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 Considered one of the pioneer screenwriters of the action genre, Black made his mark with his Lethal Weapon (1987) screenplay. He also collaborated on the story of the sequel, Lethal Weapon 2 (1989). Each successive script he turned in had a higher price attached it, from The Last Boy Scout (1991) to The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), and in between a re-write on the McTiernan/Schwarzenegger Last Action Hero (1993) script.
Bio:
Considered one of the pioneer screenwriters of the action genre, Black made his mark with his Lethal Weapon (1987) screenplay. He also collaborated on the story of the sequel, Lethal Weapon 2 (1989). Each successive script he turned in had a higher price attached it, from The Last Boy Scout (1991) to The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), and in between a re-write on the McTiernan/Schwarzenegger Last Action Hero (1993) script.
Tivia:
Was 22 when he sold the Lethal Weapon (1987) screenplay.The $1.75 million he received for his screenplay for The Last Boy Scout (1991) was the highest to date in 1990. He then topped it when he sold the script to The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) for $4 million a few years later. Both were box-office disappointments that later found cult audiences on home video.After being the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood, he disappeared as a writer in the late '90s. He recently admitted he withdrew due to pressure and a growing contempt for his own commercial, action-packed material.Shared a house with future successful screenwriters like Fred Dekker (The Monster Squad (1987), Night of the Creeps (1986), RoboCop 3 (1993)) and Ed Solomon (Men in Black (1997), Charlie's Angels (2000), Levity (2003)). They called their place the "Pad O' Guys" and considered themselves a fraternity for the ultimate movie buffs by staging and dissecting John Woo fight scenes in the front yard at three in the morning.Walked off Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), because he wanted the film to end with Martin Riggs dying from his wounds. Warner Bros. wanted to continue the series and had him survive. As a result, his script was re-written.Best known as Hawkins who was the first victim killed by the Predator in Predator (1987).After a young Joe Carnahan sent him some writing samples, Black wrote a very inspiring letter back, complimenting his writing and encouraging him to move forward with it. Carnahan later went on to write and direct Narc (2002).Black's two favorite screenwriters are Walter Hill and William Goldman. The sparse side of Black's writing style is inspired by Hill, the commentary bits on the world he's created inspired by Goldman, and his mysterious tone is borrowed from Raymond Chandler.Is a self-admitted sufferer of Tourette syndrome.Adopted an american staffordshire terrier mix, named Adonis, in January 2013 from a rescue, The Little Red Dog, Inc, after a photo of Adonis holding a food bowl in his mouth in the city kill shelter went viral online.Lists The Exorcist (1973), Jaws (1975), Three Days of the Condor (1975), and All That Jazz (1978) as his all-time favorite films.At UCLA, classmates were Tim Robbins, Paul Townsend, Delia Frankel.Let his father read the first draft of Lethal Weapon (1987) before turning it in to Warner Bros.Was an avid reader of Evan Hunter (aka Ed McBain)'s "87th Precinct", "The Hardy Boys" and "Doc Savage" novels as a child.Brother of Terry BlackOne of his favorite films is Ju-on: The Grudge (2002). |
| Name: |
Shane Black |
Type: |
Writer,Actor,Director (IMDB) |
| Area: |
All World |
Platform: |
IMDB |
| Category: |
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Business scope: |
Writer,Actor,Director |
| Products for sale: |
Writer,Actor,Director |
| Model rank: |
29 |
| Last update: |
2024-07-01 04:32:14 |
| Height: |
5' 11' (1.80 m) |
| Biography: |
Considered one of the pioneer screenwriters of the action genre, Black made his mark with his Lethal Weapon (1987) screenplay. He also collaborated on the story of the sequel, Lethal Weapon 2 (1989). Each successive script he turned in had a higher p |
| Trivia: |
Was 22 when he sold the Lethal Weapon (1987) screenplay.The $1.75 million he received for his screenplay for The Last Boy Scout (1991) was the highest to date in 1990. He then topped it when he sold the script to The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) for $4 million a few years later. Both were box-office disappointments that later found cult audiences on home video.After being the highest paid screenwriter in Hollywood, he disappeared as a writer in the late '90s. He recently admitted he withdrew due to pressure and a growing contempt for his own commercial, action-packed material.Shared a house with future successful screenwriters like Fred Dekker (The Monster Squad (1987), Night of the Creeps (1986), RoboCop 3 (1993)) and Ed Solomon (Men in Black (1997), Charlie's Angels (2000), Levity (2003)). They called their place the "Pad O' Guys" and considered themselves a fraternity for the ultimate movie buffs by staging and dissecting John Woo fight scenes in the front yard at three in the morning.Walked off Lethal Weapon 2 (1989), because he wanted the film to end with Martin Riggs dying from his wounds. Warner Bros. wanted to continue the series and had him survive. As a result, his script was re-written.Best known as Hawkins who was the first victim killed by the Predator in Predator (1987).After a young Joe Carnahan sent him some writing samples, Black wrote a very inspiring letter back, complimenting his writing and encouraging him to move forward with it. Carnahan later went on to write and direct Narc (2002).Black's two favorite screenwriters are Walter Hill and William Goldman. The sparse side of Black's writing style is inspired by Hill, the commentary bits on the world he's created inspired by Goldman, and his mysterious tone is borrowed from Raymond Chandler.Is a self-admitted sufferer of Tourette syndrome.Adopted an american staffordshire terrier mix, named Adonis, in January 2013 from a rescue, The Little Red Dog, Inc, after a photo of Adonis holding a food bowl in his mouth in the city kill shelter went viral online.Lists The Exorcist (1973), Jaws (1975), Three Days of the Condor (1975), and All That Jazz (1978) as his all-time favorite films.At UCLA, classmates were Tim Robbins, Paul Townsend, Delia Frankel.Let his father read the first draft of Lethal Weapon (1987) before turning it in to Warner Bros.Was an avid reader of Evan Hunter (aka Ed McBain)'s "87th Precinct", "The Hardy Boys" and "Doc Savage" novels as a child.Brother of Terry BlackOne of his favorite films is Ju-on: The Grudge (2002). |
| Trademarks: |
Uses a kidnapping as a plot device (Lethal Weapon (1987), The Last Boy Scout (1991), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), Iron Man 3 (2013)).
His scripts often combine action, thriller, noir and (black) comedy elements.
Five of his screenplays begin with the letter "L"
Six of his screenplays are all set at Christmastime: Lethal Weapon (1987), The Last Boy Scout (1991), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005), Iron Man 3 (2013), and the unproduced Shadow Company.
His screenplays usually involve a (private) detective who is (often involuntarily) paired with someone who tends to solve things less professionally, which leads to a love/hate relationship: Lethal Weapon (1987), The Last Boy Scout (1991), The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996), Kiss Kiss Bang Bang (2005) and The Nice Guys (2016). |
| Quotes: |
I'd like to be the sort of raconteur who rattles off quips and bon mots in the moment, but I'm not going to hit you with the dazzler. Most people just say nothing all of the time.
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Dialogue can be fun but most people don't study it.
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What I missed was the ability to tell stories that felt more like novels -- that had more edge to them, and more risk. There are a lot of obscure movies in the '60s that are thrillers that don't have happy endings. Odd movies like Vanishing Point (1971) or even Point Blank (1967) or Night Moves (1975) that had this sort of bittersweetness about them -- this melancholy where the ending was, you know, "Wow, that's great, I guess." And you didn't know whether the hero had been scarred for life. I think there was just a weight, a gravity, to movies that were made back then -- where you could take a left turn and the studio wouldn't go, "Whoa whoa whoa whoa! This doesn't fit our demographic!" And today -- not with Warners, because I had a great experience with them, but in general -- I think there's a pressure to sort of sanitize things. Especially today, with the prevalence of the Moral Majority, it's almost like you can't get away with giving someone a harsh look without some citizens' group coming down on you.
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I struggled with that for quite a while -- trying to see like a child again, and realizing why I'd started in the movies. To get that excitement back, and lose some of the more unsavory lessons I'd been forced to swallow.
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I'm not in the market any more to crash helicopters or blow up the Washington Monument. I'm certainly content to stick at -- if not the $15-million level -- then certainly below the level of blockbuster. |
| Salaries: |
The Long Kiss Goodnight (1996) - $4,000,000
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<hr>
Last Action Hero (1993) - $1,000,000
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<hr>
The Last Boy Scout (1991) - $1,750,000
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<hr>
Lethal Weapon 2 (1989) - $125,000
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<hr>
Letha |
| Job title: |
Writer,Actor,Director |
| Parents: |
Patricia Ann James
Paul Black |
| Relatives: |
Terry Black (Sibling) |
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