Jonathan Hensleigh | |
---|---|
Born | Jonathan Blair Hensleigh February 13, 1959 |
Alma mater | University of Massachusetts Amherst (1981) Tulane University Law School (J.D.) |
Occupation(s) | Writer, producer, director |
Spouse |
Jonathan Blair Hensleigh (born February 13, 1959) is an American screenwriter and film director, working primarily in the action-adventure genre, best known for writing films such as Jumanji , Die Hard with a Vengeance , and Armageddon , as well as making his own directorial debut with the 2004 comic book action film The Punisher .
Hensleigh graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1981 with a degree in history. [1] He attended the University of Virginia School of Law, earned his J.D. from Tulane University Law School, and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1985. Before transition into writing, he worked as an attorney for seven years. [2]
At the age of 31, Hensleigh began writing scripts and screenplays. He had previously written a novel and a three-act stage play but did not go to film school. [3]
Hensleigh's start in the entertainment industry came writing episodes of the television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles . He received his first film credit in 1993's A Far Off Place , for which he wrote an early version of the script. [4] His next two projects were Die Hard with a Vengeance and Jumanji , both of which were released in 1995. The Die Hard sequel was based on a spec script Hensleigh had originally conceived as a Brandon Lee action film before the actor's death, with the working title Simon Says. The script was considered for the fourth installment of the Lethal Weapon series before being picked up for Die Hard.[ citation needed ]
Hensleigh participated in writing for The Rock , which became the subject of a dispute with the Writers Guild of America. In this case, the spec script (by David Weisberg and Douglas Cook) was reworked by several writers, but other than the original team, Mark Rosner was the only one granted official credit by guild arbitration. Despite their work on the script, neither Hensleigh nor Aaron Sorkin were credited in the film. The director Michael Bay wrote an open letter of protest, in which he criticized the arbitration procedure as a "sham" and a "travesty". He said Hensleigh had worked closely with him on the movie and should have received screen credit. [5]
Hensleigh worked with Bay again on the 1998 disaster film Armageddon , and officially received credit for the screenplay. He helped rewrite scripts for the Jerry Bruckheimer projects, Con Air (1997) and Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), receiving executive producer credit for those.[ citation needed ]
Hensleigh made his debut as a director with The Punisher in 2004, with the assistance of his wife, veteran Hollywood producer Gale Anne Hurd. He co-wrote the script with Michael France, based on the Marvel Comics character The Punisher. The film was shot on a tight schedule and with a relatively small budget. [6]
At one point, he was set to write and direct Hulk , working on pre-production of that film for a year before pulling out. Some unrealized projects Hensleigh has worked on include a Gemini Man film and sequels to Jumanji and The Punisher. As of October 3, 2008, Hensleigh was developing the series Red Mars, which is based on the novel of the same name for AMC. [7]
In 2011, Hensleigh wrote and directed Kill the Irishman , based on the book To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia, about the Cleveland mobster Danny Greene who was active in the 1960s and 1970s. [8]
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|
1992–1995 | The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles | No | Yes | Television series (5 episodes) |
1993 | A Far Off Place | No | Yes | |
1995 | Die Hard with a Vengeance | No | Yes | |
Jumanji | No | Yes | ||
1997 | The Saint | No | Yes | |
1998 | Armageddon | No | Yes | |
2004 | The Punisher | Yes | Yes | Directorial debut |
2007 | Next | No | Yes | |
Welcome to the Jungle | Yes | Yes | Also cinematographer; direct-to-video | |
2011 | Kill the Irishman | Yes | Yes | |
2021 | The Ice Road | Yes | Yes | |
TBA | The Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky | Yes | Yes |
Executive producer
Uncredited writing works
The Rock is a 1996 American action thriller film directed by Michael Bay, produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer, and written by David Weisberg, Douglas S. Cook and Mark Rosner. It stars Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris, with supporting roles played by Michael Biehn, William Forsythe, David Morse, and John Spencer. Connery plays a former SAS captain and Cage an FBI chemist, who must rescue hostages from a rogue group of Force Recon Marines on Alcatraz Island.
A screenwriter is someone who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television commercials, video games, and the growing area of online web series.
Die Hard with a Vengeance is a 1995 American action thriller film directed by John McTiernan and written by Jonathan Hensleigh, which is based on the screenplay Simon Says by Hensleigh and the characters created by Roderick Thorp for his 1979 novel Nothing Lasts Forever. Die Hard with a Vengeance is the third film in the Die Hard film series after Die Hard 2 and was later followed by Live Free or Die Hard and A Good Day to Die Hard.
Hulk is a 2003 American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, created by Stan Lee and Jack Kirby. Produced by Universal Pictures in association with Marvel Enterprises, Valhalla Motion Pictures, and Good Machine, and distributed by Universal, it was directed by Ang Lee and written by James Schamus, Michael France, and John Turman, from a story conceived by Schamus. The film stars Eric Bana as Bruce Banner and Hulk, alongside Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte. The film explores Bruce Banner's origins. After a lab accident involving gamma radiation, he transforms into a giant green-skinned humanoid with superhuman strength known as the Hulk whenever stressed or emotionally provoked. The United States military pursues him, and he clashes with his biological father, who has dark plans for his son.
Lethal Weapon 4 is a 1998 American buddy cop action film directed and produced by Richard Donner, and starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock, and Jet Li. It is the fourth installment in the Lethal Weapon film series. It is the last film in the series directed by Donner before his death, and the latest to be released theatrically.
Frank Árpád Darabont is an American screenwriter, director and producer.
The Saint is a 1997 American action thriller film directed by Phillip Noyce, written by Jonathan Hensleigh and Wesley Strick, and starring Val Kilmer in the title role, with Elisabeth Shue and Rade Šerbedžija. The plot of the film revolves around the title character who is a high-tech thief and master of disguise, who becomes the anti-hero while using the moniker of various saints. He paradoxically lives in the underworld of international industrial theft and espionage. The film was a modest financial success with a worldwide box office of $169.4 million, rentals of $28.2 million, and continuous DVD sales.
A script doctor is a writer or playwright hired by a film, television, or theatre production company to rewrite an existing script or improve specific aspects of it, including structure, characterization, dialogue, pacing, themes, and other elements.
Punisher: War Zone is a 2008 vigilante action film based on the Marvel Comics character the Punisher. Rather than a sequel to 2004's The Punisher, the film is a reboot that follows the war waged by vigilante Frank Castle / Punisher on crime and corruption, in particular on the disfigured mob boss known as Billy "Jigsaw" Russoti. The film is directed by Lexi Alexander, from a screenplay written by Nick Santora, Art Marcum, and Matt Holloway. It is the third feature film adaptation of The Punisher, the second reboot thereof and the first of two films to be produced under the Marvel Knights production banner, which focuses on films for mature audiences.
Scott Rosenberg is an American screenwriter, film producer, and actor.
The Punisher is a 2004 vigilante action film directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, who also wrote the film alongside Michael France. It stars Thomas Jane as the antihero Frank Castle and John Travolta as Howard Saint, a crime boss who orders the death of Castle's entire family.
George Raymond Stevenson was an English actor from Northern Ireland, best known for his film and television work. He had a starring role as legionary Titus Pullo on the BBC/HBO television series Rome (2005–07), and portrayed two Marvel Comics characters: Frank Castle / The Punisher in Punisher: War Zone (2008) and The Super Hero Squad Show and Volstagg in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (2011–17).
Jumanji is a 1995 American dark fantasy adventure film directed by Joe Johnston from a screenplay by Jonathan Hensleigh, Greg Taylor, and Jim Strain, based on the 1981 children's picture book of the same name by Chris Van Allsburg. The film is the first installment in the Jumanji film series and stars Robin Williams, Kirsten Dunst, David Alan Grier, Bonnie Hunt, Jonathan Hyde, and Bebe Neuwirth. The story centers on a supernatural board game that releases jungle–based hazards on its players with every turn they take.
Gale Anne Hurd is an American film and television producer, the founder of Valhalla Entertainment and a former recording secretary for the Producers Guild of America. Notable works include The Terminator, Aliens, The Abyss, Armageddon, Mankiller and The Walking Dead.
Chris McKenna is an American television writer, film producer, screenwriter, and television producer. He has written for American Dad!, Community, and The Mindy Project, and part of the first Marvel Cinematic Universe Spider-Man trilogy (2017–2021).
The fictional character Frank Castle / Punisher, a comic book vigilante antihero created by Gerry Conway, John Romita Sr. and Ross Andru and featured in Marvel Comics publications, has appeared as a main character in multiple theatrical, several animated straight-to-video films, and three fan films. Most notably, he has appeared in two self-titled films, the first in 1989 with Dolph Lundgren in the title role and the second in 2004 with Thomas Jane in the title role, as well as Punisher: War Zone, starring Ray Stevenson.
Kill the Irishman is a 2011 American biographical crime film directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, and starring Ray Stevenson, Vincent D'Onofrio, Christopher Walken, and Val Kilmer. Written by Hensleigh and Jeremy Walters, it is based on the life of the Irish-American gangster Danny Greene, and was adapted from the book To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia by Rick Porrello.
John Michael Fasano was an American screenwriter, film producer and director.
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Gemini Man is a 2019 American science fiction action thriller film directed by Ang Lee. It stars Will Smith in the main dual role, alongside Mary Elizabeth Winstead, Clive Owen and Benedict Wong. The film follows a retiring Force Recon Marine scout sniper who is targeted by a much younger clone of himself while on the run from a corrupt private military company.