February 12, 2011 – PANEL: Writing the Hollywood Blockbuster!

It’s what many of us aspire to, but only a few ever do… Write the Hollywood Blockbuster.

Serving a franchise or writing a megabudget movie comes with its own set of perks, challenges and pitfalls. Wouldn’t it be great to learn what may happen in case you ever get that big opportunity? Join several A-List screenwriters in discussing how to negotiate the airy upper reaches of Hollywood.

Shane Black is currently slated to direct Sony Pictures’ revival of the Doc Savage pulp adventure series. He most recently wrote and directed the comedy/thriller KISS KISS, BANG BANG. His previous writing credits include LETHAL WEAPON, THE LAST BOY SCOUT, THE LONG KISS GOODNIGHT, and THE LAST ACTION HERO.

As an actor he is featured in the films: PREDATOR, ROBOCOP 3, AS GOOD AS IT GETS and television appearances. He lives in Los Angeles in a haunted house, surrounded by three dogs who often stare at empty rooms as though something (or someone) beckons to them.

Academy Award-nominated and BAFTA-winning writer Terry Rossio co-wrote the animated feature SHREK, winner of the first ever Academy Award for Best Animated Film. With Ted Elliott, he also co-wrote the enormously successful PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN movie trilogy: THE CURSE OF THE BLACK PEARL (winner of the People’s Choice Award for Best Picture, and recipient of five Academy Award nominations, including Best Actor for Johnny Depp); DEAD MAN’S CHEST (currently the 4th highest grossing film of all time); and AT WORLD’S END (currently the 9th highest grossing film of all time). Their fourth PIRATES adventure, ON STRANGER TIDES, which they also executive produced, will open in theaters May 20, 2011.

With Bill Marsilii, Rossio co-wrote the 2006 Denzel Washington romantic thriller DEJA VU, on which he also served as executive producer.

In 1992, Rossio co-wrote the highest grossing film of the year, Disney’s animated feature ALADDIN, starring Robin Williams. Elliott & Rossio’s feature film credits also include SHREK 2 (Creative Consultants); NATIONAL TREASURE: BOOK OF SECRETS (Story), starring Nicolas Cage; THE MASK OF ZORRO (Screenplay), starring Anthony Hopkins, Antonio Banderas and Catherine Zeta-Jones; G-FORCE (Associate Producers), starring Zach Galifianakis; LITTLE MONSTERS (Screenplay), starring Fred Savage; SMALL SOLDIERS (Screenplay), starring Kirsten Dunst; and, GODZILLA (Screenplay), starring Matthew Broderick. In 1996, Elliott and Rossio became the first writers signed to an overall writing and producing deal at DreamWorks SKG. Their animated projects at DreamWorks, in addition to the SHREK movies, include: THE ROAD TO EL DORADO (Screenplay), featuring Kevin Kline and Kenneth Branagh; ANTZ (Creative Consultants), featuring Woody Allen; and SINBAD (Creative Consultants), featuring Brad Pitt and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

Current projects include: THE LONE RANGER, a revival of the classic Western franchise, to be directed by Gore Verbinski and star Johnny Depp as Tonto for Disney; LIGHTSPEED, a live-action space adventure, co-written with Bill Marsilii, for Disney; MAGICAL LAW, a supernatural procedural television series, in collaboration with director Gore Verbinski, for Fox; ELIXIR, a romantic comedy, co-written with Jaylynn Bailey, for Disney Family; INSTANT KARMA, an animated feature, which Rossio will produce from Paul Hernandez’s script, for Sony Pictures Animation; and UNDER THE FAERIE MOON, an illustrated fantasy novel, for Radical Studios.

Rossio is the co-creator of Wordplay (wordplayer.com), an online resource for aspiring and professional screenwriters.

Born in Santa Monica, California, David Hayter spent the first eighteen years of his life traveling the world while picking up the Japanese and French languages. After graduating from high school in Kobe, Japan, Hayter went on to study theatre at the prestigious Ryerson Theatre School in Toronto.

A seminal figure in the 21st century wave of comic-book cinema, David Hayter’s films have amassed over one billion dollars in Worldwide Box Office. His screenwriting credits include the feature films, X-MEN, THE SCORPION KING and X2 : X-MEN UNITED. He also penned the script WATCHMEN, directed by Zack Snyder for Warner Bros. Studios.

As a producer, he created the film BURNwith Bryan Singer and the pilot episode of LOST IN OZ for Warner Bros. Television.

As an actor, his credits include the lead in the sci-fi film GUYVER: DARK HERO, the voice of Captain America on the “Spiderman” animated series as well as a decade-long stint in the role of Solid Snake in the hugely popular ”Metal Gear Solid” video game franchise.

David is repped by the United Talent Agency, and attorney David Feldman.

Mark Fergus and his writing partner Hawk Ostby co-wrote the hit film IRON MAN, starring Robert Downey Jr., and were nominated for an Academy Award for their work on CHILDREN OF MEN.

Fergus directed Guy Pearce in the feature FIRST SNOW from an original script by the team. Their most recent projects include the big-screen adaptation of the graphic novel COWBOYS & ALIENS starring Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford and directed by Jon Favreau; a live-action version of the animated masterpiece AKIRA, being produced by Leonardo DiCaprio; and an adaptation of James Patterson’s Maximum Ride, to be directed by Twilight helmer Catherine Hardwicke.

Fergus will direct the thriller BLOOD ON BLOOD in New Mexico in 2011.