Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski | |
|---|---|
 Alexander (left) and Karaszewski (right) in 2014 | |
| Born | Scott Alexander (1963-06-16)June 16, 1963 (age 62) Los Angeles,California, U.S. Larry Karaszewski (1961-11-20)November 20, 1961 (age 64) South Bend, Indiana, U.S. |
| Alma mater | USC School of Cinematic Arts (both) |
| Occupation | Screenwriters |
| Years active | 1990–present |
| Spouse | Larry: |
| Children | Scott: 3[1] Larry: 2 |
Scott Alexander (born June 16, 1963) andLarry Karaszewski (/ˌkærəˈzjuːski/; born November 20, 1961) are an Americanscreenwriting duo, recognized for their unique approach tobiopics. They introduced the term "anti-biopic" to describe their distinctive style of storytelling, which focuses on individuals who might not traditionally be considered worthy of a biographical film.[2] Instead of highlighting conventional "great men," their work often centers on lesser-known figures within American pop culture.[3] Their notable films in this genre includeEd Wood,The People vs. Larry Flynt,Man on the Moon,Big Eyes,Dolemite Is My Name, and the seriesThe People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
Most of their biographical screenplays are available in book form;Ed Wood was published byFaber and Faber,The People vs. Larry Flynt andMan on the Moon were published byNewmarket Press, andBig Eyes was published byRandom House.[4]
Before they met, Alexander and Karaszewski were both teenage filmmakers. Alexander'sSuper 8 film work was later featured in a traveling theatrical release spotlighting young directors that also includedJ. J. Abrams.[5] Karaszewski spent his youth as actor/writer/director on the award-winning student television programBeyond Our Control.[6] They first met as freshman roommates at theUniversity of Southern California, graduating from theSchool of Cinematic Arts in 1985.[7]
The duo's first success was the popular, but critically derided, comedyProblem Child. They claimed that their original screenplay was a sophisticatedblack comedy, but that the studio replaced them and watered it down into an unrecognizable state.[8] The film proved to beUniversal Pictures' most profitable film of 1990.[9] With the studio in a hurry to make a sequel, they returned to writeProblem Child 2.[10]
In 1992, dissatisfied with their careers, Alexander and Karaszewski decided to write abiopic aboutEdward D. Wood Jr. Rather than mocking him, they identified with the obscure filmmaker and his struggles.[11]Tim Burton loved their scriptEd Wood and agreed to direct it. They wrote the screenplay in six weeks.[12] The film won two Academy Awards and was nominated for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival. They did uncredited rewrites on Burton's next filmMars Attacks!, inventing the Martian language of "Ack Ack Ack".[13]
Ed Wood's acclaim led to a succession of offbeat biopics. They wroteThe People vs. Larry Flynt andMan on the Moon (about the short life of comedianAndy Kaufman), both films directed byMiloš Forman. Alexander and Karaszewski won the Best Screenplay Golden Globe for their work onLarry Flynt. The film also won the top award at the 1997Berlin International Film Festival.[citation needed]
In 2000, they made their directorial debut withScrewed.[citation needed] The hitBollywood musicalDe Dana Dan is an unauthorized remake ofScrewed.[14] In 2002, they served as producers on thePaul Schrader filmAuto Focus, chronicling the downfall and subsequent murder ofHogan's Heroes starBob Crane.
The duo wrote and produced Tim Burton's 2014 filmBig Eyes, a biopic about painterMargaret Keane. They were initially slated to direct, but later dropped out.[15] The film took them eleven years to get made.[16]
In 2016, Alexander and Karaszewski created their first television series,American Crime Story, a true crime anthology drama.The first season is based on theO. J. Simpson trial.[17] The show won ninePrimetime Emmys after it aired onFX in 2016, with Alexander and Karaszewski nominated forOutstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special. They won theEmmy,Golden Globe,Writers Guild Award, andProducers Guild Award for this miniseries. It was also a ratings juggernaut becoming cable television's most watched new show.[18]
In 2019, they wrote the biopicDolemite Is My Name,Eddie Murphy's return to the big screen, which has a 97% rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[19] The film was nominated for Best Picture and Best Actor at the 2020 Golden Globes.[citation needed]
Unproduced screenplays include biopics onHoward Hughes forMiloš Forman to direct,[20] theMarx Brothers,[21]Robert Ripley (forTim Burton to direct),[22]Patty Hearst (forJames Mangold to direct)[23] and theGrateful Dead (forMartin Scorsese to direct).[24] Additionally, they were the first writers of a planned 1996live action film of the cartoon seriesThe Jetsons, which was shut down during pre-production due to the budget.[1]. They also wrote an unproduced draft ofHulk forJonathan Hensleigh, were hired to write a screenplay based on theMonopoly game forRidley Scott,[25] and adaptedNike founderPhil Knight's autobiographyShoe Dog andKing of the Jungle about tech maverickJohn McAfee.[26][27]
The duo are active cineastes in Los Angeles hosting screenings of classic films for theAmerican Cinematheque.[28][29] They are also frequent guests on film related podcasts; among the shows they have appeared on areMaltin on Movies,Gilbert Gottfried's Amazing Colossal Podcast,The Movies That Made Me,The Pure Cinema Podcast,The Dana Gould Hour,The Marx Brothers Council Podcast,The Big Picture,The Treatment,The Film Scene with Illeana Douglas,The Adam Corolla Show,Post Mortem with Mick Garris,The Cannon with Amy Nicholson andThe Empire Film Podcast.[30] Karaszewski's numerous film commentaries can be found on the websiteTrailers from Hell.[31]
In 1999, they both served as advisors to theSundance Screenwriting Labs.[32] Karaszewski served six years as a Governor for the Writers Branch of theAcademy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and was Vice President of History and Preservation for the academy.[33] He served on the juries for theLos Angeles Film Festival in 2010,[34] theIndependent Spirit Awards in 2011,[35] and theIndie Memphis Film Festival in 2022.[36] He also co-chaired the Oscar's International Executive Committee from 2018 to 2020 and was instrumental in changing the name of the category from Best Foreign Language Film to Best International Feature.[37] Currently, Karaszewski serves on the board of directors of theNational Film Preservation Foundation.[38] In 2023, Alexander was elected to his fourth termon the board of directors for theWriters Guild of America West.[39]
In 2007, they were both featured in the documentaryDreams on Spec, a film looking at the Hollywood creative process from the perspective of the writer. Karaszewski appeared onTurner Classic Movies as a guest host withBen Mankiewicz for a series calledReframed, spotlighting films considered groundbreaking and controversial.[40]
Several actors have won prestigious awards playing characters in films written by Alexander and Karaszewski.Martin Landau won the Oscar, Golden Globe, SAG, National Board of Review, New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago Film Critics awards forEd Wood. ForThe People vs. Larry Flynt,Woody Harrelson was nominated for an Oscar and Golden Globe.Courtney Love was also nominated for a Golden Globe and won the New York Film Critics Circle award.Jim Carrey won the Best Actor Golden Globe forMan on the Moon.Amy Adams won the Best Actress Golden Globe for her portrayal ofMargaret Keane inBig Eyes. Almost the entire cast ofThe People v. O. J. Simpson: American Crime Story won accolades:Sarah Paulson won the Emmy, Golden Globe, SAG, and Critics Choice awards. BothSterling K. Brown andCourtney B. Vance won Emmys and Critic Choice awards.[citation needed]
TheAcademy Museum of Motion Pictures in Los Angeles has spotlighted their career with several exhibits including a display of "scene cards" from the third act ofThe People vs. Larry Flynt and the originalKaypro computer that the team used to writeEd Wood.[2][3] A quote from Karaszewski serves as a motto for the museum: "The Future of Cinema is in your hands."[41]
The WGA magazine "Written By" featured Alexander and Karaszewski on the cover of the January 2015 issue in a painting by artistDrew Friedman.[42] In 2022, they were inducted into theFinal Draft Screenwriter Hall of Fame; others includeQuentin Tarantino andRobert Towne.[43] That same year,Film Forum screened a week long retrospective of their biographical films.[4] In 2023, the duo received the Bill Wittliff Award for Screenwriting at the 30th annualAustin Film Festival.[44]
Film writers
| Year | Title | Director | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | Problem Child | Dennis Dugan | |
| 1991 | Problem Child 2 | Brian Levant | |
| 1994 | Ed Wood | Tim Burton | Nominated–Saturn Award for Best Writing Nominated–Writers Guild Award for Best Original Screenplay |
| 1996 | The People vs. Larry Flynt | Miloš Forman | Golden Globe Award for Best Screenplay Satellite Award for Best Original Screenplay Writers Guild of America Paul Selvin Award |
| 1997 | That Darn Cat | Bob Spiers | |
| 1999 | Man on the Moon | Miloš Forman | |
| 2000 | Screwed | Themselves | |
| 2003 | Agent Cody Banks | Harald Zwart | |
| 2007 | 1408 | Mikael Håfström | |
| 2014 | Big Eyes | Tim Burton | Also producers Nominated–Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay |
| 2015 | Goosebumps | Rob Letterman | Story only |
| 2019 | Dolemite Is My Name | Craig Brewer |
Producers
Television
| Year | Title | Writers | Executive Producers | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993–94 | Problem Child | No | Yes | |
| 2016–2018 | American Crime Story | Yes | Yes | Also creators Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Limited Series(2016, 2018) Golden Globe Award for Best Miniseries or Television Film(2017, 2019) Producers Guild of America Award for Best Long-Form Television(2017) Producers Guild of America Award for Best Limited Series Television(2019) Writers Guild Award for Television: Long Form – Adapted Nominated–Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Limited Series, Movie, or Dramatic Special |
...yet another Howard Hughes emerged briefly in the person of Edward Norton, the actor, who was briefly teamed with the director Milos Forman and the screenwriting partners Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski ("The People vs. Larry Flynt," "Man on the Moon").