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David Peoples | |
|---|---|
| Born | David Webb Peoples (1940-02-09)February 9, 1940 (age 86) Middletown, Connecticut, U.S. |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
| Spouse | Janet Beebe Peoples[1] |
| Children | 2 |
David Webb Peoples (born February 9, 1940) is an Americanscreenwriter who co-wroteBlade Runner (1982), and later wroteUnforgiven (1992) and12 Monkeys (1995). He has been nominated for Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA awards. Peoples won the best screenplay awards from the L.A. Film Critics (1991) and National Society of Film Critics (1992) forUnforgiven.
Peoples was born inMiddletown, Connecticut, the son of Ruth Clara (née Levinger) and Joe Webb Peoples, a geologist.[2][3][4] He studied English at theUniversity of California, Berkeley.[citation needed]
Peoples worked as a film editor in the 1970s while writing screenplays,[5] but his writing career took off after being hired as co-writer onBlade Runner by directorRidley Scott to rework the script written by screenwriter andBlade Runner executive producerHampton Fancher.[6] Following the success ofBlade Runner, Peoples worked onLadyhawke (1985) andLeviathan (1989).[5]
During the 1980s, Peoples wrote a script based onDC Comics'Sgt. Rock series.Arnold Schwarzenegger was picked to play the title role; the project was revived three decades later in 2010 involvingJoel Silver andEasy Company, although with the expectation to set the narrative in a place other than the battlefields of World War II to distinguish the project from the earlier script.[7]
Other Peoples screenplays were purchased during the 1980s, many after studio development prior to production:Unforgiven,Soldier, andThe Blood of Heroes.[citation needed]The Blood of Heroes was directed by Peoples, and starredRutger Hauer.[8]
Peoples received his greatest recognition forUnforgiven (1992). He had originally written the script in 1976, then entitledThe William Munny Killings.[5] Peoples'screwball comedyHero was filmed and released in 1992, the same year asUnforgiven.
Later in 1992, Peoples worked with his wife,Janet, on12 Monkeys (1995), ascience fiction fable abouttime travel inspired byChris Marker's experimental short filmLa Jetée.
In 1998,Soldier was filmed by British directorPaul W. S. Anderson, although it was re-written by Anderson.[9]
Peoples and his wife, Janet, have two daughters.[10]
| Year | Title | Writer | Editor | Director | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1969 | How We Stopped the War | Yes | Yes | Himself | Short films | [11] |
| 1971 | Tricia's Wedding | No | Yes | Milton Miron | ||
| 1973 | Steel Arena | No | Yes | Mark L. Lester | ||
| Bizarre Devices | No | Yes | Paul Aratow andBarry J. Spinello | |||
| 1974 | Lucifer's Women[a] | No | Yes | Paul Aratow | ||
| 1976 | The Joy of Letting Go | No | Yes | John Gregory | ||
| 1977 | Who Are the DeBolts? | No | Yes | John Korty | Documentary films | |
| 1981 | The Day After Trinity | Yes | Yes | Jon H. Else | ||
| 1982 | Blade Runner | Yes | No | Ridley Scott | ||
| 1985 | Ladyhawke | Uncredited | No | Richard Donner | Script revisions | |
| 1987 | Predator | Uncredited | No | John McTiernan | ||
| 1989 | Leviathan | Yes | No | George P. Cosmatos | ||
| The Blood of Heroes[b] | Yes | No | Himself | |||
| 1990 | Fatal Sky | Yes | No | Frank Shields | Credited as "Anthony Able" | |
| 1992 | Unforgiven | Yes | No | Clint Eastwood | ||
| Hero | Yes | No | Stephen Frears | |||
| 1995 | 12 Monkeys | Yes | No | Terry Gilliam | ||
| 1998 | Soldier | Yes | No | Paul W. S. Anderson |
| Title | Director | Description | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Dog's on Fire | Tony Scott | Acomedy about apunk rock band | [2][12] |
| Sgt. Rock | Various | An adaptation of theDC Comics character | [13][7] |
| Pair-A-Dice | Lawrence Kasdan | A "weird desert island relationship picture" | [14] |
| To the White Sea | Coen brothers | An adaptation of the novel byJames Dickey | [15][16][12] |
| Stompanato[c] | Various | A biopic on the life of gangsterJohnny Stompanato | [17][18][19] |
| Vengeance | N/a | An adaptation of thenovel byGeorge Jonas | [12] |
| The Prisoner | Christopher Nolan | An adaptation of the1960s espionage series | [20] |
| The Grabbers | N/a | A "new version" ofThe Treasure of the Sierra Madre | [21] |
| Mandrake the Magician | Etan Cohen | An adaptation of thecomic strip character | [22][23] |
| Lone Wolf and Cub | Justin Lin | An adaptation of theJapanese manga series | [24] |
Peoples' highest accolades are forUnforgiven. It receivedOscar,Golden Globe andBritish Academy nominations, and wonL.A. Film Critics (1991) andNational Society of Film Critics (1992) awards for best screenplay. He was presented with the Distinguished Screenwriter Award at the 2010Austin Film Festival.[25]
