Michael Sarnoski

Writer, Director

Birthplace: Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Michael Sarnoski made a striking feature filmmaking debut as director and writer (with producer Vanessa Block as co-writer of the story) with the charged drama, Pig (2021), released by Neon and starring Nicolas Cage (who was also a producer) in one of his most distinguished performances, leading a cast including Alex Wolff, Adam Arkin, and Gretchen Corbett, and earning Sarnoski several award nominations and wins, including best first screenplay from Independent Spirit Awards and best director debut from the National Board of Review.

Sarnoski made a huge leap to big-budget studio moviemaking with his second feature as director-writer (with a story co-written with John Krasinski) of Paramount Pictures’ series prequel, A Quiet Place: Day One (2024), starring Lupita Nyong’o, Joseph Quinn, Wolff, and Djimon Hounsou.

Sarnoski was director-writer of a dramatic retelling of the Robin Hood tale, The Death of Robin Hood (2026), co-starring Hugh Jackman (who was also a lead producer), and Jodie Comer, Bill Skarsgård, Murray Bartlett, and Noah Jupe, with the project backed by Lyrical Media and produced through Ryder Picture Company and released wide by A24.

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Personal life

Michael Sarnoski was born and raised in Milwaukee by his parents. Sarnoski attended and graduated from the University School of Milwaukee in 2006, and then graduated from Yale University with a B.A. in 2010, where he studied art and cinema.

Known For

Pig

(2021)

A Quiet Place: Day One

(2024)

Fight Night Legacy

(2012)

The Death of Robin Hood

(1970)

Awards

Nominee, Best First-Time Director, Directors Guild of America Awards (2022); Nominee, Best Feature, Gotham Independent Film Awards (2022); Winner, Best First Screenplay, Independent Spirits Awards (2022); Nominee, Someone to Watch Award, Independent Spirit Awards (2022); Winner, Best Directorial Debut, National Board of Review Awards (2021).

Independent Spirit Award

Independent Spirit Award

Film Independent Spirit Awards

Someone to Watch Award

Someone to Watch Award

Film Independent Spirit Awards

Michael Sarnoski Movies

Director

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Previous (3)

2026 |
The Death of Robin Hood
The Death of Robin Hood
2026
Action, Adventure, Drama
Grappling with his past after a life of crime and murder, Robin Hood finds himself gravely injured after a battle he thought would be his last. In the hands of a mysterious woman, he is offered a chance at salvation.
2024 |
A Quiet Place: Day One
A Quiet Place: Day One
2024
Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A young woman named Sam finds herself trapped in New York City during the early stages of an invasion by alien creatures with ultra-sensitive hearing.
More Info
2021 |
Pig
Pig
2021
Drama, Mystery
A truffle hunter who lives alone in the Oregon wilderness must return to his past in Portland in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped.
More Info

Writer

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Previous (2)

2024 |
A Quiet Place: Day One
A Quiet Place: Day One
2024
Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller
A young woman named Sam finds herself trapped in New York City during the early stages of an invasion by alien creatures with ultra-sensitive hearing.
More Info
2021 |
Pig
Pig
2021
Drama, Mystery
A truffle hunter who lives alone in the Oregon wilderness must return to his past in Portland in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped.
More Info

Facts About Michael Sarnoski

Post-collegiate Training: Michael Sarnoski didn’t jump into feature moviemaking after graduating from Yale, but instead made or worked on a roster of short films and television work from 2010 to 2015 in which he was director, writer, editor, cinematographer, makeup artist, boom operator, actor, or executive producer, or some combination of the above depending on the project.