I honestly never wanted to direct. It was only when I started to work on 'Alexander the Great' that I realized I had to direct. I saw something so specifically in my mind, I could not leave it to someone else.

He also rejected the stylized approach that had come to define the action-crime genre – choosing instead to rely on story and performance. The film was released in December 2012. The script was co-written with Nathan Alexander.

Christopher McQuarrie (born 1968) is an American screenwriter producer and director. His screenplays include The Usual Suspects for which he won the 1996 Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay The Way of the Gun Valkyrie and Jack Reacher.