website=The Hollywood Reporter}}