Wikipedia

Dan Gilroy

This article is about the screenwriter. For the former frontman of The Breakfast Club, seeDan Gilroy (musician).

Daniel Christopher Gilroy[1](born June 24, 1959) is an American screenwriter and film director. He is best known for writing and directingNightcrawler(2014), for which he won Best Screenplay at the30th Independent Spirit Awards,and was nominated forBest Original Screenplayat the87th Academy Awards.His other screenwriting credits includeFreejack(1992),Two for the Money(2005),The Fall(2006),Real Steel(2011), andThe Bourne Legacy(2012)—the last in collaboration with his brotherTony Gilroy.His wife,Rene Russo,has also been his frequent collaborator since the two met in 1992 and married later that year.[a]

Dan Gilroy
Gilroy atFantastic Fest2014
Born
Daniel Christopher Gilroy

(1959-06-24)June 24, 1959(age 65)
Santa Monica, California,U.S.
Alma materDartmouth College(BA)
Occupation(s)Screenwriter, film director
Years active1992–present
Spouse
​
(m.1992)​
Children1
Parents
RelativesTony Gilroy(brother)
John Gilroy(twin brother)

Early life and education

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Dan Gilroy was born on June 24, 1959, inSanta Monica, California.[6][7]He is the son ofPulitzer Prize-winning playwrightFrank D. Gilroy,[8][9]and sculptor and writer Ruth Dorothy Gaydos.[7]His brother,Tony,is a screenwriter and director, and his fraternal twin brother,John,is a film editor.[7][10]Dan Gilroy remembered that as a boy, seeing his father work and write at home full-time simplified the intricacies of becoming a writer.[11]

Gilroy grew up inWashingtonville, New York,[7]where he attendedWashingtonville High School.[12]In 1981, he graduated with a degree in English literature fromDartmouth College,[10]which his father also attended.[8]At Dartmouth, he andBoston Globefilm criticTy Burrwere classmates and attended a class taught byDavid Thomson,another film critic. Gilroy developed a strong interest in written works of theVictorian era—chiefly those ofCharles Dickens,Anthony Trollope,andGeorge Eliot.[11]

Career

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Gilroy's debut novel, a thriller titledSight Unseen,was published byCarroll & Graf Publishersin 1989. It tells the story of anNSAsatellite analyst who discovers a sunken Russian submarine off the coast of California containing the remains of American sailors.[13]Reviewing forThe New York Times,Newgate Callendarcalled the novel "a clever, smoothly written piece of work that is never dull."[14][15]

Gilroy began his screenwriting career by co-writing the science fiction thrillerFreejack(1992) withSteven PressfieldandRonald Shusett,directed byGeoff Murphyand based on the novelImmortality, Inc.byRobert Sheckley.[2][11]There, he met the film's co-starRene Russo,whom he married later that year.[11]AfterFreejack,he wrote for the filmsChasers(1994),Two for the Money(2005), andThe Fall(2006).[16]In his positive review ofTwo for the Money,Roger Ebertof theChicago Sun-Timessaid Gilroy's script "is about three people who are transformed in relation to one another, as a situation develops that is equally dangerous all the way around".[3]

WithJeremy Leven,he co-wrote forReal Steel(2011), directed byShawn Levyand based onRichard Matheson's short story "Steel".[17]He co-wrote with his brother Tony Gilroy the script forThe Bourne Legacy(2012), which was edited by his fraternal twin brother,John Gilroy.[11]Directed by Tony Gilroy, the film is inspired byRobert Ludlum'sJason Bournenovel series.[18]Manohla DargisofThe New York Timesdescribed the Gilroys' script as something that "has given [Tony] much more to wrangle—locations, characters, hardware, franchise expectations—than he's had to deal with in the past",[19]whileToronto Starreviewer Peter Howell said it resorted "too much into jabbering and jargon and not enough into action".[20]

Gilroy made hisdirectorial debutwith the thrillerNightcrawler(2014),[21]which starredJake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo, andRiz Ahmed.[4]Gilroy also wrote the script, which he conceived in 1988 after reading the photo-bookNaked City,a collection of photographs taken by American photographerWeegeeof 1940sNew York Cityresidents at night.[22]Gilroy did not begin writing the script until he moved to Los Angeles two years later, when he recognized an abundance of violent stories on television news. According to Gilroy, he considers the film to be a success story about a modern equivalent of Weegee, and a cautionary tale about the risks posed by capitalism.[11]Nightcrawlerwas well received by the press on release, as was Gilroy's script,[23]for which he was nominated forBest Original Screenplayat the87th Academy Awards,[24]and won Best Screenplay at the30th Independent Spirit Awards.[25]At the Independent Spirit Awards, Gilroy closed his acceptance speech by lamenting the proliferation ofsuperhero filmsin Hollywood.[26]

In 2017, he co-wroteJordan Vogt-Roberts's adventureKong: Skull IslandwithMax BorensteinandDerek Connolly,[27]and wrote and directedRoman J. Israel, Esq.,a legal drama starringDenzel Washington.[28][29]Gilroy conceived ofRoman J. Israelafter doing extensive research about the 1960s where many Americans have staunchly protested and advocated certain individual and group rights.[30]The script had started as aspec,whose title role he wrote specifically for Washington; Gilroy has said that he would not have made the film had Washington declined to take over the role.[31]After its premiere at theToronto International Film Festival(TIFF), he re-edited the film by trimming thirteen minutes of runtime to get the plot to arrive quickly as the previous cut had laid much emphasis on the characters.[32]On release, although Washington's performance was mostly praised,[36]Gilroy's script for the film drew ambivalent responses from the press:Peter TraversatRolling Stonepraised it as "above standard-issue legal thriller but below the transcendent personal drama it aspires to be",[33]whileEntertainment Weekly's Chris Nashawaty felt it was ultimately a letdown.[35]

Other projects

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Gilroy was hired byTim Burtonto re-writeWesley Strick'sSuperman Livesscript, making it more budget conscious and expanding the psychology for the final shooting drafts before it was cancelled by WB. Gilroy later appeared in the documentaryThe Death of "Superman Lives": What Happened?(2015) to recount his contribution to the project.[37]In 2011, he was due to write a film adaptation of the comic strip adventureThe Annihilator.[38]

Personal life

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Gilroy resides inLos Angeleswith actressRene Russo,to whom he has been married since 1992.[11]The couple has a daughter, Rose.[39]

Filmography

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Film

Year Title Director Writer Notes Ref.
1992 Freejack No Yes [2]
1994 Chasers No Yes [40]
2005 Two for the Money No Yes Also executive producer [41]
2006 The Fall No Yes [42]
2011 Real Steel No Story [17]
2012 The Bourne Legacy No Yes [18]
2014 Nightcrawler Yes Yes Directorial debut [21]
2017 Kong: Skull Island No Yes [27]
Roman J. Israel, Esq. Yes Yes Formerly titledInner City [29]
2019 Velvet Buzzsaw Yes Yes [43]

Producer

TV writer

Year Title Notes
2007 City of Light 6 episodes
2022—present Andor 3 episodes

Notes

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  1. ^Rene Russo appeared inFreejack,Two for the Money,Nightcrawler,andVelvet Buzzsaw—all films that Gilroy has written.[2][3][4][5]

References

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  1. ^Umland, Samuel J. (2015).The Tim Burton Encyclopedia.United States:Rowman & Littlefield.p. 124.ISBN978-0-8108-9200-2.
  2. ^abcMaslin, Janet (January 18, 1992)."Review/Film; Scurrying Back in Time In Search of a Healthy Body".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on July 1, 2017.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  3. ^abEbert, Roger (October 6, 2005)."Two for the MoneyReview (2005) ".RogerEbert.com.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2017.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  4. ^abScott, A. O.(October 30, 2014)."The First Responder Is a Cameraman,NightcrawlerStars Jake Gyllenhaal as an Obsessive ".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on February 24, 2015.
  5. ^Davids, Brian (February 1, 2019)."Netflix Gave 'Velvet Buzzsaw' Filmmaker Dan Gilroy the Budget No Studio Would".The Hollywood Reporter.RetrievedNovember 18,2019.
  6. ^"Dan Gilroy".Hollywood.com.February 23, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on March 14, 2017.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  7. ^abcdKennedy, Lisa (March 22, 2009)."Tony Gilroy writes himself perfect role: intrepid filmmaker".The Denver Post.Archivedfrom the original on November 12, 2014.RetrievedNovember 12,2014.
  8. ^abStedman, Alex (September 13, 2015)."Frank Gilroy, Pulitzer-WinningSubject Was RosesScribe, Dies at 89 ".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on June 28, 2017.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  9. ^"Frank D Gilroy, Pulitzer prize-winning playwright, dies aged 89".Associated Press.September 14, 2015.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2017.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  10. ^abWagner, Pamela Mason."Director's Cut".Dartmouth Alumni Magazine.No. March–April 2015.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2017.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  11. ^abcdefgSragow, Michael (February 10, 2015)."Interview: Dan Gilroy".Film Comment.ISSN0015-119X.Archivedfrom the original on October 28, 2017.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  12. ^Farlekas, Chris (October 7, 2005)."Lots of local affiliation to major Hollywood films".Times Herald-Record.Archivedfrom the original on November 12, 2014.RetrievedNovember 12,2014.
  13. ^"Sight Unseen".Publishers Weekly.RetrievedNovember 20,2023.
  14. ^Callendar, Newgate(June 16, 1989)."Spies & Thrillers".The New York Times.RetrievedNovember 20,2023.
  15. ^"Dartmouth Authors".Dartmouth Alumni Magazine.September 1, 1989.RetrievedNovember 20,2023.
  16. ^Goldstein, Gregg (January 2, 2015)."10 Directors to Watch: Dan Gilroy Dissects L.A. inNightcrawler,Next Project ".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on June 28, 2017.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  17. ^abHolden, Stephen (October 6, 2011)."Bare-Knuckle Bots, Showing Their Mettle in the Boxing Ring".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on May 4, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  18. ^abDebruge, Peter (August 6, 2012)."The Bourne Legacy".Variety.Archivedfrom the original on June 27, 2017.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  19. ^Dargis, Manohla (August 9, 2012)."Bourne, Under New Management".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on March 26, 2017.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  20. ^Howell, Peter (August 9, 2012)."The Bourne Legacy review: Thrill killer".Toronto Star.Archivedfrom the original on December 15, 2013.RetrievedNovember 10,2017.
  21. ^ab"If You Don't Read this Interview withNightcrawlerDirector Dan Gilroy, Something Terrible Will Happen to You! ".Yahoo! Movies.October 31, 2014.Archivedfrom the original on November 10, 2017.RetrievedNovember 10,2017.
  22. ^Friend, Tad (November 10, 2014)."Rembrandt Lighting".The New Yorker.Archivedfrom the original on August 21, 2016.RetrievedJuly 28,2016.
  23. ^Labrecque, Jeff (October 31, 2014)."'Nightcrawler': The reviews are in... "Entertainment Weekly.Archivedfrom the original on August 24, 2017.RetrievedAugust 24,2017.
  24. ^Han, Angie (January 15, 2015)."2015 Academy Awards Nominations"./Film.Archivedfrom the original on October 27, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 17,2016.
  25. ^Rich, Katey (February 21, 2015)."Complete List of Film Independent Spirit Award Winners".Vanity Fair.Archivedfrom the original on April 12, 2016.RetrievedSeptember 18,2016.
  26. ^"Dan Gilroy on the" Tsunami of Superhero Movies "at the Independent Spirit Awards".The Hollywood Reporter.February 21, 2015. Event occurs at 0:13.Archivedfrom the original on April 8, 2015.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  27. ^abDargis, Manohla (March 9, 2017)."Review:Kong: Skull IslandCrosses a 1933 Classic WithApocalypse Now".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on August 27, 2017.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  28. ^"Denzel Washington Circling Dan Gilroy's Legal DramaInner City(EXCLUSIVE) ".Archivedfrom the original on September 16, 2017.
  29. ^abBorys, Kit (June 22, 2017)."Sony's Denzel Washington Legal Drama Gets Title (Exclusive)".The Hollywood Reporter.Archivedfrom the original on September 15, 2017.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  30. ^Mokry, Natalie (November 14, 2017)."A Conversation with Dan Gilroy".Film School Rejects.Archivedfrom the original on December 1, 2017.RetrievedDecember 1,2017.
  31. ^Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 20, 2017)."Dan Gilroy Encouraged Denzel Washington To Change Lanes ForRoman J. Israel Esq".Deadline Hollywood.Archivedfrom the original on November 30, 2017.RetrievedDecember 1,2017.
  32. ^Cook, Tommy (November 23, 2017)."Dan Gilroy onRoman J. Israel Esq.,Re-Editing the Film After TIFF, and More ".Collider.Archivedfrom the original on December 1, 2017.RetrievedDecember 1,2017.
  33. ^abTravers, Peter (November 16, 2017)."Roman J. Israel, EsqReview: 'Great' Denzel Washington Breaks New Ground ".Rolling Stone.Archivedfrom the original on December 1, 2017.RetrievedDecember 1,2017.
  34. ^Kenigsberg, Ben (November 16, 2017)."Review: In 'Roman J. Israel, Esq.,' Denzel Washington as a Lawyer Out of His Element".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on December 1, 2017.RetrievedDecember 1,2017.
  35. ^abNashawaty, Chris (November 17, 2017)."Denzel Washington is great in the less-great Roman J. Israel, Esq.: EW review".Entertainment Weekly.Archivedfrom the original on November 26, 2017.RetrievedDecember 1,2017.
  36. ^[33][34][35]
  37. ^Collis, Clark (July 1, 2015)."The Death of 'Superman Lives': What Happened?: What really killed the '90s superhero project?".Entertainment Weekly.Archivedfrom the original on July 4, 2015.
  38. ^Taylor, Drew (December 7, 2011)."Real SteelWriter Dan Gilroy To Pen Asian-Themed SuperheroThe AnnihilatorFor Stan Lee ".IndieWire.Archivedfrom the original on November 9, 2017.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  39. ^Okwodu, Janelle (July 20, 2016)."Will Rene Russo's Daughter Be Fashion's New Favorite Face?".Vogue.Archivedfrom the original on March 13, 2017.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  40. ^Maslin, Janet (April 23, 1994)."Review/Film; Digression And Color Are All of It For Hopper".The New York Times.Archivedfrom the original on August 19, 2016.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  41. ^Schoell, William (April 13, 2016).Al Pacino: In Films and on Stage(2nd ed.). United States:McFarland & Company.p. 141.ISBN978-0-7864-7196-6.
  42. ^Ebert, Roger (May 29, 2008)."The FallReview and Film Summary (2006) ".RogerEbert.com.Archivedfrom the original on November 8, 2017.RetrievedNovember 8,2017.
  43. ^Fleming, Mike Jr. (June 20, 2017)."Hot Package: 'Nightcrawler's Dan Gilroy, Jake Gyllenhaal, Rene Russo Reteam".Deadline Hollywood.RetrievedMarch 12,2018.
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