Paul De Meo
Paul De Meo | |
|---|---|
| Born | Paul James De Meo June 4, 1953 |
| Died | February 26, 2018(aged 64) |
| Alma mater | California State University, San Bernardino |
| Occupation(s) | Screenwriter,producer |
| Known for | |
Paul James De Meo(June 4, 1953 – February 26, 2018[1]) was an American screenwriter and producer for film, television and video games. He frequently worked withDanny Bilson.Together, they wroteEliminators(1986),The Rocketeer(1991), the video gameJames Bond 007: Everything or Nothing(2003), the television seriesViper(1994, 1996),The Sentinel(1996), and both thetelevisionand comic book series ofThe Flash(1990).Da 5 Bloods(2020), based on a screenplay written by De Meo and Bilson, was released posthumously. He wrote two comics based on theRed Factionseries:ArmegeddonandRed Faction: Guerrilla: A Fire On Marsproduced byWildstorm Comics.[2]
Career
[edit]De Meo graduated fromCalifornia State University, San Bernardino.There he met and teamed up with long-time writing partner Bilson, and together they formed Pet Fly Productions.
Bilson and DeMeo produced their first script,Trancers(1985), anoirtale about atime-travellingdetective from the future.Five sequelswere made. After, they did two comedies,Zone Troopers(1985) andThe Wrong Guys(1988). Next, they undertook the adaptation ofThe Rocketeerin 1985. Writing forDisney,the partners were hired and fired several times during the five years of movie development.
CreatorDave Stevensliked that "their ideas forThe Rocketeerwere heartfelt and affectionate tributes to the 1930s serials with all the right dialogue and atmosphere. Most people would approach my characters contemporarily, but Danny and Paul saw them as pre-war mugs. "[3]that same year, the trio approachedWilliam Dearto direct/co-writeThe Rocketeer,and they eventually dropped the low-budget idea.[4]Bilson, De Meo, and Dear kept the comic book's basic plot intact, but fleshed it out to include a Hollywood setting and a climactic battle against a Nazi Zeppelin.[3]They also tweaked Cliff's girlfriend to avoid comparisons toBettie Page(Stevens' original inspiration), changing her name from Betty to Jenny and her profession from nude model to Hollywood extra (a change also made to make the film more family friendly).[4][3]The two had a rough executive experience, in which scenes were deleted only to be restored years later.[3]The film finally made it to theaters in 1991, where it underperformed at the box office but developed a cult following.
DeMeo would spend the rest of the 1990s working in television, creating programmes likeHuman Target,and would transition into video games in the 2000s, working on several James Bond games. He later wrote both the film adaptation and video game sequel toCompany of Heroes.
The FlashandRed Menace
[edit]Bilson and De Meo returned to writing comics, co-writingThe Flash: The Fastest Man AliveforDC Comicsin 2006. They also wrote a mini-series forWildstorm ComicsnamedRed Menacewith actorAdam Brody(who was dating Bilson's daughterRachel Bilsonat the time).
Death
[edit]De Meo died on February 26, 2018. Bilson was the first to report it on Twitter.[5]His last screenplay, the Vietnam War dramaDa 5 Bloods,was made into a film, posthumously, in 2020 bySpike Leeand released byNetflix.
Following DeMeo's passing, Danny Bilson would interview with Paul's nephew,Rick Glassman,on the podcast Take Your Shoes Off. He discussed Paul's death, shared personal stories, and talked about the screenplay developed during Paul's illness forSpike Lee's film,Da 5 Bloods.[6]
In 2021, Danny Bilson discussed his career working with De Meo onThe Ghost of Hollywood.[7][8]
Writing credits
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Trancers | |
| Zone Troopers | ||
| 1986 | Eliminators | |
| 1987 | Kung Fu: The Next Generation | TV series |
| 1988 | Pulse Pounders | |
| The Wrong Guys | ||
| 1989 | Arena | |
| 1990-1991 | The Flash | TV series |
| 1991 | The Rocketeer | |
| 1992 | Human Target | TV series |
| 1996-1997 | The Sentinel | TV series |
| 1996-1999 | Viper | TV series |
| 2003 | Medal of Honor: Rising Sun | Video game |
| James Bond 007: Everything or Nothing | Video game | |
| 2004 | GoldenEye: Rogue Agent | Video game |
| 2011 | Red Faction: Origins | Video game |
| 2013 | Company of Heroes | |
| Metro: Last Light | Video game | |
| Company of Heroes 2 | Video game | |
| 2020 | Da 5 Bloods | Posthumous release |
Award nominations
[edit]- The Rocketeernominated for Best Dramatic Presentation,Hugo Awards 1991.
- Rocketeer Adventure MagazineNo. 1 nominated for Best Story or Single Issue,1989 Harvey Award Nominees and Winnersat theWayback Machine(archived March 11, 2007).
References
[edit]- ^"Paul James de Meo Obituary (1953 - 2018) Los Angeles Times".Legacy.com.
- ^Lee, Aaron (11 February 2011)."Wildstorm".aaronlee.co.uk.Retrieved9 November2013.
- ^abcdTom K Ranheim (1991-08-01)."Cinefantastique - The Authorized Dave Stevens Web Site".Davestevens.com.Retrieved2015-12-31.
- ^abStevens, Dave; Cooke, Jon B. (November 2001)."Of Hollywood & Heroes".Comic Book Artist Magazine.No. 15. Transcribed by Gafford, Sam. TwoMorrows Publishing.Retrieved2015-12-31.
- ^Byrne, Craig (26 February 2018)."Original Flash TV Series Co-Creator Paul DeMeo Has Passed".Flash TV News.Retrieved27 February2018.
- ^"Danny Bilson (The Balcony Series) from Take Your Shoes Off w/ Rick Glassman | Podcast Episode on Podbay".Podbay.Retrieved2021-11-18.
- ^"Episode Ten".KBOO.2021-04-24.Retrieved2021-11-18.
- ^"Season One".The Ghost of Hollywood.Retrieved2021-11-18.
External links
[edit]- Paul De MeoatIMDb
- Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo interview by DVD Verdict
- Danny Bilson and Paul DeMeo interview by SciFi Channelat theWayback Machine(archived October 17, 2006)
- Facebook - Pet Fly Productions
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