David Peoples

David Webb Peoples (born February 9, 1940) is an American screenwriter who wrote Blade Runner (1982), Unforgiven (1992), and 12 Monkeys (1995). He was nominated for Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA awards. He won the best screenplay awards from the L.A. Film Critics (1991) and National Society of Film Critics (1992) for Unforgiven.

This article is about the screenwriter. For the golfer, see David Peoples (golfer).
David Peoples
Born
David Webb Peoples

February 9, 1940 (1940-02-09) (age 80)
Middletown, Connecticut, United States
OccupationScreenwriter
Spouse(s)Janet Beebe Peoples[1]

Early life

Peoples was born in Middletown, Connecticut, the son of Ruth Clara (née Levinger) and Joe Webb Peoples, a geologist.[2][3][4] He studied English at the University of California, Berkeley.

Career

Peoples worked as a film editor in the 1970s, and started writing screenplays during this time,[5] but his writing career began when he was hired as co-writer on Blade Runner after director Ridley Scott and screenwriter Hampton Fancher separated over creative differences. Following that film's critical success, Peoples was hired by studios to work on films including Ladyhawke (1985) and Leviathan (1989).[5]

With John Milius, Peoples had written a script in the 1980s based on DC Comics' Sgt. Rock series. Arnold Schwarzenegger was originally picked to play the title role; the project was revived in 2010 involving Joel Silver and Easy Company, although with the expectation to set the narrative in a place other than the battlefields of World War II, and therefore make the project independent from the early script.[6]

A number of Peoples' other original screenplays were sold during the 1980s, many after undergoing lengthy studio development periods before seeing production: Unforgiven, Soldier, and The Blood of Heroes. The Blood of Heroes was directed by Peoples and starred Rutger Hauer.[7] Peoples received his greatest recognition for Unforgiven (1992). He had originally written the script in 1976, when it had the title The William Munny Killings)[5] and appearing in theaters in 1992.[5] Peoples' screwball comedy Hero also appeared in 1992.

Later in 1992, Peoples began work (in collaboration with wife Janet Peoples) on 12 Monkeys (1995), a science fiction film concerned with time travel and directed by Terry Gilliam. It was inspired by Chris Marker's experimental short film La Jetée. It succeeded both critically and commercially.

In 1998, Soldier was filmed by British director Paul W. S. Anderson, albeit on a reduced budget and with additional rewriting by Anderson.

Filmography

As of February 2015, Peoples has thirteen writing credits (ten for original screenplays, two for stories, and one for source material), as well as five credits for editing, and three credits for directing.[8]

Awards

Peoples' highest accolades to date have been for Unforgiven, which received Oscar, Golden Globe and British Academy nominations, and won L.A. Film Critics (1991) and National Society of Film Critics (1992) awards for best screenplay. Peoples was presented with the Distinguished Screenwriter Award at the 2010 Austin Film Festival.

Further reading
  • Dutka, Elaine (October 5, 1992). "Q&A With David Webb Peoples: A Reluctant Hollywood Hero". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 December 2016.

References
  1. Courant Staff [ (March 23, 2000). "Obiturary: Joe Webb Peoples". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  2. Weinraub, Bernard (October 6, 1992). "A Screenwriter Whose Life's Script Stars Privacy". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  3. NYT Staff (April 4, 2000). "Obituary: Joe Webb Peoples, 92, Student of Dinosaurs". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  4. NYT Staff (September 10, 1937). "Wedding announcement: Ruth Levinger Married; Maplewood Girl Wed at Club to Prof. Joe W. Peoples". The New York Times: 21. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  5. Snider, Eric D. (August 29, 2015). "12 Dusty Facts About 'Unforgiven'". Mental Floss. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  6. Boucher, Geoff (February 1, 2010). "'Sgt. Rock' Reloads as Movie Project—But Not as a WWII Story". Hero Complex. Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  7. https://www.nytimes.com/1990/02/23/movies/review-film-clashing-gladiators-in-the-bloody-sport-of-a-future-dark-age.html
  8. Hollywood.com Staff (February 4, 2015). "David Peoples—Biography and Filmography". Hollywood.com. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.