Ross LaManna
Encyclopedia
Ross LaManna is an American screenwriter and author. He is best known for creating the Rush Hour
series starring Jackie Chan
and Chris Tucker
.
His first novel, Acid Test, was published in the U.S. and Canada by Ballantine Books. The geopolitical thriller was chosen as an Amazon.com "Penzler Pick" and as The Mysterious Bookshop's selection for “Best First Fiction.” It was released in several foreign territories and as an audiobook.
He attended the University of Southern California
in Los Angeles, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Screenwriting, and also holds a Master of Arts from Arizona State University
in Dramatic Writing.
He began in the entertainment industry doing international legal affairs at the independent studio Embassy Pictures
. Columbia Pictures
purchased a spec script he wrote while at Embassy, and soon thereafter he was hired by United Artists
under a two-picture writing deal. Carolco Pictures
later hired him under a unique, two-year "in-house screenwriter" arrangement, where he worked on a number of their projects. He has written original screenplays, adaptations or rewrites for Fox, Disney, Paramount, Columbia, Universal, HBO Films, and many independent companies.
He currently serves as Chairman of the Undergraduate Film Department at the Art Center College of Design
in Pasadena, California, and also on the Board of Directors for the United States Air Force Entertainment Liaison Office. At Art Center, he brought in a number of notable filmmakers as part-time instructors, including cinematographer Affonso Beato
, ASC, director/producer Jeremiah Chechik, cinematographer Allen Daviau
, ASC, screenwriter Doug Eboch, director David Kellogg
, composer Dennis McCarthy
, title designer Dan Perri, director/producer Richard Pearce, entertainment attorney Lee Rosenbaum, writer/director Bobby Roth
, director/actor Mark Rydell
, director Ron Underwood
, and editor Billy Weber
.
Rush Hour (film series)
The Rush Hour film series is a series of martial arts/action-comedy films starring Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker, directed by Brett Ratner, and distributed by New Line Cinema...
series starring Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan
Jackie Chan, SBS, MBE is a Hong Kong actor, action choreographer, comedian, director, producer, martial artist, screenwriter, entrepreneur, singer and stunt performer. In his movies, he is known for his acrobatic fighting style, comic timing, use of improvised weapons, and innovative stunts...
and Chris Tucker
Chris Tucker
Christopher "Chris" Tucker is an American actor and comedian. He is best known for playing the role of Detective James Carter in the Rush Hour film series.-Early life:...
.
His first novel, Acid Test, was published in the U.S. and Canada by Ballantine Books. The geopolitical thriller was chosen as an Amazon.com "Penzler Pick" and as The Mysterious Bookshop's selection for “Best First Fiction.” It was released in several foreign territories and as an audiobook.
He attended the University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in Los Angeles, graduating cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts in Screenwriting, and also holds a Master of Arts from Arizona State University
Arizona State University
Arizona State University is a public research university located in the Phoenix Metropolitan Area of the State of Arizona...
in Dramatic Writing.
He began in the entertainment industry doing international legal affairs at the independent studio Embassy Pictures
Embassy Pictures
Embassy Pictures Corporation was an independent studio and distributor responsible for such films as The Graduate, The Lion in Winter, This Is Spinal Tap and Escape from New York.-Founding:The company was founded in 1942 by producer Joseph E...
. Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production and distribution company. Columbia Pictures now forms part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, owned by Sony Pictures Entertainment, a subsidiary of the Japanese conglomerate Sony. It is one of the leading film companies...
purchased a spec script he wrote while at Embassy, and soon thereafter he was hired by United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
under a two-picture writing deal. Carolco Pictures
Carolco Pictures
Carolco Pictures, Inc., Carolco International N.V., or Anabasis Investments was an American independent film production company that, within a decade, went from producing such blockbuster successes as Terminator 2: Judgment Day and the first three movies of the Rambo series to being bankrupted by...
later hired him under a unique, two-year "in-house screenwriter" arrangement, where he worked on a number of their projects. He has written original screenplays, adaptations or rewrites for Fox, Disney, Paramount, Columbia, Universal, HBO Films, and many independent companies.
He currently serves as Chairman of the Undergraduate Film Department at the Art Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design
Art Center College of Design is a private college located in Pasadena, California, and was cited by BusinessWeek as one of the 60 best design schools in the world. The college’s industrial design program is consistently ranked number one by both DesignIntelligence and U.S...
in Pasadena, California, and also on the Board of Directors for the United States Air Force Entertainment Liaison Office. At Art Center, he brought in a number of notable filmmakers as part-time instructors, including cinematographer Affonso Beato
Affonso Beato
Affonso Henrique Beato is a Brazilian cinematographer.Beato was born in Rio de Janeiro. He started his cinematic career during the 1960s, gaining international recognition with his work on Glauber Rocha's Antonio das Mortes ....
, ASC, director/producer Jeremiah Chechik, cinematographer Allen Daviau
Allen Daviau
Allen Daviau, A.S.C. is an American cinematographer.-Selected filmography:*Amblin *Close Encounters of the Third Kind *E.T...
, ASC, screenwriter Doug Eboch, director David Kellogg
David Kellogg
David Kellogg is an American film, commercial, and music video director.Kellogg has gained prominence for dozens of television spots that he has created for clients such as Pepsi, Fuji, AT&T, Sprite, Coke, Nike, Apple, IBM, MCI, United Airlines, and Mercedes-Benz...
, composer Dennis McCarthy
Dennis McCarthy (composer)
Dennis McCarthy is an ASCAP- and Emmy Award-winning composer, mostly for television programs and films produced in the United States....
, title designer Dan Perri, director/producer Richard Pearce, entertainment attorney Lee Rosenbaum, writer/director Bobby Roth
Bobby Roth
Robert Jay "Bobby" Roth is a television and film director, screenwriter and producer.Roth began his tertiary education at the University of California, Berkeley studying philosophy and creative writing before earning his Bachelor of Arts degree in Cinema at the University of Southern California in...
, director/actor Mark Rydell
Mark Rydell
Mark Rydell is an American actor, film director and producer.-Career:Rydell's initial training was in music. As a youth, he wanted to be a conductor. He began his career as an actor and first became known for his role as Walt Johnson on The Edge of Night and as Jeff Baker on As the World Turns,...
, director Ron Underwood
Ron Underwood
Ronald Brian "Ron" Underwood is an American film director.-Early Life:-Early career :-Mainstream breakthrough :-Filmography:...
, and editor Billy Weber
Billy Weber
Billy Weber is an American film editor with more than twenty film credits dating from Days of Heaven .One of Weber's first editing roles was as associate editor on Terrence Malick's first feature as a director, Badlands . Badlands was edited by Robert Estrin; Weber edited Malick's next film Days...
.