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

Writers

Executive producers

Documentary appearances

Related Research Articles

<i>Friday the 13th</i> (1980 film) Film by Sean S. Cunningham

Friday the 13th is a 1980 American independent slasher film produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham, written by Victor Miller, and starring Betsy Palmer, Adrienne King, Harry Crosby, Laurie Bartram, Mark Nelson, Jeannine Taylor, Robbi Morgan, and Kevin Bacon. The plot follows a group of teenage camp counselors who are murdered one by one by an unknown killer while they are attempting to reopen an abandoned summer camp with a tragic past.

<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street</i> (franchise) American supernatural slasher franchise

A Nightmare on Elm Street is an American supernatural slasher media franchise consisting of nine films, a television series, novels, comic books, and various other media. The franchise began with the film A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984), written and directed by Wes Craven. The overall plot of the franchise centers around the fictional character Freddy Krueger, the apparition of a former child killer who was burned alive by the vengeful parents of his victims, who returns from the grave to terrorize and kill the teenage residents of the fictional Springwood, Ohio in their dreams. Craven returned to the franchise to co-script the second sequel, A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), and to write and direct Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994). The films collectively grossed $472 million at the box office worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jason Voorhees</span> Main character of the Friday the 13th series

Jason Voorhees is a character from the Friday the 13th series. He first appeared in Friday the 13th (1980) as the young son of camp-cook-turned-killer Pamela Voorhees, in which he was portrayed by Ari Lehman. Created by Victor Miller, with contributions by Ron Kurz, Sean S. Cunningham and Tom Savini, Jason was not originally intended to carry the series as the main antagonist. The character has subsequently been represented in various other media, including novels, video games, comic books, and a crossover film with Freddy Krueger.

<i>Freddy vs. Jason</i> 2003 American slasher film by Ronny Yu

Freddy vs. Jason is a 2003 American slasher film directed by Ronny Yu and written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift. It is a crossover between A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th, being the eighth installment in the former and the eleventh in the latter. The film stars Monica Keena, Kelly Rowland, Jason Ritter, Christopher George Marquette, Lochlyn Munro, and Robert Englund.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tommy Jarvis</span> Fictional character

Tommy Jarvis is a fictional character in the Friday the 13th franchise. He first appears in Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter (1984) as a child interested in special effects who encounters a seemingly unstoppable slasher—Jason Voorhees. In his debut, he is portrayed by Corey Feldman. A teen and adult version of the character is portrayed by John Shepherd and Thom Mathews in the consecutive films Friday the 13th: A New Beginning (1985) and Friday the 13th Part VI: Jason Lives (1986), respectively.

<i>Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday</i> 1993 film by Adam Marcus

Jason Goes to Hell: The Final Friday is a 1993 American supernatural slasher film directed by Adam Marcus from a screenplay by Dean Lorey and Jay Huguely, based on a story by Huguely and Marcus. The ninth installment in the Friday the 13th franchise and a sequel to Friday the 13th Part VIII: Jason Takes Manhattan (1989), as well as the first installment in the franchise to be released by New Line Cinema, it stars John D. LeMay, Kari Keegan, Erin Gray, Allison Smith, Steven Culp, Steven Williams, and Kane Hodder as Jason Voorhees, reprising his role from Friday the 13th Part VII: The New Blood (1988) and Jason Takes Manhattan. The film follows the ghost of Jason possessing people to continue his killings after his death. To resurrect himself, Jason must possess a member of his bloodline, but he can also be permanently killed by one of his family using a magic dagger.

<i>Friday the 13th</i> (franchise) American horror franchise

Friday the 13th is an American horror franchise that comprises twelve slasher films, a television series, novels, comic books, video games, and tie‑in merchandise. The franchise mainly focuses on the fictional character Jason Voorhees, who was thought to have drowned as a boy at Camp Crystal Lake due to the negligence of the camp staff. Decades later, the lake is rumored to be "cursed" and is the setting for a series of mass murders. Jason is featured in all of the films, as either the killer or the motivation for the killings. The original film was written by Victor Miller, produced and directed by Sean S. Cunningham, and released by Paramount Pictures. The films have grossed over $468 million at the box-office.

<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors</i> 1987 film by Chuck Russell

A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors is a 1987 American fantasy slasher film directed by Chuck Russell in his feature directorial debut. The story was developed by Wes Craven and Bruce Wagner and is the third installment in the Nightmare on Elm Street franchise and stars Heather Langenkamp, Patricia Arquette, Larry Fishburne, Priscilla Pointer, Craig Wasson, and Robert Englund as Freddy Krueger. Nancy Thompson, now a psychiatrist, and Kristen, a patient who can bring others into her own dreams, team up with other kids to launch a daring rescue into the dreamland and save a child from Freddy Krueger.

The popularity of the A Nightmare on Elm Street film series has led to several comic book series published by Marvel Comics, Innovation Publishing, Trident Comics, Avatar Press and WildStorm Productions. After the success of Freddy vs. Jason and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre remake film in 2003, New Line Cinema created their House of Horror licensing division which licensed the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise to Avatar Press for use in new comic book stories, the first of which was published in 2005. In 2006, Avatar Press lost the license to DC Comics imprint, WildStorm Productions which then published several new stories based on the franchise before their license expired as well.

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<i>Friday the 13th</i> (2009 film) Film by Marcus Nispel

Friday the 13th is a 2009 American slasher film directed by Marcus Nispel, and written by Damian Shannon and Mark Swift, from a story by Shannon, Swift, and Mark Wheaton. It is the twelfth installment in the Friday the 13th franchise. The film stars Jared Padalecki, Danielle Panabaker, Aaron Yoo, Amanda Righetti, Travis Van Winkle, and Derek Mears. It follows Clay Miller (Padalecki) as he searches for his missing sister, Whitney (Righetti), who is captured by Jason Voorhees (Mears) while camping in woodland at Crystal Lake.

<i>Baywatch</i> (film) 2017 film by Seth Gordon

Baywatch is a 2017 American action comedy film directed by Seth Gordon, with a screenplay by Mark Swift and Damian Shannon, from a story by Jay Scherick, David Ronn, Thomas Lennon, and Robert Ben Garant. It is based on the television series of the same name created by Michael Berk, Douglas Schwartz, and Gregory J. Bonann and takes place within the same fictional universe. The film stars Dwayne Johnson and Zac Efron. The story follows lifeguard Mitch Buchannon and his team who must take down a drug lord in an effort to save their beach.

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Tina Gray (<i>A Nightmare on Elm Street</i>) Fictional character

Christina "Tina" Gray is a fictional character in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise. She was created by Wes Craven. The character was portrayed by Amanda Wyss in the original film and Katie Cassidy in the 2010 film. Julianna Damm also portrayed the character as a preadolescent in the 2010 film's flashbacks and dream sequences. A high school student whose death is the catalyst for the events of the series, Gray is the false protagonist of the 1984 original film. She also appears in the novels, Wes Craven's New Nightmare (1994), Freddy vs. Jason (2003), 2010 reboot, merchandise based on the films, and a claymation version of the character is shown in the documentary Never Sleep Again: The Elm Street Legacy (2010). The imagery featuring Gray in the body bag during the dream sequences have been regarded as iconic.

1428 Elm Street, also known as the Elm Street House, is a fictional residential house and street address in Springwood, Ohio, and is an important location in the A Nightmare on Elm Street franchise, where it has been the home of Nancy Thompson and her mother, later Jesse Walsh and his family, and finally Lori Campbell and her father, throughout the film series. It has also been implied to have been Freddy Krueger's home at some point before the events that take place in the films. It appears in some form in nearly all the films, as well as literature, comic books, toys, and music videos. The house, like Freddy Krueger, Nancy Thompson, Tina Gray, and Kristen Parker, were all conceived by Wes Craven.

References

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  7. Andrew Repasky McElhinney (22 October 2013). Second Takes: Remaking Film, Remaking America. McFarland. pp. 200–. ISBN   978-0-7864-7761-6.
  8. 1 2 "Damian Shannon '88 Hollywood Screenwriter". Irish Update, Volume 34 No. 1 Fall 2015. page 18.
  9. "Hollywood Screenwriter Mark Swift '88 Named 2014 Distinguished Alumnus". The Benjamin School. Buc Banter Online News. 4 June 2014. Retrieved 22 August 2014.
  10. "Damian Shannon and Mark Swift". Variety, July 27, 2000.
  11. "Shark Tale". review by Roger Ebert. October 1, 2004
  12. " Shark Tale". Slant Magazine, by Nick Schager, September 26, 2004
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  14. "Skydance Dives In for Competing Bermuda Triangle Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. June 17, 2015 by Rebecca Ford and Borys Kit
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  21. "FRIDAY THE 13TH Writers Damian Shannon and Mark Swift to Direct High School Horror Movie". The Collider, by Brendan Bettinger March 22, 2012
  22. "Dwayne Johnson and David Hasselhoff Strut Their Stuff on ‘Baywatch’ Set". The Wrap, Joe Otterson on March 23, 2016
  23. "The Baywatch Team Assembles in a New Cast Photo". Coming Soon, Silas Lesnick ON April 26, 2016
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  27. "Disney conjures up live-action Aladdin prequel in classic “be careful what you wish for” ". AV Club, By William Hughes, Jul 15, 2015
  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
  30. Grobar, Matt (July 9, 2024). "Sam Raimi To Direct & Produce Horror Thriller 'Send Help' For 20th Century Studios". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved July 9, 2024.