Scott Sanders | |
|---|---|
 Scott Sanders at San Diego Comic-Con in July 2011. | |
| Born | June 10, 1968 Elizabeth City, North Carolina, United States |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter, writer, film director |
| Known for | Black Dynamite Thick as Thieves |
Scott Sanders (born June 10, 1968) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known for his work on the films Black Dynamite and Thick as Thieves .
Sanders was born in Elizabeth City, North Carolina and raised in Washington, DC. [1] His mother is Mrs. Estelle "Bunny" Sanders, the current mayor of Roper, North Carolina and a member of the UNC Board of Governors. [2] [3] His father, John Thomas Sanders (deceased), was an employee of IBM and also owned and operated a popular D.C. area barbecue pit, Scott's BBQ, which he named after his son. [4] Scott's BBQ was a popular eatery for local politicians; regular patrons included Thurgood Marshall and Walter Mondale. [4]
Sanders attended Sidwell Friends School where he graduated in 1986.[ citation needed ] He attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, graduating in 1991 with a degree in radio, TV, and Motion Pictures. [1] [5]
One of Scott's closest childhood friends is actor Ben Shenkman.[ citation needed ] He went to middle school with Saturday Night Live cast member Ana Gasteyer; they had a scene together in a 7th-grade production of the play Auntie Mame . [ citation needed ]
Sanders first job upon arrival in Hollywood was working at United Talent Agency. [5] When he was fired from that job, he started writing a spec script for a television show which led to him getting signed and becoming a television writer for TV shows such as A Different World , Roc , and The Wayans Brothers . [5] [6] He also did a commercial for Motorola. [7]
Sanders' film directorial debut came in 1998 with Thick as Thieves , starring Alec Baldwin, Michael Jai White, Rebecca De Mornay, and Janeane Garofalo. [8] [5] Based on the novel of the same name by Patrick Quinn, the film was adapted for the screen by Sanders and Arthur Krystal. [8] It premiered at the 1998 Sundance Film Festival and was distributed by HBO. [9] [10] One reviewer noted "the distinctive contribution of young, gifted writer-director Scott Sanders." [8]
Black Dynamite premiered at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival and was picked up for distribution by Sony Pictures Entertainment for worldwide distribution. [11] [12] Scott Sanders directed the film and co-wrote the screenplay along with its star Michael Jai White and Byron Minns. [7] [6] One critic described Black Dynamite as, "Scott Saunders' wickedly silly '70s-style blaxploitation spoof…that's intentionally and often delightfully shlocky; not to mention murky-looking as if its been sitting on shelf for a few decades." [13]
In addition to Sundance, Black Dynamite appeared in many film festivals throughout 2009, including Seattle International, Tribeca, Karlovy Vary International, Munich, Edinburgh International, Copenhagen Film Festival, Melbourne International, and Deauville American. [14] [5] [6] [15] At the 2009 Seattle International Film Festival, Black Dynamite won the 2009 Golden Space Needle Award for Best Film. [12] Black Dynamite was released by Sony Pictures on October 16, 2009. [12]
Sanders and others adapted Black Dynamite as an animated series for the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim. [5] The animated Black Dynamite ran for two seasons from 2012 to 2014. [16] [17]
In 2012, Sanders directed the comedy-action film Aztec Warrior starring Luis Guzman as a washed-up Lucha Libre wrestler who comes out of retirement. [18] [19] The script was co-written by Sanders and Don Handfield, based on a story. [20] Aztec Warrior was expected to be released in 2013, but "details on the Lionsgate project have been mum: production got underway in June of 2012, there is no release date and not much news in the in what should have been its year of release." [18] [19] [20]
Sanders lives in Los Angeles, California. [1] In addition to writing and directing, he is also a popular Los Angeles DJ, spinning under the name Suckapunch. [21] [7] [6]
As writer/director:
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