Hannah Marks

When John Green's "Turtles All the Way Down" was released in 2017, the young-adult novel was an instant bestseller, topping the New York Times list. It stayed there for over a year, with the "The Fault in Our Stars" author announcing during that time that the movie was in development. The long-awaited adaptation was filmed in 2022, and director Hannah Marks teased the project just a little bit to POPSUGAR. "'Turtles All the Way Down' is an incredible book," she said while promoting her movie "Don't Make Me Go." "First and foremost, I love the book by John Green, and the movie really stays true to the book in so many ways. I think we really worked hard on making it a faithful adaptation."

Writer-director Hannah Marks, who got her start acting in projects like Accepted, Weeds, Necessary Roughness and Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency, made her feature directorial debut with After Everything, which she also wrote. And she directed another film that she wrote, Mark, Mary & Some Other People, before she directed Don’t Make Me Go, which is currently streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video. For Marks, directing a film she didn’t write was something she “really enjoyed.”More from The Hollywood Reporter'The Nevers' Star Zackary Momoh Joins Giancarlo Esposito in AMC's 'The Driver' Remake (Exclusive)China Box Office: 'Detective vs Sleuths' Wins Weekend, 'Mozart From...

Hannah Marks’ new Amazon family drama Don’t Make Me Go tells the story of a father-daughter road trip across the United States, starting in California and making stops in New Mexico, Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. But if you didn’t know it was all shot in New Zealand, you might never have been the wiser.

Director Hannah Marks knows you’ll be surprised by the ending of her new film, Don’t Make Me Go, which began streaming on Amazon’s Prime Video today. That’s one of the things she likes about the movie—despite the fact that many studios tried to get screenwriter Vera Herbert to abandon the plot twist over the years.

Hannah Marks has been on sets for most of her life. Following in her mother’s footsteps, the Southern California native started acting at age 6. By the time she was a teenager, she was already a veteran of the network and cable television show circuit, having done the rounds on all manner of sitcoms, procedurals and prestige-y dramas, including a multi-season arc on “Weeds.”

Before she hit her sweet 16, Hannah Marks had already lined up an impressive array of acting credits for a rising young performer: an arc on “Weeds,” appearing as Justin Long’s little sis in comedy “Accepted,” and stints on series like “Ugly Betty,” “Criminal Minds,” and “Private Practice.” But what she really wanted to do was direct. And write. And keep acting, too. What she really wanted to do was everything.