John August
Encyclopedia
John August is an American
screenwriter
and film director
.
He also writes and maintains the popular screenwriting blog johnaugust.com, and develops screenwriter-targeted software.
He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
, voting in the Writers branch.
. He earned a degree in journalism from Drake University
in Des Moines, Iowa
and an MFA
in film from the The Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California
. He lives in Los Angeles
.
He is openly gay. He married Michael August on June 28, 2008 during the four months same-sex marriage in California
was recognized. Together they have a daughter.
, for which he also served as co-producer and second unit director.
In 1998, August acquired the film rights to Daniel Wallace
's Big Fish. His adaptation became the 2003 Tim Burton
film of the same name
and earned August a 2003 BAFTA Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Since 2003, August has written the screenplay for several Tim Burton films, including Corpse Bride
, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
(an adaptation of Roald Dahl
's classic children's book
), and the upcoming Frankenweenie
.
The Nines
, his writing/directing debut starring Ryan Reynolds
, Melissa McCarthy
, Hope Davis
and Elle Fanning
, premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival
and Venice Film Festival
's Critics’ Week.
For television, August has developed three projects. D.C
, a one-hour drama for the WB Network, ran in April 2000. Alaska, a crime drama for ABC, shot a pilot in 2004 directed by Kim Manners
but was not picked up for series. Ops, a one-hour drama co-created by Jordan Mechner
, was developed for 20th Television/Fox, but never filmed a pilot.
August is writing the book for the Broadway musical adaptation of Big Fish, with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa
, directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman
. The show was announced in June 2011, with plans to reach the stage in 2012.
He earned a 2006 Grammy nomination for lyrics for "Wonka's Welcome Song" from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
.
In 2010, he founded Quote-Unquote Apps, which develops software related to film and the film industry. Their most popular release, FDX Reader, is an iOS
application that displays Final Draft
files. The company also released Less IMDb, a browser extension for Safari
, Chrome
, and Firefox that reorganizes the layout of IMDb pages.
In 2011, August and fellow screenwriter
Craig Mazin
began Scriptnotes, a weekly podcast
on the craft of screenwriting
and the film industry
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
and film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
.
He also writes and maintains the popular screenwriting blog johnaugust.com, and develops screenwriter-targeted software.
He is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences is a professional honorary organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of motion pictures...
, voting in the Writers branch.
Personal Life
August was born and raised in Boulder, ColoradoBoulder, Colorado
Boulder is the county seat and most populous city of Boulder County and the 11th most populous city in the U.S. state of Colorado. Boulder is located at the base of the foothills of the Rocky Mountains at an elevation of...
. He earned a degree in journalism from Drake University
Drake University
Drake University is a private, co-educational university located in Des Moines, Iowa, USA. The institution offers a number of undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as professional programs in law and pharmacy. Today, Drake is one of the twenty-five oldest law schools in the country....
in Des Moines, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
and an MFA
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
in film from the The Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
. He lives in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
He is openly gay. He married Michael August on June 28, 2008 during the four months same-sex marriage in California
Same-sex marriage in California
The status of same-sex marriage in California is unique among the 50 U.S. states, in that the state formerly granted marriage licenses to same-sex couples, but has discontinued doing so...
was recognized. Together they have a daughter.
Career
August's debut film was 1999's critically acclaimed GoGo (1999 film)
Go is a 1999 comedy thriller film written by John August and directed by Doug Liman, with three intertwining plots that happen to involve one drug deal. The film stars William Fichtner, Katie Holmes, Jay Mohr, Sarah Polley and Scott Wolf and features Taye Diggs, Breckin Meyer, Timothy Olyphant,...
, for which he also served as co-producer and second unit director.
In 1998, August acquired the film rights to Daniel Wallace
Daniel Wallace (author)
Daniel Wallace is an American author, best known for his 1998 novel Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, the basis for the Tim Burton film Big Fish. His other books include Ray in Reverse and The Watermelon King...
's Big Fish. His adaptation became the 2003 Tim Burton
Tim Burton
Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet...
film of the same name
Big Fish
Big Fish is a 2003 American fantasy adventure film based on the 1998 novel of the same name by Daniel Wallace. The film was directed by Tim Burton and stars Albert Finney, Ewan McGregor, Billy Crudup, Jessica Lange and Marion Cotillard. Finney plays Edward Bloom, a former traveling salesman from...
and earned August a 2003 BAFTA Award nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Since 2003, August has written the screenplay for several Tim Burton films, including Corpse Bride
Corpse Bride
Corpse Bride, often promoted as Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, is a 2005 stop-motion-animated fantasy musical film directed by Mike Johnson and Tim Burton. It is set in a fictional Victorian era village in Europe. Johnny Depp led an all-star cast as the voice of Victor, while Helena Bonham Carter ...
, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 2005 film adaptation of the 1964 book of the same name by Roald Dahl. The film was directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket and Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka...
(an adaptation of Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander...
's classic children's book
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1964 children's book by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of the eccentric chocolatier, Willy Wonka....
), and the upcoming Frankenweenie
Frankenweenie (2012 film)
Frankenweenie is an upcoming 3D black and white stop motion film and remake of the 1984 short film of the same name. Like the 1984 version, it is a parody of and an homage to the 1931 film Frankenstein based on Mary Shelley's book of the same name...
.
The Nines
The Nines
The Nines is a 2007 psychological thriller drama film, written, and directed by John August, and starring Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, Melissa McCarthy, and Elle Fanning. The film debuted at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, and made $63,165 in the U.S...
, his writing/directing debut starring Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Reynolds
Ryan Rodney Reynolds is a Canadian film and television actor, best known for his roles in such films as National Lampoon's Van Wilder, Waiting..., The Amityville Horror, Just Friends, Definitely, Maybe, The Proposal, Buried, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, and Green Lantern.One of his best known...
, Melissa McCarthy
Melissa McCarthy
Melissa McCarthy is an American actress and comedian.From 2000 to 2007, she portrayed Sookie St. James on the The WB television series Gilmore Girls. From 2007 to 2009, she portrayed Dena on the ABC sitcom Samantha Who? She currently stars in the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly, for which she...
, Hope Davis
Hope Davis
Hope Davis is an American actress. She has starred in more than 20 feature films, including About Schmidt, Arlington Road, Flatliners, Mumford, American Splendor, The Lodger and Next Stop Wonderland....
and Elle Fanning
Elle Fanning
Mary Elle Fanning , credited as Elle Fanning, is an American actress. She is the younger sister of actress Dakota Fanning and mainly known for her starring roles in Phoebe in Wonderland, Somewhere, Super 8 and We Bought a Zoo which will receive a theatrical release on December 23,...
, premiered at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival
Sundance Film Festival
The Sundance Film Festival is a film festival that takes place annually in Utah, in the United States. It is the largest independent cinema festival in the United States. Held in January in Park City, Salt Lake City, and Ogden, as well as at the Sundance Resort, the festival is a showcase for new...
and Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
's Critics’ Week.
For television, August has developed three projects. D.C
D.C. (TV series)
D.C. is a short-lived American television series that premiered and ended in April 2000 on The WB Network.Mason Scott , a young man fresh out of college who has dreamed his entire life of coming to Washington, D.C.. He truly believes that he can make a difference in this world of questionable...
, a one-hour drama for the WB Network, ran in April 2000. Alaska, a crime drama for ABC, shot a pilot in 2004 directed by Kim Manners
Kim Manners
Kim Manners was an American television producer, director and child actor best known for his work on The X-Files and Supernatural.-Early life:...
but was not picked up for series. Ops, a one-hour drama co-created by Jordan Mechner
Jordan Mechner
Jordan Mechner is an American video game designer, screenwriter, author, and filmmaker, best known for creating the Prince of Persia video game franchise.- Life and career :Mechner was born in New York City...
, was developed for 20th Television/Fox, but never filmed a pilot.
August is writing the book for the Broadway musical adaptation of Big Fish, with music and lyrics by Andrew Lippa
Andrew Lippa
Andrew Lippa is an American composer, lyricist, book writer, performer, and producer. He is a resident artist at the Ars Nova Theater in New York City.-Biography:...
, directed and choreographed by Susan Stroman
Susan Stroman
Susan Stroman is an American theatre director, choreographer, film director, and performer. She has won the Tony Award for both her choreography and direction, notably for the stage musical The Producers.-Early years:...
. The show was announced in June 2011, with plans to reach the stage in 2012.
He earned a 2006 Grammy nomination for lyrics for "Wonka's Welcome Song" from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film)
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 2005 film adaptation of the 1964 book of the same name by Roald Dahl. The film was directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket and Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka...
.
Other Work
In 2003, August established johnaugust.com as a repository for the 100+ screenwriting advice columns he had written for IMDb. The site now has over 1,500 posts and 31,000 approved comments.In 2010, he founded Quote-Unquote Apps, which develops software related to film and the film industry. Their most popular release, FDX Reader, is an iOS
IOS
iOS is an operating system for iPad, iPhone, iPod Touch, and Apple TV.IOS may also refer to:-Companies and organisations:* Illinois Ornithological Society, American state-based bird club...
application that displays Final Draft
Final Draft
Final Draft is screenwriting software for writing and formatting a screenplay to meet the screenplay submission standards set by theater, television and film industries. The program is developed and owned by Final Draft, Inc., headquartered in Calabasas, CA; the company also owns Script magazine...
files. The company also released Less IMDb, a browser extension for Safari
Safari (web browser)
Safari is a web browser developed by Apple Inc. and included with the Mac OS X and iOS operating systems. First released as a public beta on January 7, 2003 on the company's Mac OS X operating system, it became Apple's default browser beginning with Mac OS X v10.3 "Panther". Safari is also the...
, Chrome
Google Chrome
Google Chrome is a web browser developed by Google that uses the WebKit layout engine. It was first released as a beta version for Microsoft Windows on September 2, 2008, and the public stable release was on December 11, 2008. The name is derived from the graphical user interface frame, or...
, and Firefox that reorganizes the layout of IMDb pages.
In 2011, August and fellow screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
Craig Mazin
Craig Mazin
Craig Mazin is an American screenwriter and director.Mazin was born in Brooklyn, New York, and moved to Marlboro Township, New Jersey when he was a teen and attended Freehold High School which inducted him into its Hall of Fame in 2010. He graduated magna cum laude with a degree in psychology from...
began Scriptnotes, a weekly podcast
Podcast
A podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
on the craft of screenwriting
Screenwriting
Screenwriting is the art and craft of writing scripts for mass media such as feature films, television productions or video games. It is a freelance profession....
and the film industry
Cinema of the United States
The cinema of the United States, also known as Hollywood, has had a profound effect on cinema across the world since the early 20th century. Its history is sometimes separated into four main periods: the silent film era, classical Hollywood cinema, New Hollywood, and the contemporary period...
.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Credit | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | God | Writer, director | Short, starring Melissa McCarthy Melissa McCarthy Melissa McCarthy is an American actress and comedian.From 2000 to 2007, she portrayed Sookie St. James on the The WB television series Gilmore Girls. From 2007 to 2009, she portrayed Dena on the ABC sitcom Samantha Who? She currently stars in the CBS sitcom Mike & Molly, for which she... |
| 1999 | Go Go (1999 film) Go is a 1999 comedy thriller film written by John August and directed by Doug Liman, with three intertwining plots that happen to involve one drug deal. The film stars William Fichtner, Katie Holmes, Jay Mohr, Sarah Polley and Scott Wolf and features Taye Diggs, Breckin Meyer, Timothy Olyphant,... |
Written by | Also co-producer, 2nd unit director |
| 2000 | D.C. D.C. (TV series) D.C. is a short-lived American television series that premiered and ended in April 2000 on The WB Network.Mason Scott , a young man fresh out of college who has dreamed his entire life of coming to Washington, D.C.. He truly believes that he can make a difference in this world of questionable... |
Creator, Co-executive producer | TV series |
| 2000 | Titan A.E. Titan A.E. Titan A.E. is an American animated post-apocalyptic science fiction film directed by Don Bluth and Gary Goldman released in 2000. The title refers to the spacecraft that is central to the plot, with A.E. meaning "After Earth."... |
Screenplay | With Joss Whedon Joss Whedon Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon is an American screenwriter, executive producer, director, comic book writer, occasional composer and actor, founder of Mutant Enemy Productions and co-creator of Bellwether Pictures... and Ben Edlund Ben Edlund Ben Edlund is a comic book artist and writer and television screenwriter. Prior to his involvement in TV, he was best known as the creator of the satirical superhero character The Tick. He is currently an executive producer and staff writer for The CW series Supernatural.-Background:Edlund was... |
| 2000 | Charlie's Angels Charlie's Angels (film) Charlie's Angels is a 2000 American action comedy film directed by McG, starring Cameron Diaz, Drew Barrymore, and Lucy Liu as three women working for a private investigation agency... |
Written by | With Ryan Rowe & Ed Solomon Ed Solomon Ed Solomon is an American writer, producer and director. After graduating from Saratoga High School and UCLA, Solomon came to fame as one half of the writing duo that created the 1989 film Bill & Ted's Excellent Adventure and its sequel.Solomon was born in Saratoga, California... , based on the TV series Charlie's Angels Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men... created by Ivan Goff Ivan Goff Ivan Goff was an Australian screenwriter, best known for his collaborations with Ben Roberts including White Heat , The Man of a Thousand Faces and the pilot for Charlie's Angels .-Biography:... and Ben Roberts Ben Roberts (writer) Ben Roberts, born Benjamin Eisenberg, was a film and television writer, producer and one of the creators of the Charlie's Angels and Time Express television series'. In 1958 he was nominated for an Academy Award for writing the Lon Chaney biopic Man of a Thousand Faces... |
| 2003 | Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle Charlie's Angels: Full Throttle is a 2003 American action comedy film. It is the sequel to 2000's Charlie's Angels. It opened in the United States on June 27, 2003, and was number one at the box office for that weekend and made a worldwide total of $259.2 million.The cast again includes Cameron... |
Screenplay, story | With Cormac Wibberley & Marianne Wibberley, based on the TV series Charlie's Angels Charlie's Angels is a television series about three women who work for a private investigation agency, and is one of the first shows to showcase women in roles traditionally reserved for men... created by Ivan Goff Ivan Goff Ivan Goff was an Australian screenwriter, best known for his collaborations with Ben Roberts including White Heat , The Man of a Thousand Faces and the pilot for Charlie's Angels .-Biography:... and Ben Roberts Ben Roberts (writer) Ben Roberts, born Benjamin Eisenberg, was a film and television writer, producer and one of the creators of the Charlie's Angels and Time Express television series'. In 1958 he was nominated for an Academy Award for writing the Lon Chaney biopic Man of a Thousand Faces... |
| 2003 | Big Fish | Screenplay | Based on the novel by Daniel Wallace Daniel Wallace (author) Daniel Wallace is an American author, best known for his 1998 novel Big Fish: A Novel of Mythic Proportions, the basis for the Tim Burton film Big Fish. His other books include Ray in Reverse and The Watermelon King... ; also wrote the song "Twice the Love" |
| 2005 | Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (film) Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 2005 film adaptation of the 1964 book of the same name by Roald Dahl. The film was directed by Tim Burton. The film stars Freddie Highmore as Charlie Bucket and Johnny Depp as Willy Wonka... |
Screenplay | Based on the book Charlie and the Chocolate Factory Charlie and the Chocolate Factory is a 1964 children's book by British author Roald Dahl. The story features the adventures of young Charlie Bucket inside the chocolate factory of the eccentric chocolatier, Willy Wonka.... by Roald Dahl Roald Dahl Roald Dahl was a British novelist, short story writer, fighter pilot and screenwriter.Born in Wales to Norwegian parents, he served in the Royal Air Force during the Second World War, in which he became a flying ace and intelligence agent, rising to the rank of Wing Commander... ; also wrote the lyrics to "Wonka's Welcome Song" |
| 2005 | Corpse Bride Corpse Bride Corpse Bride, often promoted as Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, is a 2005 stop-motion-animated fantasy musical film directed by Mike Johnson and Tim Burton. It is set in a fictional Victorian era village in Europe. Johnny Depp led an all-star cast as the voice of Victor, while Helena Bonham Carter ... |
Screenplay | With Caroline Thompson Caroline Thompson Caroline Thompson is an American novelist, screenwriter, film director, and producer. She wrote the screenplays for Tim Burton's films Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Corpse Bride... and Pamela Pettler; also wrote the lyrics to "Remains of the Day", "Tears to Shed", "According to Plan" |
| 2007 | The Nines The Nines The Nines is a 2007 psychological thriller drama film, written, and directed by John August, and starring Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, Melissa McCarthy, and Elle Fanning. The film debuted at the 2007 Sundance Film Festival, and made $63,165 in the U.S... |
Written by, director | |
| 2010 | Prince of Persia: Sands of Time | Executive producer | Based on the video game franchise Prince of Persia Prince of Persia is a platform game, originally developed by Jordan Mechner and released in 1989 for the Apple II, that represented a great leap forward in the quality of animation seen in video games.... created by Jordan Mechner Jordan Mechner Jordan Mechner is an American video game designer, screenwriter, author, and filmmaker, best known for creating the Prince of Persia video game franchise.- Life and career :Mechner was born in New York City... |
| 2012 | Frankenweenie Frankenweenie (2012 film) Frankenweenie is an upcoming 3D black and white stop motion film and remake of the 1984 short film of the same name. Like the 1984 version, it is a parody of and an homage to the 1931 film Frankenstein based on Mary Shelley's book of the same name... |
Screenplay | Based on the featurette by Tim Burton Tim Burton Timothy William "Tim" Burton is an American film director, film producer, writer and artist. He is famous for dark, quirky-themed movies such as Beetlejuice, Edward Scissorhands, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Ed Wood, Sleepy Hollow, Corpse Bride and Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet... |