Jonathan Hensleigh

Last updated
Jonathan Hensleigh
Born
Jonathan Blair Hensleigh

(1959-02-13) February 13, 1959 (age 64)
Alma mater University of Massachusetts Amherst (1981)
Tulane University Law School (J.D.)
Occupation(s)Writer, producer, director
Spouse
​
(m. 1995)​

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 .

Contents

Early life

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, received his J.D. from Tulane University Law School, and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1985. Before moving 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]

Movie career

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.

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.

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]

Filmography

YearTitleDirectorWriterNotes
1992–1995 The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles NoYesTelevision series (5 episodes)
1993 A Far Off Place NoYes
1995 Die Hard with a Vengeance NoYes
Jumanji NoYes
1997 The Saint NoYes
1998 Armageddon NoYes
2004 The Punisher YesYes Directorial debut
2007 Next NoYes
Welcome to the Jungle YesYesAlso cinematographer; direct-to-video
2011 Kill the Irishman YesYes
2021 The Ice Road YesYes
TBA The Ice Road 2: Road to the Sky YesYes

Executive producer

Uncredited writing works

Related Research Articles

<i>The Rock</i> (film) 1996 American action thriller film by Michael Bay

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. The film stars Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris, with William Forsythe and Michael Biehn co-starring. In the film, the Pentagon assigns a team comprising an FBI chemist and a former SAS captain with a team of SEALs to break into Alcatraz, where a rogue general and a rogue group of Marines have seized all the tourists on the island and have threatened to launch rockets filled with nerve gas upon San Francisco unless the U.S. government pays $100 million to the next-of-kin of 83 men who were killed on missions that the general led and that the Pentagon denied.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Screenwriter</span> Writer who writes for films, TV shows, comics and games

A screenwriter is a writer who practices the craft of screenwriting, writing screenplays on which mass media, such as films, television programs, and video games, are based.

<i>Die Hard with a Vengeance</i> 1995 American action thriller film directed by John McTiernan

Die Hard with a Vengeance is a 1995 American action thriller film directed by John McTiernan. It was written by Jonathan Hensleigh, based on the screenplay Simon Says by Hensleigh and on 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 (1990). It is followed by Live Free or Die Hard (2007) and A Good Day to Die Hard (2013).

<i>Hulk</i> (film) 2003 superhero film directed by Ang Lee

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.

<i>Lethal Weapon 4</i> 1998 American film directed by Richard Donner

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Frank Darabont</span> American filmmaker

Frank Árpád Darabont is an American screenwriter, director and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award. In his early career, he was primarily a screenwriter for such horror films as A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors (1987), The Blob (1988) and The Fly II (1989). As a director, he is known for his film adaptations of Stephen King novellas and novels, such as The Shawshank Redemption (1994), The Green Mile (1999), and The Mist (2007).

<i>The Saint</i> (1997 film) 1997 American thriller film

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.

<i>Punisher: War Zone</i> 2008 film directed by Lexi Alexander

Punisher: War Zone is a 2008 vigilante action-thriller film based on the Marvel Comics character the Punisher, directed by Lexi Alexander. 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" Russotti. 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. Punisher: War Zone was released in North America by Lionsgate on December 5, 2008, and it was released in the United Kingdom by Sony Pictures Releasing on February 6, 2009 to negative reviews and grossed $10 million worldwide, making it a box-office bomb. Its related soundtrack hit the #23 slot on Billboard's Top Independent Albums chart.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Scott Rosenberg</span> American actor, screenwriter, and producer

Scott Rosenberg is an American screenwriter, film producer, and actor.

<i>The Punisher</i> (2004 film) Action film by Jonathan Hensleigh

The Punisher is a 2004 American vigilante action film directed by Jonathan Hensleigh, who also wrote the film alongside Michael France. Based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, 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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ray Stevenson</span> Northern Irish actor (1964–2023)

George Raymond Stevenson was a Northern Irish actor. He portrayed Dagonet in the film King Arthur (2004) and Titus Pullo in the BBC/HBO television series Rome (2005–2007). He 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 (2011–2017). His other films include Kill the Irishman (2011), where he portrayed mobster Danny Greene; The Three Musketeers (2011); and RRR (2022), where he portrayed the villainous Governor Scott. His television roles include Ukrainian mobster Isaak Sirko in the seventh season of Dexter, Blackbeard in the third and fourth seasons of Black Sails, voicing Gar Saxon in Star Wars Rebels and Star Wars: The Clone Wars, and portraying Baylan Skoll in Ahsoka.

<i>Jumanji</i> 1995 film directed by Joe Johnston

Jumanji is a 1995 American urban 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. It 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 upon its players with every turn they take.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gale Anne Hurd</span> American film producer and screenwriter

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chris McKenna (writer)</span> American television and film writer and producer

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).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Punisher in film</span> Adaptations of the Punisher in films

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.

<i>Kill the Irishman</i> 2011 film by Jonathan Hensleigh

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.

<i>The Punisher</i> (2004 score) 2004 film score by Carlo Siliotto

The Punisher or Original Score from the Motion Picture The Punisher is the official score for the film The Punisher and was released in 2004. It was entirely composed by Carlo Siliotto. The score has an Italian and western influence and theme.

<i>Gemini Man</i> (film) 2019 American science fiction action thriller film by Ang Lee

Gemini Man is a 2019 American science fiction action thriller film directed by Ang Lee. It stars Will Smith in the main triple 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.

References

  1. ↑ Carey, Mary. "True to their school". UMass Magazine, Winter 1999.
  2. ↑ Wanser, Brooke (15 December 2016). "Distillery gives nod to Nevada with its vodka, whiskey". Las Vegas Review Journal. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
  3. ↑ Needles, Tim. "Director Jonathan Hensleigh and Ray Stevenson on Kill the Irishman". Short and Sweet NYC. Retrieved 23 January 2012.
  4. ↑ Marx, Andy. "Just Far Away: An Adventure in Adventureland", Los Angeles Times, July 19, 1992, p. 24.
  5. ↑ Welkos, Robert W. "'Cable,' 'Rock' in Disputes on Writing Credits". Los Angeles Times, May 21, 1996, p. 1.
  6. ↑ Olsen, Mark. "Just call him 'The Punisher'", Los Angeles Times, April 11, 2004, p. E8.
  7. ↑ AMC Plans Mars Mission
  8. ↑ "Ray Stevenson Is The Irishman", EmpireOnline
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.