J. D. Dillard

JD Dillard (born December 26, 1987) is an American film director, producer, and screenwriter best known for his work on Sleight, Sweetheart (2019), and Devotion (2022).

Early life Dillard was raised as a Navy brat, the son of Bruce and Geri Dillard. His father was a Naval flight officer and the second African-American selected to fly for the Blue Angels.

Career In March 2013, Dillard directed a trailer for Empire of the Suns second album Ice on the Dune. In 2016, he directed the science fiction crime drama film Sleight, for Blumhouse Tilt.

In a 2017 interview with /Film Dillard disclosed that he was in early negotiations to direct a remake of David Cronenberg's The Fly. Dillard stated that he might work with Alex Theurer, the co-writer of Sleight, on it and that the two of them "want to start with character" when making the film.

In January 2019, he wrote and directed the horror film Sweetheart, starring Kiersey Clemons. In February 2019, Legendary Entertainment won a bidding war for Mastering Your Past, which was written by Dillard. In April 2019, he wrote the supernatural noir film Stray. In December 2019, he cameoed as Stormtrooper FN-1226 in Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

In February 2020, it was reported that Dillard was developing an untitled Star Wars film, and was in talks to direct The Return of the Rocketeer, a sequel to the 1991 film The Rocketeer. In November 2022, Dillard announced he was not attached to either Star Wars or Rocketeer projects. In June 2020, Dillard directed an episode of the CBS All Access series The Twilight Zone. In September 2020, he directed an episode of the Amazon Prime Video series Utopia.

In February 2021, he directed the action war film Devotion, starring Jonathan Majors as Jesse L. Brown. Dillard stated that his father's real life service as a Naval flight officer partly inspired his handling of the film. During filming, Dillard's parents visited the set, and his father acted as a Navy pilot tech consultant for the film.

In recently, he served as creator, writer, director, and executive producer on the Apple TV series Neuromancer, based on the book of the same name. The series is set to premiere on January 22, 2027. Stray 2022 Devotion Accolades In January 2016, Dillard was nominated at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival Awards, in the category "Best of Next!", for his work on Sleight. In February 2018, Dillard received two nominations at the Black Reel Awards of 2018, in the categories "Best Emerging Filmmaker" and "Best First Screenplay", also for his work on Sleight.