David Franzoni
David Harold Franzoni (born March 4, 1947) is an American screenwriter and film producer. He conceived the story for, co-wrote and co-produced the 2000 film Gladiator,[1][2] for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won the Academy Award for Best Picture.[2][3][4][5] His other screenplays include King Arthur (2004),[6][7][8][3][4] Amistad (1997),[9] and Jumpin’ Jack Flash (1986).[10]
David Franzoni | |
---|---|
Born | March 4, 1947 |
Alma mater | University of Vermont |
Occupation | Screenwriter, producer |
Years active | 1980-present |
Awards | Academy Award for Best Picture 2000 Gladiator BAFTA Award for Best Film 2000 Gladiator |
Career
Franzoni's script for Gladiator was a revival of the sword-and-sandal genre,[11] using characters very different from the original and drawing upon available historic and archaeological sources.[12] He started to write the story in the 1970s, after reading a book about Roman gladiatorial games.
For Amistad, Franzoni decided not to use a standard narrative for the film and explained that "The typical slant in this sort of film is to have the poor, chained black man arrive in the presence of the white guy, who has a good soul and fights the good faith to liberate the black man".[13] Franzoni was also the one who convinced Steven Spielberg to direct the film.[11]
Franzoni stated that the screenplay of King Arthur "aims more for history than myth",[14] and again relied upon archaeological evidence in an attempt to create a more realistic human and political interpretation of the character.[15][16]
Filmography
Year | Title | Writer | Producer | Director(s) | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
1986 | Jumpin' Jack Flash | Yes | No | Penny Marshall | co-written with Charles Shyer, Nancy Meyers and Chris Thompson |
1992 | Citizen Cohn | Yes | No | Frank Pierson | television film |
1997 | Amistad | Yes | No | Steven Spielberg | |
2000 | Gladiator | Yes | Yes | Ridley Scott | co-written with John Logan and William Nicholson |
2004 | King Arthur | Yes | No | Antoine Fuqua | |
2018 | Black and White Stripes: The Juventus Story | No | Executive | La Villa Brothers | documentary film |
TBA | JSA | Yes | No | Himself | directorial debut |
Gladiator 2 | No | Yes | Ridley Scott |
References
- Ortega Giménez, Alfonso (17 December 2013). "Derecho romano". Cine y derecho en 21 películas (in Spanish). Editorial Club Universitario. p. 191. ISBN 9788415941729.
- Marks, Dara (23 February 2009). "Filmography". Inside Story: The Power of the Transformational Arc. A&C Black. p. 337. ISBN 9781408109427.
- Indick 2004, p. 250, "Conclusion".
- Santas et al. 2014, p. 230, G.
- Scott, Ridley (2005). "Filmography". In Knapp, Laurence F.; Kulas, Andrea F. (eds.). Ridley Scott: Interviews. Univ. Press of Mississippi. p. 27. ISBN 9781578067268.
- Santas et al. 2014, p. 309, K.
- Shaheen, Kareem (6 June 2016). "Rumi film will challenge Muslim stereotypes, says Gladiator writer". The Guardian. Istanbul. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- Indick 2004, p. 145, "Part Four".
- Godawa 2011, p. 202, Christianity.
- Sun, Rebecca (16 June 2014). "Oscar-winning Producer David Franzoni Signs With Paradigm". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 14 November 2017.
- Alberich, Enric (2009). Películas clave del cine histórico (in Spanish). Ediciones Robinbook. p. 188. ISBN 9788496924741.
- Caparrós Lera, José María; José Martín, Jerónimo (2001). "Gladiator de Ridley Scott". El cine de fin de milenio (1999-2000) (in Spanish). Ediciones Rialp. p. 128. ISBN 9788432133442.
- Hixson, Walter L. (2003). "Steven Spielberg American Dream". The American Experience in World War II: The United States and the road to war in Europe. Taylor & Francis. p. 253. ISBN 9780415940290.
- Soriano, John. "WGA.org's Exclusive Interview with David Franzoni" (PDF). WGAW. Archived from the original (PDF) on 3 December 2007. Retrieved 2 December 2011.
- Godawa 2011, p. 76, Story Telling in the Movies.
- Matthews, John (2004). "An interview with David Franzoni". Arthuriana. 14 (3): 116. doi:10.1353/art.2004.0054. S2CID 162155578.
Bibliography
- Godawa, Brian (2011). Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films with Wisdom & Discernment. InterVarsity Press. p. 261. ISBN 9780830869534.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Indick, William (2004). Psychology for Screenwriters. Michael Wiese Productions. p. 304. ISBN 9781615930456.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Raw, Laurence (28 September 2009). The Ridley Scott Encyclopedia. Scarecrow Press. p. 336. ISBN 9780810869523.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)
- Santas, Constantine; Wilson, James M.; Colavito, Maria; Baker, Djoymi (2014). The Encyclopedia of Epic Films. Scarecrow Press. p. 712. ISBN 9780810882485.CS1 maint: ref=harv (link)