David Peoples

David Webb Peoples (born February 9, 1940) is an American screenwriter who wrote Blade Runner (1982), Unforgiven (1992), and 12 Monkeys (1995). He has been nominated for Oscar, Golden Globe, and BAFTA awards. He won the best screenplay awards from the L.A. Film Critics (1991) and National Society of Film Critics (1992) for Unforgiven.

This article is about the screenwriter. For the golfer, see David Peoples (golfer).
David Peoples
Born
David Webb Peoples

February 9, 1940 (1940-02-09) (age 83)
Middletown, Connecticut, United States
OccupationScreenwriter
SpouseJanet Beebe Peoples[1]

Early life

Peoples was born in Middletown, Connecticut, the son of Ruth Clara (née Levinger) and Joe Webb Peoples, a geologist.[2][3][4] He studied English at the University of California, Berkeley.

Career

Peoples worked as a film editor in the 1970s while writing screenplays[5] but his writing career took off after he was hired as co-writer on Blade Runner after director Ridley Scott and screenwriter Hampton Fancher parted ways. Following the success of Blade Runner, Peoples worked on Ladyhawke (1985) and Leviathan (1989).[5]

During the 1980s, Peoples wrote a script based on DC Comics' Sgt. Rock series. Arnold Schwarzenegger was picked to play the title role; the project was revived three decades later in 2010 involving Joel Silver and Easy Company, although with the expectation to set the narrative in a place other than the battlefields of World War II to distinguish the project from the earlier script.[6]

Other Peoples screenplays were purchased during the 1980s, many after studio development prior to production: Unforgiven, Soldier, and The Blood of Heroes. The Blood of Heroes was directed by Peoples, and starred Rutger Hauer.[7]

Peoples received his greatest recognition for Unforgiven (1992). He had originally written the script in 1976, then entitled The William Munny Killings.[5] Peoples' screwball comedy Hero was filmed and released in 1992, the same year as Unforgiven.

Later in 1992, Peoples worked with his wife Janet Peoples on 12 Monkeys (1995), a science fiction fable about time travel inspired by Chris Marker's experimental short film La Jetée.

In 1998, Soldier was filmed by British director Paul W. S. Anderson, although it was re-written by Anderson.[8]

Filmography

As of February 2015, Peoples has thirteen writing credits (ten for original screenplays, two for stories, and one for source material), as well as five credits for editing, and three credits for directing.[9]

Awards

Peoples' highest accolades are for Unforgiven. It received Oscar, Golden Globe and British Academy nominations, and won L.A. Film Critics (1991) and National Society of Film Critics (1992) awards for best screenplay. Peoples was presented with the Distinguished Screenwriter Award at the 2010 Austin Film Festival.[10]

Further reading
  • Dutka, Elaine (October 5, 1992). "Q&A With David Webb Peoples: A Reluctant Hollywood Hero". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 19 December 2016.

References
  1. Courant Staff [ (March 23, 2000). "Obiturary: Joe Webb Peoples". Hartford Courant. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  2. Weinraub, Bernard (October 6, 1992). "A Screenwriter Whose Life's Script Stars Privacy". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  3. NYT Staff (April 4, 2000). "Obituary: Joe Webb Peoples, 92, Student of Dinosaurs". The New York Times. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  4. NYT Staff (September 10, 1937). "Wedding announcement: Ruth Levinger Married; Maplewood Girl Wed at Club to Prof. Joe W. Peoples". The New York Times: 21. Retrieved 19 December 2016.
  5. Snider, Eric D. (August 29, 2015). "12 Dusty Facts About 'Unforgiven'". Mental Floss. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  6. Boucher, Geoff (February 1, 2010). "'Sgt. Rock' Reloads as Movie Project—But Not as a WWII Story". Hero Complex. Los Angeles, CA: Los Angeles Times. Retrieved December 19, 2016.
  7. Canby, Vincent (23 February 1990). "Review/Film; Clashing Gladiators in the Bloody Sport of a Future Dark Age". The New York Times.
  8. Brew, Simon (2020-03-24). "Soldier: Kurt Russell, a major injury, and an ornamental cabbage". Film Stories. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
  9. Hollywood.com Staff (February 4, 2015). "David Peoples—Biography and Filmography". Hollywood.com. Retrieved December 25, 2016.
  10. "2010 Winners". Austin Film Festival. 2010-11-01. Retrieved 2021-02-02.
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