Jeff Nathanson

Last updated
Jeff Nathanson
Born
Jeffrey D. Nathanson

(1965-10-12) October 12, 1965 (age 59)
Alma mater University of California, Santa Barbara
AFI Conservatory
Occupations
  • Screenwriter
  • director
  • producer
Years active1993–present

Jeffrey D. Nathanson (born October 12, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for writing two films of the Rush Hour series, as well as the Steven Spielberg films Catch Me If You Can , The Terminal , and Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull .

Contents

Early life and education

Nathanson was born in Los Angeles County, California. [1] He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara as an English major from 1983 to 1985. [2] [3] While at UC Santa Barbara, he worked on the school's newspaper, the Daily Nexus , and has stated that the courses he took at UC Santa Barbara led him to want to become a screenwriter. [2] [4] He later enrolled in the screenwriting program at the AFI Conservatory for one year. [3] [5]

Career

He is best known for his work on the Rush Hour sequels Rush Hour 2 and Rush Hour 3 , Catch Me If You Can , The Terminal , and The Last Shot . He co-wrote a story draft for the film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) with George Lucas; the film was directed by Steven Spielberg. He wrote the screenplay for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), on which he also received a story by co-credit, the latter with Terry Rossio. [6] [7] He wrote the script for the 2019 live-action remake of The Lion King for Disney, directed by Jon Favreau. [8] He also wrote its 2024 prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King , directed by Barry Jenkins. [9]

On October 3, 2017, it was reported that Nathanson would be penning a script for a biographical film directed by Brett Ratner based on the life of the Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who will be portrayed by Academy Award winner Jared Leto. [10] However the film was put indefinitely on hold and was confirmed that Leto would not portray the Playboy founder following emergence of sexual harassment allegations against Ratner that November. [11]

Awards and honors

Nathanson was nominated for a Best Original Screenplay British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for his work on Catch Me If You Can. [12]

Film writer credits

YearTitleDirectorNotes
1995 For Better or Worse Jason Alexander Also executive producer
1997 Speed 2: Cruise Control Jan de Bont
2001 Rush Hour 2 Brett Ratner
2002 Catch Me If You Can Steven Spielberg
2004 The Terminal
The Last Shot Himself
2007 Rush Hour 3 Brett Ratner
2008 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Steven SpielbergStory only, co-written with George Lucas and David Koepp
New York, I Love You Brett RatnerSegment #5
2011 Tower Heist
2012 Men in Black 3 Barry Sonnenfeld uncredited [13]
2017 Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Joachim Rønning
Espen Sandberg
2019 The Lion King Jon Favreau
2023 Wonka Paul King uncredited [14]
Haunted Mansion Justin Simien
2024 Young Woman and the Sea Joachim RønningAlso producer
Mufasa: The Lion King Barry Jenkins

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hugh Hefner</span> American magazine publisher (1926–2017)

Hugh Marston Hefner was an American magazine publisher. He was the founder and editor-in-chief of Playboy magazine, a publication with revealing photographs and articles. Hefner extended the Playboy brand into a world network of Playboy Clubs. He also resided in luxury mansions where Playboy Playmates shared his wild partying life, fueling media interest.

<i>Monkey Island</i> Video game series

Monkey Island is a series of adventure games. The first four games were produced and published by LucasArts, earlier known as Lucasfilm Games. The fifth was developed by Telltale Games with LucasArts, while the sixth was developed by Terrible Toybox with Lucasfilm Games and Devolver Digital.

<i>Catch Me If You Can</i> 2002 American film by Steven Spielberg

Catch Me If You Can is a 2002 American biographical crime comedy-drama film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg and starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hanks with Christopher Walken, Martin Sheen, Nathalie Baye, Amy Adams, and James Brolin in supporting roles. The screenplay by Jeff Nathanson is based on the semi-autobiographical book of the same name by Frank Abagnale Jr., who claims that prior to his 19th birthday, he successfully performed cons worth millions of dollars by posing as a Pan American World Airways pilot, a Georgia doctor, and a Louisiana parish prosecutor. However, the truth of his story is, as of the 2020s, heavily disputed.

<i>Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl</i> 2003 film by Gore Verbinski

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl  is a 2003 American fantasy swashbuckler film directed by Gore Verbinski. Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and distributed by Walt Disney Pictures, the film is based on the Pirates of the Caribbean attraction at Disney theme parks and is the first film in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. The film stars Johnny Depp, Geoffrey Rush, Orlando Bloom, and Keira Knightley. The plot follows the pirate Jack Sparrow (Depp) and the blacksmith Will Turner (Bloom), as they attempt to rescue the kidnapped Elizabeth Swann (Knightley). The trio encounters Captain Hector Barbossa (Rush) and the crew of the Black Pearl, who are afflicted by a supernatural curse.

<i>Rush Hour</i> (1998 film) 1998 American action comedy film by Brett Ratner

Rush Hour is a 1998 American buddy cop action comedy film directed by Brett Ratner and written by Jim Kouf and Ross LaManna from a story by LaManna. It stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker as mismatched police officers who are assigned to rescue a Chinese diplomat's abducted daughter. Tom Wilkinson, Chris Penn and Elizabeth Peña play supporting roles.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rob Marshall</span> American film and theatre director and producer (born 1960)

Robert Doyle Marshall Jr. is an American film and theater director, producer, and choreographer. He is best known for directing the film version of the Broadway musical Chicago, which was based on the play of the same name by playwright Maurine Dallas Watkins. His work on the film earned him the Directors Guild of America Award for Outstanding Directing – Feature Film, as well as nominations for the Academy Award for Best Director, the Golden Globe Award for Best Director, and the BAFTA Award for Best Direction. He also directed the films Memoirs of a Geisha, Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides, Into the Woods, Mary Poppins Returns, and the Disney live-action remake The Little Mermaid.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hector Barbossa</span> Fictional character in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series

Captain Hector Barbossa is a fictional character of the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise, depicted by Geoffrey Rush and appearing in all five films in the series. Barbossa first debuted in The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003) as the captain of the Black Pearl and a cursed undead skeleton, where he dies at the end of the film. However, the character is revealed to have been resurrected and brought back from the dead by Tia Dalma by the end of Dead Man's Chest, and has since appeared in an anti-heroic role.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Koepp</span> American screenwriter (born 1963)

David Koepp is an American screenwriter and director. He is the ninth most successful screenwriter of all time in terms of U.S. box office receipts with a total gross of over $2.3 billion. Koepp has achieved both critical and commercial success in a wide variety of genres: thriller, science fiction, comedy, action, drama, crime, superhero, horror, adventure, and fantasy.

<i>After the Sunset</i> 2004 film

After the Sunset is a 2004 American heist action comedy film directed by Brett Ratner and starring Pierce Brosnan as Max Burdett, a master thief caught in a pursuit with FBI agent Stan Lloyd, played by Woody Harrelson. It was shot in the Bahamas. The film was met with negative reviews and flopped at the box office.

<i>Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Mans Chest</i> 2006 film by Gore Verbinski

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest is a 2006 American fantasy swashbuckler film directed by Gore Verbinski, written by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio, and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. The sequel to Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003), it is the second installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series. Set one year after the events of The Curse of the Black Pearl, the film recounts Captain Jack Sparrow owing a debt to Davy Jones, the ghastly captain of the Flying Dutchman, and being marked for death and pursued by the Kraken. Meanwhile, the wedding of Will Turner and Elizabeth Swann is interrupted by Lord Cutler Beckett, who wants Turner to acquire Jack's magic compass in a bid to find the Dead Man's Chest.

<i>Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull</i> 2008 film directed by Steven Spielberg

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a 2008 American action adventure film directed by Steven Spielberg from a screenplay by David Koepp, based on a story by George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson. It is the fourth installment in the Indiana Jones film series and a sequel to Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). Set in 1957, it pits Indiana Jones against Soviet KGB agents led by Irina Spalko searching for a telepathic crystal skull located in Peru. Jones is aided by his former lover, Marion Ravenwood, and their son, Mutt Williams. Ray Winstone, John Hurt, and Jim Broadbent are also part of the supporting cast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Xavier Atencio</span> American entertainer (1919–2017)

Francis Xavier Atencio, also known as X Atencio was an American animator and Imagineer for The Walt Disney Company. He is perhaps best known for writing the scripts and song lyrics of the Disney theme park attractions, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Haunted Mansion, and the Country Bear Jamboree.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Joachim Rønning</span> Norwegian filmmaker (born 1972)

Joachim Rønning is a Norwegian film director, producer, and writer best known for the Academy Award and Golden Globe nominated Kon-Tiki and the Disney action-adventure films Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales starring Johnny Depp and Maleficent: Mistress of Evil starring Angelina Jolie. Rønning's films have grossed more than 1.3 billion dollars at the box office. Rønning's most recent work is directing Disney's Young Woman and the Sea starring Daisy Ridley.

Pirates of the Caribbean is an American fantasy supernatural swashbuckler film series produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and based on Walt Disney's theme park attraction of the same name. The film series serves as a major component of the titular media franchise. Based on a fictionalized version of the Golden Age of Piracy, the films' plots are set primarily in the Caribbean.

<i>Rush Hour</i> (franchise) Film series

The Rush Hour franchise is a series of American buddy cop action comedy films created by Ross LaManna and directed by Brett Ratner with both Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker in leading roles. All three films center around a pair of police detectives, Hong Kong Chief Inspector Lee (Chan) and Los Angeles Police Detective James Carter (Tucker), who go on their series of misadventures involving corrupt crime figures in Hong Kong and Los Angeles. The films incorporate elements of martial arts, humor involving fish out of water situations and East-West culture shock, and the buddy cop subgenre. The films were released theatrically from 1998 to 2007, attaining commercial success, but critical reception was mixed.

<i>Pirate Latitudes</i> 2009 novel by Michael Crichton

Pirate Latitudes is an action adventure novel by Michael Crichton, the sixteenth novel to be published under his own name and first to be published after his death, concerning 17th-century piracy in the Caribbean. HarperCollins published the book posthumously on November 26, 2009. The story stars the fictional privateer Captain Charles Hunter who, hired by Jamaica's governor Sir James Almont, plots to raid a Spanish galleon for its treasure.

<i>Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides</i> 2011 film by Rob Marshall

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides is a 2011 American fantasy swashbuckler film directed by Rob Marshall and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, from a screenplay by Ted Elliott and Terry Rossio. The fourth installment in the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, it is a standalone sequel to At World's End (2007), and is loosely based on the 1987 novel On Stranger Tides by Tim Powers. Johnny Depp, Kevin R. McNally and Geoffrey Rush reprise their roles from the previous films, with Penélope Cruz and Ian McShane joining the cast. The story follows the eccentric pirate Captain Jack Sparrow on a quest for the Fountain of Youth after crossing paths with Angelica, a mysterious woman from his past, and being forced aboard the Queen Anne's Revenge, the ship of the legendary pirate Blackbeard.

<i>Tower Heist</i> 2011 heist comedy film directed by Brett Ratner

Tower Heist is a 2011 American heist comedy film directed by Brett Ratner, written by Ted Griffin and Jeff Nathanson, based on a story by Bill Collage, Adam Cooper and Griffin and starring Ben Stiller and Eddie Murphy with Casey Affleck, Alan Alda, Matthew Broderick, Judd Hirsch, Téa Leoni, Michael Peña, and Gabourey Sidibe in supporting roles. The plot follows employees of an exclusive apartment building who lose their pensions in the Ponzi scheme of a Wall Street businessman and enlist the aid of a criminal, a bankrupt businessman, and an immigrant maid to break into his apartment and steal back their money while avoiding the FBI agents in charge of his case. The film marked one of Heavy D's final roles before his death on November 8, 2011, four days after its theatrical release.

<i>Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales</i> 2017 film by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales is a 2017 American swashbuckler fantasy film directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer, and written by Jeff Nathanson from a story credited to both Nathanson and executive producer Terry Rossio. The fifth installment of the Pirates of the Caribbean film series, the film stars Johnny Depp, Javier Bardem, Geoffrey Rush, Brenton Thwaites, Kaya Scodelario, and Kevin McNally. The story follows Captain Jack Sparrow as he searches for the Trident of Poseidon to defeat Armando Salazar, who is determined to kill every pirate at sea and take revenge on Sparrow for imprisoning him and his crew of ghosts in the Devil's Triangle.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steven Spielberg's unrealized projects</span>

The following is a list of unproduced Steven Spielberg projects in roughly chronological order. During his long career, American film director Steven Spielberg has worked on a number of projects which never progressed beyond the pre-production stage under his direction. Some of these projects fell in "development hell" or were officially canceled, some were turned over to other production teams, and still others never made it past the speculative stage.

References

  1. "Gertrude Penner". Funeralinnovations.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  2. 1 2 Quiambao, Carissa (October 31, 2011). "Former Gaucho Unveils New Film". Daily Nexus . Santa Barbara, California . Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  3. 1 2 Neumer, Chris. "Jeff Nathanson Interview". Stumpedmagazine.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  4. Quiambao, Carissa (October 27, 2011). "Renowned Director To Visit Campus". Daily Nexus . Santa Barbara, California . Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  5. "AFI ALUMNI". Afi.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  6. Trumbore, Dave (January 11, 2013). "Disney Enlists Screenwriter Jeff Nathanson for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 5". Collider . Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  7. Kroll, Justin (January 11, 2013). "Disney hires writer for 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5'". Variety . Los Angeles . Retrieved September 1, 2015.
  8. McCabe, Adam (October 13, 2016). "Disney's Live-Action 'Lion King' hires Jeff Nathanson to pen script". Inside the Magic.
  9. Rubin, Rebecca; Lang, Brent (September 29, 2020). "'The Lion King' Follow-Up in the Works With Director Barry Jenkins". Variety. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
  10. "Jared Leto to star in Hugh Hefner biopic". BBC News. October 3, 2017.
  11. "Brett Ratner's Hugh Hefner Biopic is Dead in the Water". Screen rant. November 2, 2017.
  12. "TAKING A LOOK AT CONFIRMED PANELIST JEFF NATHANSON". Austinfilmfestival.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.[ dead link ]
  13. https://www.slashfilm.com/512251/jeff-nathanson-men-black-3d-rewritepolish-production-split/
  14. https://directories.wga.org/member/jeffreydnathanson/