Mark Verheiden
Encyclopedia
Mark Verheiden is an American television, movie, and comic book writer. He is a co-executive producer for the television series Falling Skies
for DreamWorks Television
and the TNT Network.
in its second year of operation. Starting in March of the following year, he wrote what was to be the first of many Verheiden/Dark Horse comics
based on the 20th Century Fox
film-series Aliens
, and comics based on the similarly licensed property Predator soon followed.
In January 1989, he wrote the first of several stories featuring Superman
for DC Comics
' then-weekly title Action Comics
, from #635. He has also written stories featuring popular icons like The Phantom
, and contributed to the lauded A1 anthology. This was followed by Stalkers
, a 12 issues series for Marvel Comics
' Epic Comics
imprint.
Verheiden has also contributed to scripts for the feature films The Mask
, Timecop
(he also wrote the Dark Horse comics adaptation of the film) and for the Smallville
television-show. He was also supervising, then co-executive producer for Smallville
during the first three seasons, as well as one of the writers on DC's Smallville comic, based on the series.
Verheiden was also the creator/writer and supervising producer on the ABC television series Timecop
, and consulting producer on the UPN series The Strip.
His Phantom stories featured in a 13-issue maxi-series from DC Comics
(following a 4-issue Peter David
written mini-series) and took on 'real-world issues', such as poison
ing, illegal weapon trading, racism
, and toxic dumping. The stories usually took a more psychological approach than the Lee Falk
written comic strips. Luke McDonnell was the regular artist.
Verheiden was a writer and co-executive producer on the television series Battlestar Galactica
since season two, and wrote nine episodes of the series.
In 2007, Verheiden began work on the live-action screenplay for a Teen Titans film for Warner Bros.
, as well as an adaptation of his own Ark (written for Dark Horse Presents
in the mid-1990s) with Sony Pictures.
In the mid-2000s, Dark Horse Comics
gained the Evil Dead comics licence, and from January–April 2008, Verheiden wrote the four-issue miniseries based on the Sam Raimi
movie, with art by John Bolton. Verheiden was no stranger to the Evil Dead team, having previously worked with Raimi on Time Cop, written a pilot for Rob Tapert and produced the screenplay for Bruce Campbell
's My Name is Bruce
.
In 2008, Verheiden joined the staff of Heroes
as writer and consulting producer. He wrote two episodes of the season three "Fugitives" storyline. He returned to Heroes for season four as writer and consulting producer, rejoining the staff with episode 407 and co-writing episodes 410 and 417.
In 2008, Verheiden wrote "Rebirth", the first regular-series episode of Caprica
, the prequel to Battlestar Galactica
. The episode aired in January 2010.
In 2009, DreamWorks announced Verheiden was writing Quatermain, a live action feature project.
In 2010, Verheiden joined the staff of new TNT television series Falling Skies as writer and co-executive producer.
In 2011, Verheiden was named executive producer and writer for The Dark Tower mini-series.
Falling Skies
Falling Skies is an American science fiction dramatic television series created by Robert Rodat and produced by Steven Spielberg. The series picks up six months into a world devastated by an alien invasion...
for DreamWorks Television
DreamWorks Television
DreamWorks Television is a television distribution and production company that is a division of DreamWorks SKG, a former subsidiary of Viacom-owned Paramount Pictures. The syndication rights to DreamWorks' live-action TV series were held by CBS Television Distribution until fall 2008, the successor...
and the TNT Network.
Career
Verheiden's introduction into writing comics came in June 1987, when he penned The American, which was published by Dark Horse ComicsDark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
in its second year of operation. Starting in March of the following year, he wrote what was to be the first of many Verheiden/Dark Horse comics
Aliens (comic book)
The Aliens comic books were first published by Dark Horse Comics in 1988 and set in the Alien fictional universe.Some stories often feature the company Weyland-Yutani and the United States Colonial Marines. Originally intended as a sequel to James Cameron's Aliens, the first mini-series features...
based on the 20th Century Fox
20th Century Fox
Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation — also known as 20th Century Fox, or simply 20th or Fox — is one of the six major American film studios...
film-series Aliens
Alien (franchise)
The Alien film series is a science fiction horror film franchise, focusing on Lieutenant Ellen Ripley and her battle with an extraterrestrial lifeform, commonly referred to as "the Alien"...
, and comics based on the similarly licensed property Predator soon followed.
In January 1989, he wrote the first of several stories featuring Superman
Superman
Superman is a fictional comic book superhero appearing in publications by DC Comics, widely considered to be an American cultural icon. Created by American writer Jerry Siegel and Canadian-born American artist Joe Shuster in 1932 while both were living in Cleveland, Ohio, and sold to Detective...
for DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
' then-weekly title Action Comics
Action Comics
Action Comics is an American comic book series that introduced Superman, the first major superhero character as the term is popularly defined...
, from #635. He has also written stories featuring popular icons like The Phantom
The Phantom
The Phantom is an American adventure comic strip created by Lee Falk, also creator of Mandrake the Magician. A popular feature adapted into many media, including television, film and video games, it stars a costumed crimefighter operating from the fictional African country Bengalla.The Phantom is...
, and contributed to the lauded A1 anthology. This was followed by Stalkers
Stalkers (comics)
Stalkers is a twelve issues comic book limited series created in 1990 by Jan Strnad, Mark Verheiden and Mark Texeira, and published by Marvel Comics imprint Epic Comics....
, a 12 issues series for 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...
' Epic Comics
Epic Comics
Epic Comics was a creator-owned imprint of Marvel Comics started in 1982, lasting through the mid-1990s, and being briefly revived on a small scale in the mid-2000s.- Origins :...
imprint.
Verheiden has also contributed to scripts for the feature films The Mask
The Mask
The Mask is a Dark Horse comic book series created by writer John Arcudi and artist Doug Mahnke, and based on a concept by publisher Mike Richardson. The series follows a magical mask which imbues the wearer with reality-bending powers and physical imperviousness, as well as bypassing the wearer's...
, Timecop
Timecop
Timecop is a 1994 science-fiction thriller film directed by Peter Hyams and co-written by Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden. Richardson was also executive producer...
(he also wrote the Dark Horse comics adaptation of the film) and for the Smallville
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
television-show. He was also supervising, then co-executive producer for Smallville
Smallville (TV series)
Smallville is an American television series developed by writers/producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar based on the DC Comics character Superman, originally created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The television series was initially broadcast by The WB Television Network , premiering on October...
during the first three seasons, as well as one of the writers on DC's Smallville comic, based on the series.
Verheiden was also the creator/writer and supervising producer on the ABC television series Timecop
Timecop
Timecop is a 1994 science-fiction thriller film directed by Peter Hyams and co-written by Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden. Richardson was also executive producer...
, and consulting producer on the UPN series The Strip.
His Phantom stories featured in a 13-issue maxi-series from DC Comics
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. is one of the largest and most successful companies operating in the market for American comic books and related media. It is the publishing unit of DC Entertainment a company of Warner Bros. Entertainment, which itself is owned by Time Warner...
(following a 4-issue Peter David
Peter David
Peter Allen David , often abbreviated PAD, is an American writer of comic books, novels, television, movies and video games...
written mini-series) and took on 'real-world issues', such as poison
Poison
In the context of biology, poisons are substances that can cause disturbances to organisms, usually by chemical reaction or other activity on the molecular scale, when a sufficient quantity is absorbed by an organism....
ing, illegal weapon trading, racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
, and toxic dumping. The stories usually took a more psychological approach than the Lee Falk
Lee Falk
Lee Falk, born Leon Harrison Gross , was an American writer, theater director, and producer, best known as the creator of the popular comic strip superheroes The Phantom and Mandrake the Magician, who at the height of their popularity attracted over a hundred million readers every day...
written comic strips. Luke McDonnell was the regular artist.
Verheiden was a writer and co-executive producer on the television series Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica (2004 TV series)
Battlestar Galactica is an American military science fiction television series, and part of the Battlestar Galactica franchise. The show was developed by Ronald D. Moore as a re-imagining of the 1978 Battlestar Galactica television series created by Glen A. Larson...
since season two, and wrote nine episodes of the series.
In 2007, Verheiden began work on the live-action screenplay for a Teen Titans film for Warner Bros.
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment, Inc., also known as Warner Bros. Pictures or simply Warner Bros. , is an American producer of film and television entertainment.One of the major film studios, it is a subsidiary of Time Warner, with its headquarters in Burbank,...
, as well as an adaptation of his own Ark (written for Dark Horse Presents
Dark Horse Presents
Dark Horse Presents was the first comic book published by Dark Horse Comics in 1986 and was their flagship title until its September 2000 cancellation. The second incarnation was published on MySpace, running from July 2007 until August 2010...
in the mid-1990s) with Sony Pictures.
In the mid-2000s, Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics
Dark Horse Comics is the largest independent American comic book and manga publisher.Dark Horse Comics was founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson in Milwaukie, Oregon, with the concept of establishing an ideal atmosphere for creative professionals. Richardson started out by opening his first comic book...
gained the Evil Dead comics licence, and from January–April 2008, Verheiden wrote the four-issue miniseries based on the Sam Raimi
Sam Raimi
Samuel Marshall "Sam" Raimi is an American film director, producer, actor and writer. He is best known for directing cult horror films like the Evil Dead series, Darkman and Drag Me to Hell, as well as the blockbuster Spider-Man films and the producer of the successful TV series Hercules: The...
movie, with art by John Bolton. Verheiden was no stranger to the Evil Dead team, having previously worked with Raimi on Time Cop, written a pilot for Rob Tapert and produced the screenplay for Bruce Campbell
Bruce Campbell
Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American film and television actor. As a cult movie actor, Campbell starred as Ashley J. "Ash" Williams in Sam Raimi's Evil Dead series of films and he has starred in many low-budget cult films such as Crimewave, Maniac Cop, Bubba Ho-tep, Escape From L.A. and Sundown:...
's My Name is Bruce
My Name is Bruce
My Name Is Bruce is a 2007 American comedy horror film, directed, co-produced by and starring B movie cult actor Bruce Campbell. The film was written by Mark Verheiden...
.
In 2008, Verheiden joined the staff of Heroes
Heroes (TV series)
Heroes is an American science fiction television drama series created by Tim Kring that appeared on NBC for four seasons from September 25, 2006 through February 8, 2010. The series tells the stories of ordinary people who discover superhuman abilities, and how these abilities take effect in the...
as writer and consulting producer. He wrote two episodes of the season three "Fugitives" storyline. He returned to Heroes for season four as writer and consulting producer, rejoining the staff with episode 407 and co-writing episodes 410 and 417.
In 2008, Verheiden wrote "Rebirth", the first regular-series episode of Caprica
Caprica (TV series)
Caprica is a science fiction drama television series. It is a spin-off prequel of the re-imagined Battlestar Galactica, taking place about 58 years prior to the events of Battlestar Galactica. Caprica shows how humanity first created the robotic Cylons who would later plot to destroy humans in...
, the prequel to Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica
Battlestar Galactica is an American science fiction franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica TV series in 1978, and was followed by a brief sequel TV series in 1980, a line of book adaptations, original novels, comic books, a board game, and video games...
. The episode aired in January 2010.
In 2009, DreamWorks announced Verheiden was writing Quatermain, a live action feature project.
In 2010, Verheiden joined the staff of new TNT television series Falling Skies as writer and co-executive producer.
In 2011, Verheiden was named executive producer and writer for The Dark Tower mini-series.
Selected filmography
| Year | Film | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1994 | The Mask The Mask (film) The Mask is a 1994 American superhero comedy film based on a series of comic books published by Dark Horse Comics. This film was directed by Chuck Russell, and produced by Dark Horse Entertainment and New Line Cinema, and originally released to movie theatres on July 29, 1994 through New Line... |
|
| Timecop Timecop Timecop is a 1994 science-fiction thriller film directed by Peter Hyams and co-written by Mike Richardson and Mark Verheiden. Richardson was also executive producer... |
||
| 2007 | My Name is Bruce My Name is Bruce My Name Is Bruce is a 2007 American comedy horror film, directed, co-produced by and starring B movie cult actor Bruce Campbell. The film was written by Mark Verheiden... |
|