Mark Swift and Damian Shannon

Last updated
Mark Swift
Born
Nationality American
CitizenshipUnited States
Occupation(s) Screenwriter, film producer
Damian Shannon
Born
Nationality American
CitizenshipUnited States
Occupation(s) Screenwriter, film producer

Mark Swift and Damian Shannon are American screenwriters and film producers. [1] [2] They are known for their collaborative script-writing projects, [3] [4] in particular Freddy vs. Jason [5] and later the 2009 reboot Friday the 13th . [6] [7]

Contents

Early life and education

Shannon attended Bishop McNamara High School and New York University. [8] He then enrolled at the University of Southern California, where he met fellow student and later writing partner Mark Swift. Swift went on to graduate from Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore; he also attended the Benjamin School. [9]

Career

Swift and Shannon wrote an adaptation of the comic book Danger Girl for New Line Cinema in 2000. [10] They were two of four writers on the 2004 animated film Shark Tale . [11] [12]

Swift and Shannon wrote a script for the film Friday the 13th , which was released in 2009. [13] [14] [15] They also wrote a script for a sequel before that project was canceled. [16] They had previously written the script for the 2003 film Freddy vs. Jason , [17] [18] after several previously written scripts had been rejected by the producers at New Line Cinema. [19]

In 2011, Swift and Shannon were executive producers of the film Seconds Apart . [20] In 2012 they wrote and directed a horror film for Disruption Entertainment. [21]

They wrote the script for Baywatch (2017), an adaptation of the TV series. [22] [23] [8]

In 2014, Swift and Shannon worked on an original horror project for New Line Cinema, [24] and co-produced O'Lucky Day, a comedy for Paramount Pictures starring Peter Dinklage. In 2015, the pair worked together on a script for a live-action Aladdin prequel titled Genies. [25] [26] [27]

Some of their unreleased projects include Vikings for Disney, an adaptation of the Image comic Hawaiian Dick , [28] Inland Saints for Paramount, [29] and an adaptation of Howard Chaykin’s graphic novel Power & Glory. [24]

Filmography

YearFilmRoleNotes
2003 Freddy vs. Jason Screenwriters
2009 Friday the 13th From a story by Swift, Shannon, and Mark Wheaton
His Name Was Jason: 30 Years of Friday the 13th ThemselvesDocumentary film
2011 Seconds Apart Executive Producers
2012 I Heart Shakey
2013Crystal Lake Memories: The Complete History of Friday the 13thThemselvesDocumentary film
2017 Baywatch ScreenwritersFrom a story by Jay Scherick, David Ronn, Thomas Lennon, and Robert Ben Garant
Nominated- Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay
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  22. "Dwayne Johnson and David Hasselhoff Strut Their Stuff on ‘Baywatch’ Set". The Wrap, Joe Otterson on March 23, 2016
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  28. "NBC Developing Johnny Knoxville Comedy Based on ‘Hawaiian Dick’ Comic Series". Variety, Whitney Friedlander, November 17, 2015
  29. "New vision for Schumacher’s ‘Saints’". Variety, Tatiana Siegel, November 17, 2008