YouTuber Markiplier turns director; other YouTubers who made films
Mark Fischbach, who is popularly known by his YouTube name Markiplier, is all set to direct and star in the upcoming feature film Iron Lung, reported Deadline. Based on the eponymous 2022 independent horror game by developer David Szymanski, the film has reportedly entered production in Texas. Apart from Markiplier, we take a closer look at other YouTubers who made their own films.
Joe Penna
The 2018 survival drama Arctic featuring Mads Mikkelsen was directed by YouTube content creator Joe Penna. For years, Penna made videos for his subscribers under the name Mystery Guitar Man, and he gained recognition for his tightly edited music videos and highly-creative animations. He put his YouTube career on hold to shoot Arctic, which went on to premiere at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival.
Dan Trachtenberg
Dan Trachtenberg started out reviewing video games and movies on YouTube's The Totally Rad Show and used to direct commercials too. From there, he jumped into making a movie—which surprisingly became a blockbuster hit. Tranchtengberg's directorial debut, 10 Cloverfield Lane (2016), raked in over $110M at the worldwide box office. Notably, he has reportedly directed a couple of episodes of Black Mirror S3, too.
Lilly Singh
With a total of 14.5M followers on YouTube, Lilly Singh has made an indelible mark on fans' minds with her vlogging style and rapping skills. In 2016, Singh launched the biggest project in her career, which was the YouTube Red Movie—A Trip to Unicorn Island. This feature-length film gave fans an extraordinary glimpse into the life and journey of Singh—the "Superwoman" of YouTube.
Joe Sugg and Casper Lee
Joe Sugg and Caspar Lee are among the most popular YouTubers out there, each with a healthy 7-8M followers on their respective primary YouTube channels. Lee was formerly in a boyband, while Sugg gained recognition by participating in the UK version of Strictly Come Dancing. Together they starred in a 2015 British comedy documentary film titled Hit The Road, directed by Brian Klien.
