Rawson Marshall Thurber

Rawson Marshall Thurber is a writer and director best known for the 2004 hit comedy, "Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story." The screenplay Thurber wrote for the film received numerous rejections before landing in the welcome hands of Ben Stiller's production company, and it was Stiller who not only green-lighted the project but also starred in the film along with his wife, Christine Taylor, as well as Vince Vaughn. "Dodgeball" came on the heels of Thurber's 2002 short, "Terry Tate, Office Linebacker," which became a commercial for Reebok (Thurber had himself played football at Union College in New York). Prior to that, Thurber served as an assistant to screenwriter John August, whose credits include "Go" and "Charlie's Angels." After the substantial success of "Dodgeball," Thurber directed a single episode of the Fox sitcom "The Loop," and then in 2008, after successfully soliciting author Michael Chabon, Thurber made the adventure comedy "The Mysteries of Pittsburgh," which he directed and adapted for the screen from Chabon's book. Though Thurber had Chabon's blessing and was even offered constructive feedback as he wrote the script, the movie--which starred Sienna Miller, Jon Foster, and Peter Sarsgaard--was modestly received, and barely registered at the box office. That same year, Thurber also released a dramatic short called "Manchild."