Tool has added feature filmmaker Marc Forster to its roster for representation as a commercial director. He most recently directed the Paramount release World War Z, starring and produced by Brad Pitt. The film is based on Max Brooks’ post-apocalyptic novel "World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War." The film opened June 21, 2013 to more than 66 million dollars and has grossed more than 540 million dollars worldwide to date.
Forster’s filmmaking style was clearly evident in his first film, Everything Put Together, which he also co-wrote. This searing psychological drama was nominated for a Grand Jury Prize at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival, and at the Independent Spirit Awards that year Forster won the "Someone to Watch" award and was nominated for the Best Feature under $500,000 honor.
Forster broke through in a convincing way in 2001 with Monster’s Ball, which was a critical and commercial success and received two Oscar nominations with Halle Berry winning for Best Actress. The film offered a powerful glimpse into the legacies of race, loss and redemption, as well as commanding performances by Berry, Billy Bob Thornton, Heath Ledger, Peter Boyle and Sean Combs.
In Finding Neverland, Forster recreated turn-of-the-century London, crafting the semi-autobiographical story of the inspiring friendship between J.M. Barrie, author of "Peter Pan," and the four young boys and single mother who lived next door. Starring Johnny Depp, Kate Winslet, Dustin Hoffman and Julie Christie, Finding Neverland earned Forster a DGA Best Director nomination in 2004. It was also recognized as Best Film of the Year by the National Board of Review, and received seven Academy Award nominations, five Golden Globe nominations, and 11 BAFTA nominations, all including Best Picture.
Forster’s next film was 2005’s reality-bending thriller Stay , starring Ewan McGregor, Naomi Watts and Ryan Gosling. He followed that with the imaginative comedy Stranger Than Fiction, starring Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, Emma Thompson and Queen Latifah. Stranger Than Fiction premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.
In 2007, Forster adapted the New York Times best-selling and beloved novel "The Kite Runner." The film earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language Film and a BAFTA bid for Film Not In The English Language.
Following The Kite Runner, Forster was asked to direct the 22nd James Bond franchise’s Quantum Of Solace starring Daniel Craig.
Forster’s gripping indie action drama Machine Gun Preacher, released in September 2011, starring Gerard Butler, was based on the true story of Sam Childers, a former drug-dealing criminal who becomes a crusader for refugee children in Sudan.
Born in Germany and raised in Switzerland, Forster came to the United States in 1990 to attend NYU Film School, graduating in 1993.
