Upon graduating from Roger Williams University and Bridgewater State University with degrees in Criminal Justice, and after writing, directing, and producing several low-budget independent films,[1] Sparling found mainstream success when his feature length screenplay Buried was purchased by producer Peter Safran.
Sparling later wrote the script ATM,[9] a suspense thriller produced by Peter Safran and shot in Winnipeg, Manitoba in the fall of 2010 [10] and released in 2012 by IFC Films.
[11][12] In 2014, Sparling was hired by Warner Brothers and Leonardo DiCaprio to adapt the crime novel Blood on Snow, written by author Jo Nesbø.
This same year, his original screenplay, The Sea of Trees, went into production, starring Matthew McConaughey, Naomi Watts, and Ken Watanabe, and directed by Gus Van Sant.
He later wrote the 2020 film Greenland, which opened at number one at the box office in 26 countries and earned positive reviews from critics.