Brian Duffield

Last updated

Brian Duffield
Born (1985-11-05) November 5, 1985 (age 38)
OccupationFilmmaker
Years active2010–present
Website brianduffield.com OOjs UI icon edit-ltr-progressive.svg

Brian Duffield (born November 5, 1985) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He wrote and directed the 2023 sci-fi horror film No One Will Save You and the 2020 dark comedy coming-of-age film Spontaneous . His previous writing credits include Love and Monsters (2020), Underwater (2020), The Babysitter (2017) and Insurgent (2015). He is known for having multiple spec scripts featured in The Black List, an industry log of highly regarded but unproduced screenplays, including his scripts for Jane Got a Gun (2015) and Your Bridesmaid is a Bitch. [1] [2]

Contents

Early life

Duffield was born on November 5, 1985, [3] [4] the son of Brenda and Brian Duffield. He has two sisters and spent the first nine years of his life in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. [5] [6] In 1995, he moved with his family to rural Ireland when his parents decided to become evangelical missionaries. [5] [7] [8] He later described the surroundings of the area in which they settled as being completely remote and lacking in popular culture. [5] He attended school in County Kildare, where he also made extra money helping farmers deliver lambs; in one classroom, three separate grades were being taught by one teacher, which he described as "very Little House on the Prairie -esque". [5] He moved back to the U.S. upon graduating from high school in 2004. [5]

Duffield graduated from both Temple University and Messiah College in 2008. [8] [9] After graduation, he moved to Universal City, California for a summer internship through Temple University at the Oakwoods apartments prior to the 2007–08 Writers Guild of America strike and at the beginning of the Great Recession. [9] [10] From there, he worked various jobs before becoming a professional screenwriter. His first job in Los Angeles was at the now defunct Storyopolis, a children's book store/art gallery, in Studio City, where he worked with writer Blake Harris. [9] He has also worked as an assistant and script reader within the film industry for several years. [7] Prior to selling his first spec screenplay, Duffield was a temporary employee at the Lucky Brand Jeans factory in nearby Vernon, California. [11]

Career

Duffield's first spec sale was for Your Bridesmaid is a Bitch to Skydance Media. [1] The story is partially based on his personal experience with his friends' weddings and a slew of failed relationships. [7] His friend from college had sent a copy to a contact at Circle of Confusion management company, who later offered to be Duffield's manager. [1] [7] [12] Several days later, they got a meeting with Skydance, who bought the script. [1] [7] Eli Craig was last attached to direct and rewrite the film in May 2015. [13] Black List Live!, a live monthly stage reading of scripts featured on the Black List, did a performance of Your Bridesmaid is a Bitch in 2014. [14]

Duffield sold his script for Monster Problems to Paramount Pictures in 2012. [15] The film underwent some rewrites by Matthew Robinson and was renamed Love and Monsters before being released in October 2020. [16] [17]

Duffield's first writing assignment was for the film adaptation of the second book in the Divergent trilogy, Insurgent (2015), in 2013. [18] [9]

The script for The Babysitter (2017) was sold to McG's company, Wonderland Sound and Vision, at auction. [1] McG also directed the film, which later premiered on Netflix in October 2017. [19]

In 2020, the thriller Underwater starring Kristen Stewart was released. The screenplay was by Duffield and revised by Adam Cozad. [20] Duffield made his writer-director debut with the dark comedy Spontaneous later that year. [21] His next film as a writer-director, No One Will Save You , was released in 2023. [22]

Personal life

Duffield is married. [1] His parents still reside in Ireland. [7]

Filmography

YearTitleDirectorWriterProducerNotes
2014QuarantineNoYesNoShort
2015 The Divergent Series: Insurgent NoYesNo
Jane Got a Gun NoYesNo
2017 The Babysitter NoYesExecutive
2020 Underwater NoYesNo
The Babysitter: Killer Queen NoNoExecutive
Spontaneous YesYesYes
Love and Monsters NoYesNo
2023 Cocaine Bear NoNoYes
Skull Island NoYesExecutive
No One Will Save You YesYesYes

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screenwriter</span> Writer who writes for films, TV shows, comics and games

A screenwriter is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs, and video games, are based.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Charlie Kaufman</span> American filmmaker and novelist

Charles Stuart Kaufman is an American screenwriter, film director, and novelist. He wrote the films Being John Malkovich (1999), Adaptation (2002), and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004). He both wrote and directed the films Synecdoche, New York (2008), Anomalisa (2015), and I'm Thinking of Ending Things (2020). In 2020, Kaufman released his first novel, Antkind.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screenwriting</span> Art and craft of writing screenplays

Screenwriting or scriptwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is often a freelance profession.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Terry Rossio</span> American screenwriter

Terry Rossio is an American screenwriter and film producer. He co-wrote the films Aladdin, Shrek, and all five of the Pirates of the Caribbean series. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Shrek, and won the Annie Award for Writing in a Feature Production, as well as the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for Shrek. He often collaborates with fellow screenwriter Ted Elliott.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Lennon</span> American actor and screenwriter

Thomas Patrick Lennon is an American actor, comedian, screenwriter, producer, director, and novelist. He plays Lieutenant Jim Dangle on the series Reno 911!

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Heisserer</span> American screenwriter

Eric Andrew Heisserer is an American filmmaker, comic book writer, television writer, and television producer. His screenplay for the film Arrival earned him a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at the 89th Academy Awards in 2016.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David H. Steinberg</span> American screenwriter

David H. Steinberg is an American writer, director, and producer for film and television. He wrote the screenplays for American Pie 2, Slackers, National Lampoon's Barely Legal, and American Pie Presents: The Book of Love and Girls' Rules. He is currently the Executive Producer and Showrunner on No Good Nick, which streamed on Netflix in 2019.

Diane Renee Thomas was an American screenwriter who wrote the 1984 film Romancing the Stone, her only produced screenplay credit. She was also originally hired to write the third Indiana Jones film, completing a first draft set in a haunted house before George Lucas and Steven Spielberg decided on a different approach.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Max Landis</span> American screenwriter and filmmaker

Max Landis is an American filmmaker and the son of director John Landis. He wrote scripts for the films Chronicle (2012), American Ultra (2015), Victor Frankenstein (2015), and Bright (2017). He wrote and directed the film Me Him Her (2015), produced the first two seasons of the Syfy series Channel Zero (2016), and created the series Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (2016) based on the novel, for BBC America. He has also written limited series published by DC and Image Comics.

Annie Mumolo is an American screenwriter, actress, comedian, and producer, best known for co-writing the 2011 film Bridesmaids with Kristen Wiig, for which she was nominated for an Academy Award and a BAFTA for Best Original Screenplay. She and Wiig also co-wrote the screenplay and played leading roles for the 2021 comedy film Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar. She has also appeared in films such as This Is 40 (2012), Afternoon Delight (2013), The Boss (2016), Bad Moms (2016), Queenpins (2020), and Confess, Fletch (2022).

The Divergent Series is a feature film series based on the Divergent novels by the American author Veronica Roth. Distributed by Summit Entertainment and Lionsgate Films, the series consists of three science fiction action films set in a dystopian society: Divergent, Insurgent, and Allegiant. They have been produced by Lucy Fisher, Pouya Shabazian, and Douglas Wick.

Joe Ballarini is an American film director, screenwriter and author. He graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts Television Director's Program with a degree in film production in 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henrique Couto</span> American film director

Henrique Couto is an American writer and film director from Dayton, Ohio, United States of Portuguese descent. He is best known for directing the Babysitter Massacre.

<i>The Babysitter</i> (2017 film) Teen horror-comedy film by McG

The Babysitter is a 2017 American teen black comedy slasher film directed by McG and written by Brian Duffield. It stars Samara Weaving, Judah Lewis, Hana Mae Lee, Robbie Amell and Bella Thorne. The film follows a lonely 12-year-old boy (Lewis) who discovers that his babysitter (Weaving) is part of a satanic cult that wants to kill him. The film was released by Netflix on October 13, 2017, and received mostly positive reviews from critics. A sequel, The Babysitter: Killer Queen, was released on September 10, 2020.

<i>Spontaneous</i> (film) 2020 comedy film directed by Brian Duffield

Spontaneous is a 2020 American coming-of-age romantic black comedy horror film, written, produced and directed by Brian Duffield, in his directorial debut. It stars Katherine Langford, Charlie Plummer, Hayley Law, Piper Perabo, Rob Huebel and Yvonne Orji and is based on the 2016 novel of the same name by Aaron Starmer.

Krysty Norma Lesley Wilson-Cairns is a Scottish screenwriter. Born and raised in Glasgow, she studied at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and the National Film and Television School. During her teenage years, she was a runner on television series including the detective show Taggart. Her script for the unproduced science fiction thriller Aether made the 2014 Black List and led to a staff writer role on the television show Penny Dreadful. Her feature film debut was the screenplay for the Sam Mendes-directed 2019 war film 1917. She co-wrote it with Mendes and received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and the Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay.

<i>Love and Monsters</i> (film) 2020 film by Michael Matthews

Love and Monsters is a 2020 American monster adventure film directed by Michael Matthews, with Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen serving as producers. It stars Dylan O'Brien, Jessica Henwick, Dan Ewing, Michael Rooker, and Ariana Greenblatt.

Shay Hatten is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known for his work on John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum (2019), Army of the Dead, Army of Thieves, John Wick: Chapter 4, Rebel Moon, and Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver (2024).

Stephany Folsom is a screenwriter best known for her work on Toy Story 4 and Paper Girls.

<i>No One Will Save You</i> 2023 film by Brian Duffield

No One Will Save You is a 2023 American science fiction horror film written, directed, and produced by Brian Duffield. The film stars Kaitlyn Dever as a young woman living alone, shunned by the local townspeople, who must fight off a home invasion that has unexpected consequences. It has only five words of dialogue spoken during its entire runtime.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "How I Broke In: Brian Duffield". Final Draft. June 1, 2015. Archived from the original on December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  2. ↑ Lyttelton, Oliver (March 20, 2013). "On The Rise: 10 Screenwriters To Watch In 2013". IndieWire . Archived from the original on February 24, 2020. Retrieved February 23, 2020.
  3. ↑ Iannazzo, Lonnie II (November 5, 2014). "Birthday boy! @BrianDuffield". @movieguy34. Retrieved February 24, 2020.
  4. ↑ "Brian Duffield". Rotten Tomatoes . Fandango Media . Retrieved January 4, 2024.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 Myers, Scott (October 27, 2016). "Interview [Part 1]: Brian Duffield". Medium. Archived from the original on November 10, 2021. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  6. ↑ "'Insurgent' Screenwriter Brian Duffield talks writing for the hit franchise". Final Draft . December 30, 2015. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved December 21, 2021.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Screenwriter Interview - Brian Duffield". ScriptShadow. February 9, 2012. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  8. 1 2 "The Inferior Bio I Went With". Your Spontaneous Screenwriter. Archived from the original on May 12, 2022. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  9. 1 2 3 4 Amanda (February 27, 2014). "The Aspiring TV Writer & Screenwriter Blog: LA FIRSTS: Brian Duffield". The Aspiring TV Writer & Screenwriter Blog. Archived from the original on October 12, 2014. Retrieved January 5, 2020.
  10. ↑ "10 Questions with INSURGENT & JANE GOT A GUN Screenwriter Brian Duffield". Screenwriter's Utopia. Archived from the original on December 31, 2019. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  11. ↑ Myers, Scott (October 27, 2016). "Interview [Part 3]: Brian Duffield". Medium. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  12. ↑ Myers, Scott (October 27, 2016). "Interview [Part 6]: Brian Duffield". Medium. Archived from the original on October 18, 2023. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  13. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 11, 2012). "'Tucker & Dale Vs. Evil' Helmer Eli Craig Takes On 'Your Bridesmaid's A Bitch'". Deadline. Archived from the original on December 29, 2019. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  14. ↑ Gluck, Marissa (November 13, 2014). "In L.A., Unproduced Film Scripts Find New Life Onstage". T Magazine. Archived from the original on January 1, 2020. Retrieved January 1, 2020.
  15. ↑ "Paramount Developing Post-Apocalyptic Road Movie with Shawn Levy (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 5, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  16. ↑ Pedersen, Erik (October 23, 2019). "'Monster Problems': Paramount Moves Dylan O'Brien Pic To Pre-Summer Slot". Deadline. Archived from the original on September 17, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2019.
  17. ↑ DeFore, John (October 15, 2020). "'Love and Monsters': Film Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 26, 2021. Retrieved July 26, 2021.
  18. ↑ Trumbore, Dave (May 7, 2013). "Summit Sets Brian Duffield to Pen DIVERGENT Sequel, INSURGENT". Collider. Archived from the original on August 12, 2013. Retrieved December 29, 2019.
  19. ↑ The Babysitter Review - IGN, archived from the original on February 15, 2019, retrieved December 29, 2019
  20. ↑ Busch, Anita (February 22, 2017). "Kristen Stewart In Final Negotiations To Star In Fox Movie 'Underwater'". Deadline. Archived from the original on February 23, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  21. ↑ Kornits, Dov (October 28, 2020). "Brian Duffield's Spontaneously Explosive Debut". FilmInk. Archived from the original on October 2, 2023. Retrieved October 23, 2021.
  22. ↑ Kroll, Justin (May 19, 2021). "20th Century Lands Spec Script 'No One Will Save You' With Kaitlyn Dever Attached To Star; Brian Duffield Writing And Directing". Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on April 19, 2021. Retrieved December 22, 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.