Jonathan Hensleigh
Encyclopedia
Jonathan Blair Hensleigh (born February 1959) is an American screenwriter and film director, working primarily in the action/adventure genre of films.
in 1981 with a degree in history. He attended the University of Virginia School of Law
, received his J.D. from Tulane University Law School
, and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1985. Before moving into writing, he worked as an attorney for several years.
. He received his first film credit in 1993's A Far Off Place
, for which he wrote an early version of the script. His next two projects were Die Hard with a Vengeance and Jumanji
, both of which were released in 1995. The Die Hard sequel was based on a spec script
Hensleigh had originally conceived as a Brandon Lee
action film before the actor's death, with the working title Simon Says. The script was considered for the fourth installment
of the Lethal Weapon
series before being picked up for Die Hard.
Hensleigh participated in writing for The Rock
, which became the subject of a dispute with the Writers Guild of America
. In this case, the spec script (by David Weisberg and Douglas Cook) was reworked by several writers, but other than the original team, Mark Rosner was the only one granted official credit by guild arbitration. The rule is that the credited writing team must contribute 50% of the final script (effectively limiting credits to the screenplay's initial authors, plus one re-write team). Despite their work on the script, neither Hensleigh nor Aaron Sorkin
was credited in the film. The director Michael Bay
wrote an open letter of protest, in which he criticized the arbitration procedure as a "sham" and a "travesty". He said Hensleigh had worked closely with him on the movie and should have received screen credit.
Hensleigh worked with Bay again on the 1998 disaster film Armageddon
, and officially received credit for the screenplay. He helped rewrite scripts for the Jerry Bruckheimer
projects, Con Air
(1997) and Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), receiving executive producer credit for those. (This credits someone whose work on the film would otherwise go unacknowledged).
Hensleigh made his debut as a director with The Punisher
in 2004, with the assistance of his wife, veteran Hollywood producer Gale Anne Hurd
. He co-wrote the script with Michael France
, based on the Marvel Comics
character The Punisher
. Working on a tight schedule and with a relatively small budget, Hensleigh made realistic, and violent action movie that would be true to the spirit of the character.
Other movie credits include
At one point, he was set to write and direct Hulk
, working on pre-production of that film for a year before pulling out. Some unrealized projects Hensleigh has worked on include a Gemini Man film and sequels to Jumanji and The Punisher. As of October 3, 2008, Hensleigh is developing the series Red Mars, which is based on the novel of the same name
for AMC.
In 2011, Hensleigh wrote and directed a film called Kill the Irishman, based on the book To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia, about the Cleveland mobster Danny Greene
who was active in the 1960 and 1970s.
Producer:
Director:
Early life
Hensleigh graduated from the University of Massachusetts AmherstUniversity of Massachusetts Amherst
The University of Massachusetts Amherst is a public research and land-grant university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States and the flagship of the University of Massachusetts system...
in 1981 with a degree in history. He attended the University of Virginia School of Law
University of Virginia School of Law
The University of Virginia School of Law was founded in Charlottesville in 1819 by Thomas Jefferson as one of the original subjects taught at his "academical village," the University of Virginia. The law school maintains an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students in its initial degree program...
, received his J.D. from Tulane University Law School
Tulane University Law School
Tulane University Law School is the law school of Tulane University. It is located on Tulane's Uptown campus in New Orleans, Louisiana. Established in 1847, it is the 12th oldest law school in the United States....
, and was admitted to the Massachusetts Bar in 1985. Before moving into writing, he worked as an attorney for several years.
Movie career
Hensleigh's start in the entertainment industry came writing episodes of the television series The Young Indiana Jones ChroniclesThe Young Indiana Jones Chronicles
The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 4, 1992, to July 24, 1993. The series explores the childhood and youth of the fictional character Indiana Jones and primarily stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Corey Carrier as the title character, with...
. He received his first film credit in 1993's A Far Off Place
A Far Off Place
A Far Off Place is a Walt Disney Pictures and Amblin Entertainment film from 1993, starring Reese Witherspoon, Ethan Randall, Jack Thompson and Maximilian Schell. The filming locations were in Namibia and Zimbabwe...
, for which he wrote an early version of the script. His next two projects were Die Hard with a Vengeance and Jumanji
Jumanji (film)
Jumanji is a 1995 American fantasy-comedy film about a supernatural board game that makes wild animals and other jungle hazards materialize upon each player's move. It was directed by Joe Johnston and is based on Chris Van Allsburg's popular 1981 picture book of the same name...
, both of which were released in 1995. The Die Hard sequel was based on a spec script
Spec script
A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or studio....
Hensleigh had originally conceived as a Brandon Lee
Brandon Lee
Brandon Bruce Lee was an American actor and martial artist. He was the son of martial arts film star Bruce Lee...
action film before the actor's death, with the working title Simon Says. The script was considered for the fourth installment
Lethal Weapon 4
Lethal Weapon 4 is a 1998 American action film directed by Richard Donner, starring Mel Gibson, Danny Glover, Joe Pesci, Rene Russo, Chris Rock and Jet Li. It is the third sequel in the Lethal Weapon series of films. -Plot:...
of the Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon
Lethal Weapon is a 1987 American buddy cop action film and the first in a series of films, all directed by Richard Donner and starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as a mismatched pair of LAPD detectives, and Gary Busey as their primary adversary...
series before being picked up for Die Hard.
Hensleigh participated in writing for The Rock
The Rock (film)
The Rock is a 1996 action film that primarily takes place on Alcatraz Island and in the San Francisco Bay area. It was directed by Michael Bay and stars Sean Connery, Nicolas Cage and Ed Harris. It was produced by Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer and released through Hollywood Pictures. The film...
, which became the subject of a dispute with the Writers Guild of America
Writers Guild of America
The Writers Guild of America is a generic term referring to the joint efforts of two different US labor unions:* The Writers Guild of America, East , representing TV and film writers East of the Mississippi....
. In this case, the spec script (by David Weisberg and Douglas Cook) was reworked by several writers, but other than the original team, Mark Rosner was the only one granted official credit by guild arbitration. The rule is that the credited writing team must contribute 50% of the final script (effectively limiting credits to the screenplay's initial authors, plus one re-write team). Despite their work on the script, neither Hensleigh nor Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Benjamin Sorkin is an Academy and Emmy award winning American screenwriter, producer, and playwright, whose works include A Few Good Men, The American President, The West Wing, Sports Night, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Social Network, and Moneyball.After graduating from Syracuse...
was credited in the film. The director Michael Bay
Michael Bay
Michael Benjamin Bay is an American film director and producer. He is known for directing high-budget action films characterized by their fast edits, stylistic visuals and substantial practical special effects...
wrote an open letter of protest, in which he criticized the arbitration procedure as a "sham" and a "travesty". He said Hensleigh had worked closely with him on the movie and should have received screen credit.
Hensleigh worked with Bay again on the 1998 disaster film Armageddon
Armageddon (film)
Armageddon is a 1998 American disaster film, directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and released by Disney's Touchstone Pictures. The film follows a group of blue-collar deep-core drillers sent by NASA to stop a gigantic asteroid on a collision course with Earth...
, and officially received credit for the screenplay. He helped rewrite scripts for the Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerry Bruckheimer
Jerome Leon "Jerry" Bruckheimer is an American film and television producer. He has achieved great success in the genres of action, drama, and science fiction. His best known television series are CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, CSI: Miami, CSI: NY, Eleventh Hour, Without a Trace, Cold Case, The...
projects, Con Air
Con Air
Con Air is an Academy Award–nominated 1997 American action-thriller film directed by Simon West and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich...
(1997) and Gone in 60 Seconds (2000), receiving executive producer credit for those. (This credits someone whose work on the film would otherwise go unacknowledged).
Hensleigh made his debut as a director with The Punisher
The Punisher (2004 film)
The Punisher is a 2004 American comic book action film, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, starring Thomas Jane as the antihero Frank Castle / The Punisher and John Travolta as the villain Howard Saint, a money launderer who orders the death of Castle's entire family...
in 2004, with the assistance of his wife, veteran Hollywood producer Gale Anne Hurd
Gale Anne Hurd
Gale Anne Hurd is an American film producer and screenwriter.-Early life:Hurd was born in Los Angeles, California, the daughter of Lolita and Frank E. Hurd, an investor. She grew up in Palm Springs, California and graduated from Stanford University with a B.A...
. He co-wrote the script with Michael France
Michael France
Michael France is a film screenwriter. He has written screenplays for the action films Cliffhanger , the James Bond film GoldenEye , and the popular comic book films Hulk , The Punisher and Fantastic Four .-Life:He attended the University of Florida in the early 1980s, working as a projectionist...
, based on the Marvel Comics
Marvel Comics
Marvel Worldwide, Inc., commonly referred to as Marvel Comics and formerly Marvel Publishing, Inc. and Marvel Comics Group, is an American company that publishes comic books and related media...
character The Punisher
Punisher
The Punisher is a fictional character, an anti-hero appearing in comic books based in the . Created by writer Gerry Conway and artists John Romita, Sr., and Ross Andru, the character made its first appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man #129 .The Punisher is a vigilante who employs murder,...
. Working on a tight schedule and with a relatively small budget, Hensleigh made realistic, and violent action movie that would be true to the spirit of the character.
Other movie credits include
- The SaintThe Saint (film)The Saint is a 1997 film based on the character of Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in 1928 for a series of books published as "The Saint." The film stars Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue and Rade Šerbedžija...
(1997 screenplay, co-written with Wesley Strick), - Next (2007 screenplay), and
- Welcome to the Jungle, a DVD film he released in 2007 as writer/director.
At one point, he was set to write and direct Hulk
Hulk (film)
Hulk is a 2003 American superhero film based on the fictional Marvel Comics character of the same name. Ang Lee directed the film, which stars Eric Bana as Dr. Bruce Banner, as well as Jennifer Connelly, Sam Elliott, Josh Lucas, and Nick Nolte...
, working on pre-production of that film for a year before pulling out. Some unrealized projects Hensleigh has worked on include a Gemini Man film and sequels to Jumanji and The Punisher. As of October 3, 2008, Hensleigh is developing the series Red Mars, which is based on the novel of the same name
Mars trilogy
The Mars trilogy is a series of award-winning science fiction novels by Kim Stanley Robinson that chronicles the settlement and terraforming of the planet Mars through the intensely personal and detailed viewpoints of a wide variety of characters spanning almost two centuries...
for AMC.
In 2011, Hensleigh wrote and directed a film called Kill the Irishman, based on the book To Kill the Irishman: The War That Crippled the Mafia, about the Cleveland mobster Danny Greene
Danny Greene
Daniel "Danny" J. Patrick Greene was an Irish American mobster and associate of Cleveland mobster John Nardi during the gang war for the city's criminal operations during the 1970s. Competing gangsters set off more than 35 bombs, most attached to cars in murder attempts, many successful...
who was active in the 1960 and 1970s.
Filmography
Writer:- The Young Indiana Jones ChroniclesThe Young Indiana Jones ChroniclesThe Young Indiana Jones Chronicles is an American television series that aired on ABC from March 4, 1992, to July 24, 1993. The series explores the childhood and youth of the fictional character Indiana Jones and primarily stars Sean Patrick Flanery and Corey Carrier as the title character, with...
(1992) - A Far Off PlaceA Far Off PlaceA Far Off Place is a Walt Disney Pictures and Amblin Entertainment film from 1993, starring Reese Witherspoon, Ethan Randall, Jack Thompson and Maximilian Schell. The filming locations were in Namibia and Zimbabwe...
(1993) (screenplay) - JumanjiJumanji (film)Jumanji is a 1995 American fantasy-comedy film about a supernatural board game that makes wild animals and other jungle hazards materialize upon each player's move. It was directed by Joe Johnston and is based on Chris Van Allsburg's popular 1981 picture book of the same name...
(1995) (screenplay) - Die Hard with a Vengeance (1995) (written by)
- The SaintThe Saint (film)The Saint is a 1997 film based on the character of Simon Templar created by Leslie Charteris in 1928 for a series of books published as "The Saint." The film stars Val Kilmer, Elisabeth Shue and Rade Šerbedžija...
(1997) (screenplay & story) - ArmageddonArmageddon (film)Armageddon is a 1998 American disaster film, directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and released by Disney's Touchstone Pictures. The film follows a group of blue-collar deep-core drillers sent by NASA to stop a gigantic asteroid on a collision course with Earth...
(1998) (screenplay & story) - The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Masks of Evil (1999) (V) (writer)
- The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: The Trenches of Hell (1999) (V) (writer)
- The PunisherThe Punisher (2004 film)The Punisher is a 2004 American comic book action film, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, starring Thomas Jane as the antihero Frank Castle / The Punisher and John Travolta as the villain Howard Saint, a money launderer who orders the death of Castle's entire family...
(2004) (written by) - The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Demons of Deception (2007) (V) ("Verdun" segment)
- The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Journey of Radiance (2007) (V) (screenplay "Benares")
- Welcome to the Jungle (2007) (written by)
- Next (2007) (screenplay)
- Kill the Irishman (2011) (screenplay)
Producer:
- Con AirCon AirCon Air is an Academy Award–nominated 1997 American action-thriller film directed by Simon West and produced by Jerry Bruckheimer. It stars Nicolas Cage, John Cusack and John Malkovich...
(1997) (executive producer) - ArmageddonArmageddon (film)Armageddon is a 1998 American disaster film, directed by Michael Bay, produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and released by Disney's Touchstone Pictures. The film follows a group of blue-collar deep-core drillers sent by NASA to stop a gigantic asteroid on a collision course with Earth...
(1998) (executive producer) - Gone in 60 Seconds (2000) (executive producer)
Director:
- The PunisherThe Punisher (2004 film)The Punisher is a 2004 American comic book action film, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name, starring Thomas Jane as the antihero Frank Castle / The Punisher and John Travolta as the villain Howard Saint, a money launderer who orders the death of Castle's entire family...
(2004) - Welcome to the Jungle (2007)
- Kill the Irishman (2011)