Frank Darabont

At 65 years old, Frank Darabont has this physical status:

Career

Darabont first became involved in filmmaking by being a production assistant on films including Hell Night, The Seduction, and Trancers. It was Stephen King's story "The Woman in the Room" that he wrote and directed for his first film. This film was one of the first "Dollar Babies" and made the Academy Award semi-finalist list in 1983. Although Darabont was dissatisfied with the short's result, this effort culminated in a close relationship with King, who gave him the "handshake agreement" rights to another of his shorter works, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption from the collection Different Seasons.

Darabont released his first screenplay, Black Cat Run, in 1986, but it wasn't until a decade, as a television film with the same name. After reading his spec script written for the television series M*A*S*H, Darabont was approached by Chuck Russell (who was a producer on Hell Night and The Seduction) as an opportunity to become his writing partner.

The two began preparing for a script for a revival of the film The Blob, which they had planned to buy around to stores. That was interrupted when they were both hired to rewrite the script of A Nightmare on Elm Street 3: Dream Warriors, with Russell directing the film. Only two weeks were allowed to rewrite the script and finish it in ten days. The success of their A Nightmare on Elm Street film led them to produce the first script they had written, The Blob. Darabont was hired by a successful writer for hire and wrote The Fly II, an early draft of The Rocketeer's, as well as an unproduced sequel to Commando.

Darabont made his directorial debut with Buried Alive, a television series that aired on the USA Network in 1990, making him his first directorial debut. He continued his writing for George Lucas's television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles. He also wrote two episodes of the television series Tales from the Crypt.

Darabont honoured Stephen King's offer by writing and directing the film version of The Shawshank Redemption. Rob Reiner, who had previously adapted another King novella, The Body, as the film Stand by Me sold Darabont $2.5 million to Darabell in an effort to write and direct Shawshank. He wanted to portray Tom Cruise as Red in Andy and Harrison Ford's role. Darabont seriously considered and loved Reiner's work, but ultimately decided it was his "chance to do something really good" by filming himself.

Despite the fact that the film did not do well at the box office, audiences and commentators applauded it. Darabont's film was nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay. Following its Academy Award nominations, the film attracted new audiences and became the most rented film of 1995. Many people today regard it as one of the best films ever made.

Darabont's new directorial venture, The Green Mile, which starred Tom Hanks, was Stephen King's second Stephen King adaptation for which he wrote the screenplay. Darabont was reluctant to adapt the book as a film at first, but after reading the book, he changed his mind. Hanks and Darabont first met at an Academy Award luncheon in 1994, and the two were keen to start working on a joint venture. Stephen King imagined Hanks in the role and was delighted when Darabont mentioned his name.

Darabont received his second Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay after the film had been nominated for the Oscar for Best Picture. This was the first-grossing film based on a Stephen King book, grossing $286,801,374 worldwide before being surpassed by It's 2017 debut at $603 million, total.)

Darabont produced The Majestic, starring Jim Cary, Martin Landau, and Laurie Holden. He worked with these actors all his life. Darabont's script was written by Michael Sloane, who had been in high school. Darabont produced this film, but did not write the screenplay. Darabont wanted to direct the film because he felt it as a "love letter" to Frank Capra's work and all the other films he has adored throughout his life. The film received mixed reviews from critics and bombed at the box-office, recouping only half of its $72 million budget globally.

Darabont had intended to direct The Mist long before he directed The Shawshank Redemption, but decided against it. He didn't begin to write the screenplay for the film until 2004. The majority of the cast members had worked on the television series The Shield, as Darabont hired them after directing an episode of the film. They might be able to help the film go in a "more spirited, ragged documentary kind of direction," he said.

Darabont, alongside designers Jordu Schell, Bernie Wrightson, and film's lead makeup artist Greg Nicotero, assisted in the creation of the creatures in the film. After Darabont asked Guillermo del Toro who did the effects on his film Pan's Labyrinth, CafeFX was hired to do the film's special effects.

The film was a modest success at the box office, but critics gave it high marks. The king also praised Darabont's new ending, saying, "The ending is such a jolt—wham!" It's scary. However, people who go to see a horror film don't necessarily want to be sent out with a Pollyanna ending." When a two-disc set of the DVD was released, it contained an exclusive black-and-white preview of the film, the way Darabont had always intended it to be.

Darabont produced and executive produced the first season of The Walking Dead, an AMC series based on Robert Kirkman's comic book of the same name. Darabont recalled that he first encountered the series in 2005 in Burbank, California, where he first encountered it. When Darabont became involved, the designer, Kirkman, called it "highly flattering." Darabont "definitely cares about the original source material, and you can tell it in the way he's adapting it," he said.

Darabont's first appearance on The Walking Dead was with NBC, but it was eventually cancelled. He eventually took it to AMC, where it was determined based on the source information and Darabont's involvement. Darabont wrote and directed the pilot and was the first season's executive producer alongside Gale Anne Hurd. Jeffrey DeMunn, Laurie Holden, and Melissa McBride are among the series's regular actors who have worked with Darabont in the past. Following its launch, the pilot attracted 5.3 million viewers, making it the most watched series premiere episode of any AMC television series.

Darabont was voted showrunner in July 2011. Initial reports indicated that he was unable to adapt to a television series's schedule; however, AMC later revealed he was fired due to AMC's desire to reduce the show's budget (two times less than a budget) and his tense relationship with AMC's executives. Darabont and his Creative Artists Agency filed a lawsuit against AMC, alleging more than $280 million in unpaid earnings. AMC had negotiated with Darabont and the CAA by July 2021, promising to pay $200 million and future royal payments.

Darabont had a TNT-sponsored pilot for a new series called L.A., not too long after leaving The Walking Dead. The noir is based on a novel by author John Buntin. Darabont discovered the book at Los Angeles Airport and, after two days of reading it, decided to convert it for television. Darabont was extremely involved about the project, having always wanted to create a film noir.

Jon Bernthal, a writer who had appeared on The Walking Dead, was in the lead role on Darabont's series. Jeffrey DeMunn and Alexa Davalos were among the Darabont regulars cast members. In the fall of 2012, the series was given a full season order of six episodes, and the series's name was changed to Mob City. The series premiered in December 2013 and received mixed to critical feedback. After one season, the show was cancelled.

Darabont also had the rights to two other Stephen King stories, The Long Walk and The Monkey, neither of which he ever adapted.

Darabont was a script doctor for Steven Spielberg's Saving Private Ryan and Minority Report. He wrote an early draft of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in 2002. Although Spielberg allegedly adored it, George Lucas opposed it. Val Kilmer and Vincent D'Onofrio appear in Val Kilmer's 2002 film The Salton Sea, which also stars Val Kilmer and Vincent D'Onofrio.

Darabont and his old writing partner Chuck Russell have reunited over the years. He wrote a rewrite for Russell's film Eraser, adapted Doc Savage's 1930s pulp story, and the two were executive producers on the film Collateral.

He has also attempted to produce film adaptations of Robert R. McCammon and Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury's book Mine. Darabont also wants to make both films some day.

Shawshank was released in the same year as Darabont's Frankenstein, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, was also published. The film received mixed reviews, and Darabont called it the worst experience he's had ever written, but the film's producer, Kenneth Branagh, destroyed it "every step of the way." "You can't really judge the script based on what you saw on the screen," the actor went on to say. Every inch of the way was messed with, and it's been resurfaced. Guillermo del Toro has expressed an interest in adapting Darabont's script when he gets around to filming his own version of the Frankenstein tale, calling the proposal a "near perfect" adaptation of the original book.

He was recruited by Tom Cruise in 2004 to write Mission: Impossible III, but J. J. Abrams, the film's producer, later rewritten the script. Darabont wrote the opening for Christopher Golden's Hellboy book, Hellboy: Odder Jobs.

Cemetery Dance Publications published Darabont's Typewriter in a limited edition in 2005. The tale, which began in his twenties, appeared in Jessie Horsting's publication Midnight Graffiti.

"Chasing Ghosts" was a recurring episode of The Shield in 2007. Jeff Goldblum appeared in the pilot episode of Raines, which he also directed and executive produced.

Darabont appeared in "First Class Jerk," the Entourage episode in which he suggests Vincent Chase to star in a TV show he's executive producing on October 26, 2008. Vince is the actor in a September 12, 2009 episode, where he is now the producer of the film about Enzo Ferrari, which Vince is portraying.

According to Battlestar Galactica: The Official Companion series by Titan Books, Darabont — a huge fan of the rebooted series — was supposed to direct "Islanded in a Stream of Stars," the show's last season's penultimate episode. He was unable to attend the job, which fell to series actor (and previous helmer) Edward James Olmos due to scheduling conflicts.

Darabont had intended to direct the 2009 film Law Abiding Citizen, but the filmmakers were unable to direct it due to creative differences with the designers.

Darabont was given the Extraordinary Contribution to Filmmaking Award at the 2012 Austin Film Festival for his contribution to cinema.

He lent his voice to a longer version of the World War Z audio book in 2013. Bob Weinstein and Darabont announced in November that they were collaborating on a ten-part television series based on Darabont's 2007 film The Mist.

Darabont was hired to rewrite the script for the 2014 Godzilla revival. Darabont said he would like to bring the monster back to his roots as a "terrifying power of nature." Gareth Edwards, the film's director, said in an interview that Darabont wrote the most touching scene of the film, and that particular scene prompted cast members Bryan Cranston and Juliette Binoche to sign on to the film.

Darabont was on the shortlist for The Huntsman: Winter's War, a sequel to the fantasy film Snow White and the Huntsman, and it was announced in June 2014. Darabont would direct the film a month later, but it would not be a sequel, but not a prequel focusing on Chris Hemsworth's character Eric, the Huntsman. Darabont, on the other hand, dropped the project in January 2015, citing technological differences as the reason.

Darabont revealed in a 2021 interview with Mick Garris that he had recently written a script for a film centered on the American Civil War, based on an unproduced screenplay by filmmaker Stanley Kubrick and historian Shelby Foote that Ridley Scott was contracted to produce. Darabont believes the script is the best thing he's ever written, and he was dismayed when it was unable to find funding.

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