Northumbria graduate Neil Marshall directs critically-acclaimed US drama

Northumbria University alumnus Neil Marshall was in the coveted director’s chair for the third episode of hit US sci-fi drama Westworld.

The BA (Hons) Media, Culture & Society graduate, who works as a film director and writer, made his directing debut in 2004 with his first feature film Dog Soldiers. This was followed up with the critically acclaimed film, The Descent, in 2005 and Doomsday in 2008.

In 2010 he wrote and directed Centurion. More recently he has directed two episodes of Game of Thrones for which he was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series.

For Game of Thrones Marshall directed “Blackwater”, which was focused on Stannis Baratheon’s army attacking Kings Landing, and “Watchers on the Wall” which was the battle between the Night’s Watch and the Wildlings.

Now, Newcastle-born Marshall has taken the director’s spot for the third episode of Westworld titled “The Stray” which aired in the UK in October 2016.

Westworld is currently being tagged as a premium cable drama series coming on HBO. The movie was written and directed by the late Michael Crichton of Jurassic Park fame.

For those new to the Westworld sensation, the series is an adaptation of the 1973 movie about an adult-themed amusement park in which guests can interact with an authentic Old West setting populated by robots (called hosts) programmed to bolster the fantasy. So far, some of the hosts have experienced glitches which threaten to harm the guests.

The show is a huge success adding more and more people as loyal followers of the show. It has received positive reviews by critics, particularly for its visuals, story, acting, thematic elements, and world building.

Westworld airs in the UK every Tuesday on Sky Atlantic at 9pm.

See the episode 3 recap right here: 

Northumbria’s Art Department benefits from extensive industry-standard equipment, including a state of the art render farm for animation, video and sound editing, and laser cutters, 3D printers and other prototyping facilities, housed within customised facilities including a news room, and studios for television and radio broadcast, advertising, graphic design, animation and interactive media. Film & Television Studies achieved 95% ‘Overall Satisfaction’ in The National Student Survey 2015.