Chris Sparling

Biography

Chris Sparling is an American screenwriter, director, and producer known for his gripping thrillers and emotionally charged storytelling. He was born on March 21, 1977, in Providence, Rhode Island, USA. Before entering the film industry, Sparling earned a degree in criminal justice and initially pursued work outside of Hollywood. However, his passion for storytelling and fascination with suspense-driven narratives eventually led him to focus on screenwriting.

Career

Chris Sparling began his career writing and producing independent films before achieving widespread recognition with his critically acclaimed screenplay Buried (2010), directed by Rodrigo Cortés and starring Ryan Reynolds. The film — a psychological thriller set entirely inside a coffin — was hailed for its originality, tension, and inventive storytelling. Buried premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and earned Sparling numerous awards, including recognition from the National Board of Review and Goya Awards.

Following his breakthrough success, Sparling became known for crafting intelligent, tightly structured thrillers that explore moral dilemmas, human endurance, and survival. He wrote and directed The Atticus Institute (2015), a horror-thriller about government experiments on paranormal subjects, further showcasing his ability to merge realism with the supernatural.

Sparling also wrote ATM (2012)*, a confined-space thriller, and contributed to the screenplay for The Sea of Trees (2015), directed by Gus Van Sant and starring Matthew McConaughey and Naomi Watts, which explored themes of grief and redemption.

He continued to build a reputation as a versatile writer with Greenland (2020), an emotional disaster film directed by Ric Roman Waugh and starring Gerard Butler. The film was praised for combining large-scale spectacle with human drama — a hallmark of Sparling’s storytelling style. He later worked on the sequel, Greenland: Migration, continuing the survival saga of the Garrity family.