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David Peoples

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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 85)
Middletown, Connecticut, United States
OccupationScreenwriter
SpouseJanet Beebe Peoples[1]

David Webb Peoples (born February 9, 1940) is an American screenwriter who co-wrote Blade Runner (1982), and later wrote Unforgiven (1992), and 12 Monkeys (1995). He has been 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.

Early life

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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.[citation needed]

Career

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Peoples worked as a film editor in the 1970s while writing screenplays[5] but his writing career took off after he was hired as co-writer on Blade Runner by director Ridley Scott to rework the script written by screenwriter and Blade Runner executive producer Hampton Fancher.[6] Following the success of Blade Runner, Peoples worked on Ladyhawke (1985) and Leviathan (1989).[5]

During the 1980s, Peoples wrote a script based on DC Comics' Sgt. Rock series. Arnold Schwarzenegger was picked to play the title role; the project was revived three decades later 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 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, and The Blood of Heroes.[citation needed] The Blood of Heroes was directed by Peoples, and starred Rutger Hauer.[8]

Peoples received his greatest recognition for Unforgiven (1992). He had originally written the script in 1976, then entitled The William Munny Killings.[5] Peoples' screwball comedy Hero was filmed and released in 1992, the same year as Unforgiven.

Later in 1992, Peoples worked with his wife Janet Peoples on 12 Monkeys (1995), a science fiction fable about time travel inspired by Chris Marker's experimental short film La Jetée.

In 1998, Soldier was filmed by British director Paul W. S. Anderson, although it was re-written by Anderson.[9]

Filmography

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Year Title Writer Editor Director Notes Ref.
1969 How We Stopped the War Yes Yes Himself Short films [10]
1971 Tricia's Wedding No Yes Milton Miron
1973 Steel Arena No Yes Mark L. Lester
Bizarre Devices No Yes Paul Aratow and Barry J. Spinello
1974 Lucifer's Women No Yes Paul Aratow Also known as Doctor Dracula
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
1989 Leviathan Yes No George P. Cosmatos
The Blood of Heroes Yes No Himself Also known as The Salute of the Jugger
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

Unproduced screenplays

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Title Director Description Ref.
My Dog's on Fire Tony Scott A comedy about a punk rock band [2][11]
Sgt. Rock Various An adaptation of the DC Comics character [12][7]
Pair-A-Dice Lawrence Kasdan A "weird desert island relationship picture" [13]
To the White Sea Coen brothers An adaptation of the novel by James Dickey [14][15][11]
Stompanato Various A biopic on the life of gangster Johnny Stompanato [16][17][18]
Vengeance — An adaptation of the novel by George Jonas [11]
The Prisoner Christopher Nolan An adaptation of the 1960s espionage series [19]
The Grabbers — A "new version" of The Treasure of the Sierra Madre [20]
Mandrake the Magician Etan Cohen An adaptation of the comic strip character [21][22]
Lone Wolf and Cub Justin Lin An adaptation of the Japanese manga series [23]

Awards

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Peoples' highest accolades are for Unforgiven. It 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.[24]

References

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  1. ^ Courant Staff [ (March 23, 2000). "Obiturary: Joe Webb Peoples". Hartford Courant. Archived from the original on 2017-08-15. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  2. ^ a b Weinraub, Bernard (October 6, 1992). "A Screenwriter Whose Life's Script Stars Privacy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 28 August 2016. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  3. ^ NYT Staff (April 4, 2000). "Obituary: Joe Webb Peoples, 92, Student of Dinosaurs". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 13 August 2016. 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. Archived from the original on 10 February 2024. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  5. ^ a b c Snider, Eric D. (August 29, 2015). "12 Dusty Facts About 'Unforgiven'". Mental Floss. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  6. ^ Sammon, Paul (2017). Future Noir Revised & Updated Edition: The Making of Blade Runner. Dey Street Books. ISBN 0062699466.
  7. ^ a b 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. Archived from the original on October 27, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  8. ^ Canby, Vincent (23 February 1990). "Review/Film; Clashing Gladiators in the Bloody Sport of a Future Dark Age". The New York Times. Archived from the original on 12 September 2017. Retrieved 19 December 2017.
  9. ^ Brew, Simon (2020-03-24). "Soldier: Kurt Russell, a major injury, and an ornamental cabbage". Film Stories. Archived from the original on 2021-01-01. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
  10. ^ Hollywood.com Staff (February 4, 2015). "David Peoples—Biography and Filmography". Hollywood.com. Archived from the original on December 25, 2016. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  11. ^ a b c Webb, Oliver J. (January 20, 2024). "An Interview with David Webb Peoples". Closely Observed Frames. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  12. ^ Peoples, David Webb (August 1987). ""Sgt Rock" by David Webb Peoples". DailyScript.com. Archived from the original on February 4, 2025. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  13. ^ Dutka 1992, p. 1.
  14. ^ Hindes, Andrew (March 25, 1997). "For new battalion of studio pix, war is swell". Variety. Retrieved March 22, 2025.
  15. ^ Brake, Scott (August 16, 2000). "Script Review of To the White Sea". IGN. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  16. ^ Carver, Benedict (May 21, 1999). "'Johnny' takes Independent route". Variety. Retrieved March 11, 2023.
  17. ^ "Elston Gunn's WEEKLY RECAP". Ain't It Cool News. November 3, 2001. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  18. ^ Stein, Ruthe (November 6, 2007). "Bay Area writers back away from keyboards in strike solidarity". SFGate. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  19. ^ Fleming, Michael (August 10, 2006). "U reloads 'Prisoner'". Variety. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  20. ^ Hewitt, Chris (September 17, 2008). "Exclusive: Statham Set For The Grabbers?". Empire. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  21. ^ Kit, Borys (March 13, 2012). "Warner Bros. Plots 'Mandrake the Magician' Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  22. ^ Kit, Borys (June 7, 2016). "Sacha Baron Cohen Will Wield The Wand Of "Mandrake The Magician" With Etan Cohen Set To Direct (EXCLUSIVE)". The Tracking Board. Retrieved March 30, 2025.
  23. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 27, 2012). "Kamala Flms Acquires 'Lone Wolf And Cub' With 'Fast Five's Justin Lin Attached". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 23, 2024.
  24. ^ "2010 Winners". Austin Film Festival. 2010-11-01. Archived from the original on 2021-01-17. Retrieved 2021-02-02.

Sources

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