Greg Russo

Last updated
Greg Russo
Born1981
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Occupation
  • Screenwriter
  • director
  • producer
Education Vassar College
Years active2010–present

Greg Russo is an American screenwriter and director. He is best known for writing the 2021 film adaptation of Mortal Kombat. He is also set to write a sequel to the 2017 film Death Note, adaptations of F.E.A.R., Saints Row , Space Invaders and System Shock , which he will also direct.

Contents

Early life

Russo attended Vassar College after graduating high school in Cherry Hill. Russo couldn’t find work in the film industry when he graduated in 2003, so he spent the next four years working for a headhunting firm in New Jersey, an experience he called “lucrative but soul-sucking.” When his then-girlfriend (now spouse), Tricia Gonnella, was accepted into the graduate Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California in 2007, they moved to Los Angeles. [1]

Career

Russo's first break came in 2010, when he optioned the contained thriller spec script "Down" to Relativity Media. [2]

He followed up "Down" in October 2010 with the highly received action thriller spec "I-95" which placed #3 overall with 97 votes on the year end HIT LIST - a list of the best un-produced original screenplays in Hollywood hosted by The Tracking Board. [3] "I-95" was later changed to "Autobahn" and optioned by Inferno Entertainment. [4]

In 2011, Russo sold an original action-thriller pitch entitled "Black Ice" to Alloy Entertainment. [5] He also worked on the Paramount action film "Heatseekers" produced by Michael Bay. [6]

In 2012, Russo was hired to write the action film "High Speed" for Act of Valor director Scott Waugh. [7]

In 2013, Russo was hired by Relativity Media to adapt the sci-fi/action Arcana comic "Continuum" into a feature film. [8] Later that year, Universal Pictures hired Russo to adapt its action/spy film It Takes a Thief based on the TV series of the same name. [9]

In the summer of 2014, Russo sold the original TV pilot "Chop Shop" to 20th Century Fox with Chris Morgan producing. [10]

In 2015, New Line Cinema hired Russo to pen disaster thriller "Category 6" a sequel to the film Into the Storm [11]

In November 2016, it was announced that Russo would be penning an adaptation of the 1992 video game Mortal Kombat for New Line Cinema, directed by Simon McQuoid and produced by James Wan. [12] The film was released on April 23, 2021. It opened at #1 at the U.S. domestic box office and grossed $83.7 million worldwide. [13] [14]

In May 2017, Russo was initially attached as writer for Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City , but confirmed in November 2018 that he was no longer involved with the project. [15] [16] In was also revealed that Russo was hired by Sony Pictures to adapt the anime Robotech into a feature film. [17]

In May 2018, Russo was hired to write an adaptation of the 2005 video game F.E.A.R. [18] Also in 2018, Russo was hired by New Line Cinema to pen an adaptation of the DC Comics title Highwaymen. [19]

In August 2018, it was announced that Russo would be penning the sequel to the 2017 American adaptation of Death Note for Netflix. Russo also affirmed that the film will be more faithful to the source material. [20] [21]

In April 2019, Russo became attached to write an adaptation of the Saints Row franchise, with F. Gary Gray set to direct. [22] Later in July, Russo was attached to write an adaptation of Space Invaders for New Line Cinema. [23]

In January 2022, it was announced that Russo would direct, write and executive produce a television adaptation of System Shock for the streaming service Binge. The series will mark Russo's directorial debut. [24]

In 2023, Russo preemptively sold an original sci-fi thriller pitch titled "Seismic" to Netflix with 21 Laps producing. [25]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Ayer</span> American filmmaker

David Ayer is an American filmmaker known for making crime films that are set in Los Angeles and deal with gangs and police corruption. His screenplays include Training Day (2001), The Fast and the Furious (2001), and S.W.A.T. (2003). He has also directed Harsh Times (2005), Street Kings (2008), End of Watch (2012), Sabotage (2014), and The Beekeeper (2024). In 2016, he directed the superhero movie Suicide Squad from the DC Extended Universe, and then the urban fantasy film Bright (2017) for Netflix. He has twice collaborated with actor Shia LaBeouf: first with the World War II drama Fury (2014), then the crime thriller The Tax Collector (2020). He has also collaborated with his friend Cle Shaheed Sloan who has appeared in four of his films.

David Elias Callaham is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known for co-writing the screenplays for the films Doom (2005), The Expendables (2010), Zombieland: Double Tap (2019), Wonder Woman 1984 (2020), Mortal Kombat, Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings, and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse (2023).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Andy Muschietti</span> Argentine filmmaker (born 1973)

Andrés Walter Muschietti is an Argentine film director and screenwriter who had his breakthrough with the 2013 film Mama. He gained further recognition for directing both films in the It film series, the 2017 film adaptation of the Stephen King novel and its 2019 sequel, It Chapter Two. In 2023, he directed the DC Extended Universe film The Flash.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeremy Slater</span> American screenwriter

Jeremy Slater is an American writer and producer of film and television, known for his work on films such as Fantastic Four, Death Note and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire, and on television series such as The Umbrella Academy and The Exorcist, which Slater created, and on which he served as executive producer. He is the head writer and executive producer for the Disney+ miniseries Moon Knight.

<i>Death Note</i> (2017 film) 2017 film by Adam Wingard

Death Note is a 2017 American supernatural crime thriller film directed by Adam Wingard from a screenplay by Charles Parlapanides, Vlas Parlapanides, and Jeremy Slater, loosely based on the manga of the same name by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. It stars Nat Wolff, LaKeith Stanfield, Margaret Qualley, Shea Whigham, Paul Nakauchi, Jason Liles, and Willem Dafoe. The plot follows an American high school student named Light Turner, who finds a mysterious supernatural notebook known as the Death Note and uses it to murder criminals around the globe under the alias of Kira, while an international detective known only as L seeks to find and arrest him.

Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless are American writers best known for writing films together. After box office successes like Dracula Untold (2014) and The Last Witch Hunter (2015), Sazama and Sharpless wrote Gods of Egypt (2016), Morbius (2022) and Madame Web (2024), all of which became box office bombs and received negative reception from critics. The duo also wrote a reboot of Lost in Space for Netflix.

Lewis Singwah Tan is a British and American actor, martial artist and model. He is known for his roles as Cole Young in Mortal Kombat (2021), Shatterstar in Deadpool 2 (2018) and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), Tolya in Shadow and Bone (2023), Sensei Wolf in Cobra Kai (2024), and Lu Xin Lee in Wu Assassins (2019).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ridley Scott's unrealised projects</span>

The following is a list of unproduced Ridley Scott projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, English film director Ridley Scott has worked on a number of projects that never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects fell into development hell or were officially canceled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">J. J. Abrams's unrealized projects</span>

The following is a list of unproduced J. J. Abrams projects in roughly chronological order. During a career that has spanned over 30 years, J. J. Abrams has worked on projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction.

<i>Mortal Kombat</i> (2021 film) Film by Simon McQuoid

Mortal Kombat is a 2021 American martial arts fantasy film co-produced and directed by Simon McQuoid, in his directorial debut, from a screenplay by Greg Russo and Dave Callaham, based on the video game series created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. The film serves as a reboot of the Mortal Kombat film series and is the third film in the franchise. It stars Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Josh Lawson, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Max Huang, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada. The film follows Cole Young, a washed-up mixed martial arts fighter who is unaware of his hidden lineage or why the assassin Sub-Zero is hunting him down. Concerned for the safety of his family, he seeks out a clique of fighters that were chosen to defend Earthrealm against Outworld.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">AGBO</span> American film and television production company

AGBO is an independent entertainment company based in Downtown Los Angeles, founded and led by Anthony and Joe Russo and Mike Larocca. The Russo brothers are best known for their work in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), most notably Avengers: Infinity War and Avengers: Endgame. Recent television productions by AGBO include Citadel, a television series with Amazon Prime Video starring Richard Madden and Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Recent AGBO films include Extraction, written by Joe Russo and starring Chris Hemsworth; Extraction 2; The Gray Man with Netflix in 2022; and the Academy Award-winning Everything Everywhere All At Once.

Mortal Kombat 2 is an upcoming American martial arts fantasy film co-produced and directed by Simon McQuoid and written by Jeremy Slater, based on the video game series created by Ed Boon and John Tobias. The film serves as a sequel to Mortal Kombat (2021) and is the fourth film in the Mortal Kombat film series. It stars returning cast members Lewis Tan, Jessica McNamee, Tadanobu Asano, Mehcad Brooks, Ludi Lin, Chin Han, Joe Taslim, and Hiroyuki Sanada, with Karl Urban, Tati Gabrielle, Adeline Rudolph, Martyn Ford, Desmond Chiam, Ana Thu Nguyen, CJ. Bloomfield, and Damon Herriman joining the cast.

Richard Wenk is an American film screenwriter and director best known for his work on The Equalizer film series (2014–2023), which has every installment rated by CinemaScore at the A range.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Oren Uziel</span> American film screenwriter

Oren Uziel is an American film screenwriter, director, and producer best known for his work on Mortal Kombat: Rebirth (2010), 22 Jump Street (2014), The Cloverfield Paradox (2018), and The Lost City (2022).

The following is a list of unproduced David Ayer projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, American filmmaker David Ayer has worked on several projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects fell in development hell, were officially canceled, were in development limbo or would see life under a different production team.

References

  1. ↑ Hertz, Larry. "The Screenplay for Mortal Kombat? Yup. Greg Russo '03 Wrote That!". Vassar College. Vassar College. Retrieved 16 November 2023.
  2. ↑ Kit, Jay A. Fernandez,Borys; Fernandez, Jay A.; Kit, Borys (2010-03-25). "Relativity Media options 'Down' screenplay". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-10-24.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ↑ TBA (2010-12-09). "THE HIT LIST 2010 (FULL LIST)". The Tracking Board. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  4. ↑ Miller, Daniel (2011-08-03). "Inferno Taking Ride on 'Autobahn' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  5. ↑ Fernandez, Jay A. (2011-03-29). "Screenwriter Greg Russo Sells Action Pitch 'Black Ice' to Alloy (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  6. ↑ Fernandez, Jay A. (2011-03-29). "Screenwriter Greg Russo Sells Action Pitch 'Black Ice' to Alloy (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  7. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2012-02-17). "After Navy SEAL Pic 'Act Of Valor,' Bandito Brothers Rev 'High Speed' Racing Pic". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  8. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2013-07-18). "Comic-Con: Relativity Acquires 'Continuum;' Greg Russo Scripting Time Travel Comic Book Adaptation". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  9. ↑ Kroll, Justin (2013-10-30). "Universal Turning 1970s Series 'It Takes a Thief' into Film (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  10. ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (2014-09-20). "Duo Of Writers Sell Assassin & Auto-Theft Dramas Produced By Chris Morgan To Fox". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  11. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2015-02-03). "New Line Sets Greg Russo To Script Hurricane Pic 'Category 6'". Deadline. Archived from the original on February 4, 2015. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  12. ↑ Kroll, Justin (2016-11-19). "'Mortal Kombat' Reboot Finds Director in Simon McQuoid (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  13. ↑ Rubin, Rebecca (2021-03-30). "'Mortal Kombat' Release Date Pushed Back". Variety. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  14. ↑ "Mortal Kombat". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  15. ↑ Busch, Anita (2017-05-22). "'Resident Evil' Franchise Reboot: James Wan On Board To Produce From Greg Russo Script". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  16. ↑ Fisher, Jacob (2018-11-19). "Greg Russo Talks 'Resident Evil' Reboot (Exclusive Interview Part Two)". DiscussingFilm. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  17. ↑ Busch, Anita (2017-05-22). "'Resident Evil' Franchise Reboot: James Wan On Board To Produce From Greg Russo Script". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  18. ↑ "Survival horror F.E.A.R. is getting a movie adaptation". Flickering Myth. 2018-05-13. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  19. ↑ "F. Gary Gray to Direct Saints Row Movie". ComingSoon.net. 2019-04-30. Retrieved 2022-10-24.
  20. ↑ "THR: Sequel to Netflix's Death Note Film in the Works". Anime News Network. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  21. ↑ "Death Note 2 Writer Says Netflix Sequel Will Draw From Source Material". ScreenRant. 2021-04-20. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  22. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2019-04-30). "F. Gary Gray Developing To Direct Movie Based On Video Game Franchise 'Saints Row' For Fenix, Koch, Occupant". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  23. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2019-07-12). "'Space Invaders' On New Line Launchpad; 'Mortal Kombat's Greg Russo To Script Alien-Invasion Pic". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  24. ↑ Rosario, Alexandra Del (2022-01-27). "'Mortal Kombat' Scribe Greg Russo To Adapt 'System Shock' For Binge Live-Action Series". Deadline. Retrieved 2022-01-27.
  25. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2023-02-13). "Netflix Picks Up 'Seismic' From 'Mortal Kombat's Greg Russo; Shawn Levy's 21 Laps Producing". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
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.