Michael Dougherty

Michael Dougherty (born October 28, 1974) is an American film director, producer, screenwriter, and comic book creator. He is best known for his work with Dan Harris on the scripts for Bryan Singer's films X2 (2003) and Superman Returns (2006), as well as writing and directing the cult horror film Trick 'r Treat (2007). He also directed, co-wrote, and produced the Christmas horror-comedy Krampus (2015), and co-wrote and directed Godzilla: King of the Monsters (2019).

Dougherty was born and raised in Columbus, Ohio. He attended the Tisch School of Arts at New York University in the Maurice Kanbar Institute of Film and Television, which is where he produced Season's Greetings (1996).

His directorial debut, Trick 'r Treat, is based on his own script, and was produced by Bryan Singer. It played at several film festivals, before being released on DVD on October 6, 2009 in the US and Canada. In December 2014, he began work on his horror film Krampus, which was released in December 2015, and co-wrote the script for X-Men: Apocalypse (2016), with Singer, Dan Harris and Simon Kinberg, with Singer once again as director.

Dougherty directed the science fiction sequel Godzilla: King of the Monsters, for which he wrote the script with Zach Shields, from a story by himself, Shields, and Max Borenstein. The film was released in 2019, to mixed reviews and grossed $385 million worldwide.

Dougherty is an artist and some of his artwork is displayed on his official website.

Bryan Singer, Dougherty and Dan Harris provided the plots to four comic book prequels to Superman Returns. The four forty-page comic book prequels were published by DC Comics throughout the month of June 2006 and bridged the gap between the second Superman film and Superman Returns.

• Superman Returns: Krypton to Earth - Story by Bryan Singer, Michael Dougherty, and Dan Harris

Summary: In the first of the four prequels, fans will revisit the Man of Steel’s origins and witness how the world has been transformed in Superman’s absence.

• Superman Returns: Ma Kent - Story by Bryan Singer, Michael Dougherty, and Dan Harris

Summary: The second special conceived by Bryan Singer and illustrated by Karl Kerschl spotlights the life of the woman who raised the Man of Tomorrow—and explores how she survived a world without Superman.

• Superman Returns: Lex Luthor - Story by Bryan Singer, Michael Dougherty, and Dan Harris

Summary: Lex Luthor always dreamed of a world without a Superman. How will Superman’s arch-nemesis react when he finally gets what he’s wanted for so many years?

• Superman Returns: Lois Lane - Story by Bryan Singer, Michael Dougherty, and Dan Harris

Summary: Lois Lane has loved... and lost... the Man of Steel. How will this intrepid reporter rebound from Superman’s absence?

In 2015, with Todd Casey, Zach Shields and Marc Andeyko, Michael Dougherty co wrote and created a comic book tie in to Trick 'r Treat, titled 'Trick 'r Treat: Days of the Dead'.It features four new short stories, spanning centuries, depicting a variety of characters and cultures, going back to the holiday's roots in ancient Ireland.

Later that year, with Casey, Zach and Laura Shields, Dougherty also published a tie-in to Krampus titled Krampus: Shadows of Saint Nicholas. It features three stories which expand the mythology of the Krampus.