Craig Gillespie’s Best Projects to Watch Before Supergirl

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As a huge comic book movie fan, I’m already getting excited for 2026 – it’s shaping up to be an amazing year! But honestly, the new DC Universe film is looking like it could be the best of the bunch. Casting Milly Alcock was a fantastic move, but when I heard Craig Gillespie was directing, I knew they were really onto something special. It feels like this project is finally heading in the right direction!

Craig Gillespie, an Australian director who began his career making TV commercials, has become a remarkably adaptable filmmaker in Hollywood. He excels at telling authentic, character-driven stories, no matter the genre—making his recent work on Supergirl particularly exciting. But what is his best project to date, considering his work in both film and television?

Million Dollar Arm Is A Charming Underdog Story

Craig Gillespie has become a popular director in Hollywood, especially known for making biographical dramas. His first major film in this genre was the 2014 Disney movie Million Dollar Arm, which tells the true story of sports manager J.B. Bernstein.

Jon Hamm brings his classic charisma to the role of Bernstein, who attempts to revitalize his failing sports agency with a unique plan: training Indian cricket players (including Suraj Sharma, known from Life of Pi) to become Major League Baseball stars. Million Dollar Arm is generally a funny and touching movie, and, like many films of its kind, you don’t need to be a sports fan to enjoy it.

The Finest Hours Is A Crowd-Pleasing Tale Of Courage

Craig Gillespie, the director of Million Dollar Arm, returned with another true story for Disney, but this one was much more serious. The Finest Hours tells the dramatic story of the U.S. Coast Guard’s daring attempt to save the crew of the S.S. Pendleton after a massive storm broke the ship in two in 1952.

I was really excited for The Finest Hours when it came out – the cast was amazing, with Chris Pine, Casey Affleck, Ben Foster, and Eric Bana all starring! Plus, it had a sweet romantic angle mixed in with all the action. But honestly, it didn’t do very well in theaters and got a lot of mixed reactions. Still, those of us who did love it were totally captivated by the incredible story of courage and facing impossible challenges. It was just a really inspiring movie!

Fright Night Is One Of The Best Horror Remakes Of Its Time

Plenty of famous directors got their start with a horror film – think Steven Spielberg with Jaws or Peter Jackson with Bad Taste. Craig Gillespie can be added to that group, as his 2011 movie Fright Night was his first big success with a wider audience.

This updated version of the 1985 film Fright Night stars the late Anton Yelchin as a teenager who becomes suspicious that his new neighbor (Colin Farrell) is a vampire. While many felt a remake wasn’t needed, critics and audiences generally enjoyed it as a clever and entertaining vampire movie – a standout in the genre.

Your Friends & Neighbors Is A Witty Suburban Crime Drama

Craig Gillespie and Jon Hamm, who previously worked together on Million Dollar Arm, are teaming up again for a dark comedy series on Apple TV+. The show, set to debut in 2025, will also feature both Gillespie and Hamm as executive producers, with Gillespie directing the first two episodes.

Don’t mistake this show for the 1998 movie of the same name. Your Friends & Neighbors is a satirical crime drama about a divorced and jobless hedge fund manager (played by Jon Hamm) who starts robbing houses in his wealthy neighborhood to keep up his lifestyle. The show was well-received, particularly Hamm’s performance, and has been renewed for a second season.

Cruella Is A Stylish Reimagining Of An Iconic Villain

By 2021, even dedicated Disney fans were starting to feel overwhelmed by endless remakes. However, Craig Gillespie’s Cruella stood out because it wasn’t just another retelling of One Hundred and One Dalmatians. Instead, it completely reimagined the story of Cruella de Vil, exploring her background from the very beginning.

Emma Stone gives a stunning performance as Cruella de Vil, but this isn’t the purely evil character most people remember. The film surprisingly shows Cruella’s backstory and makes her a more sympathetic figure. Director Craig Gillespie skillfully humanizes the iconic villain, and the movie features a fantastic soundtrack with classic songs, plus award-winning costumes.

United States Of Tara Is A Comedy Series With A Lot Of “Personality”

Early in his career as a film director, Craig Gillespie started working in television. In 2009, he directed the first episode of the interesting show United States of Tara. He directed six episodes total and also helped behind the scenes as a consulting producer, playing an important role in the show’s success.

I’m a huge fan of ‘United States of Tara’! It’s this amazing Showtime series created by Diablo Cody (who won an Oscar!) and Steven Spielberg was an executive producer. Toni Collette is incredible – she actually won an Emmy and Golden Globe for playing Tara, a woman dealing with Dissociative Identity Disorder. What’s so cool is how the show portrays her different personalities – like the teenage T, the sometimes-difficult Buck, and the very traditional Alice. They definitely cause chaos, but it’s surprisingly realistic and relatable, especially if you’ve ever dealt with family drama. It doesn’t feel sensationalized at all, just honest.

Dumb Money Is As Informative As It Is Entertaining

Craig Gillespie had already become a well-known director in Hollywood, particularly for making popular biographical films, when a strange story broke about Wall Street. In 2021, the stock price of the video game retailer GameStop unexpectedly skyrocketed, causing major financial losses for many investment firm CEOs. This event was later documented in Ben Mezrich’s book, The Antisocial Network, published that same year.

Two years after the events unfolded, a movie called Dumb Money, directed by Lawrence Gillespie, came out. The film, starring Paul Dano as a popular internet personality who foresaw the dramatic rise of GameStop, features a fantastic cast. If you’ve ever wondered how GameStop became such a major player in the stock market, or how the stock market works in general, this critically praised and entertaining movie is a great way to understand it all.

Pam & Tommy Is An Eye-Opening Look At A Turbulent Hollywood Romance

Despite achieving success in film, Craig Gillespie continued to work on television, often with excellent results. He’s particularly well-known for his work on Hulu’s Emmy-winning limited series, Pam & Tommy, where he served as an executive producer and directed the first three episodes.

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Lily James gives a remarkable performance as Pamela Anderson, portraying the actress’s difficult experience when a private, intimate video with her then-husband, drummer Tommy Lee (played by Sebastian Stan), was stolen and widely shared online. Pamela Anderson wasn’t involved in, and didn’t initially support, the show dramatizing her life, but she might feel differently if she watched it and realized the series is sympathetic to her story.

Lars And The Real Girl Is A Dark, Endearing Take On The Rom-Com

Although Craig Gillespie technically directed Mr. Woodcock in 2007, he left the project because test audiences wanted a more mainstream comedy. Therefore, Lars and the Real Girl, also from 2007 and truer to his artistic style, is generally considered his first real success as a film director.

I have to say, Ryan Gosling is amazing in Lars and the Real Girl. He plays a guy who’s really afraid of being touched, and it’s such a sensitive performance. The story is about how he starts ‘dating’ a life-sized doll named Bianca, and honestly, when I first heard the premise, I expected something totally different! It could have been really exploitative, but it ended up being a genuinely sweet and touching movie. It doesn’t try to hide that it wants to be heartwarming, and it totally works.

I, Tonya Is A Groundbreaking Sports Biopic

Craig Gillespie’s film I, Tonya – a retelling of the infamous 2017 skating scandal – is a strong indication of why he’s an excellent choice to direct Supergirl. It’s the film that really launched his career and established him as the acclaimed director he is today.

Margot Robbie gives a stunning performance as Tonya Harding in this Oscar-nominated film. It tells the story of Harding, a talented figure skater whose career was ruined in the 1990s when her husband, Jeff Gillooly (played by Sebastian Stan), was involved in an attack on her rival, Nancy Kerrigan (Caitlin Carver). With an equally captivating, Oscar-winning performance by Allison Janney as Tonya’s tough mother, I, Tonya is a surprisingly compelling and sympathetic look at the world of competitive sports and the drama surrounding it.

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2025-12-26 22:16