John Orloff
Encyclopedia
John Orloff is an American screenwriter who currently lives in Chatham, New York
.
Film School, and on graduation, went to work in the advertising business. After ten years working on TV commercials in various positions, he met a TV Movie development executive, now his wife, from the HBO television network. When she continually brought home what he felt were "awful" screenplays, he decided to write his own; a 16th-century English melodrama based on the Shakespeare authorship question
, which ended up being sent to Tom Hanks
and Steven Spielberg
.
They were not interested in producing his project, but Hanks asked Orloff, a keen "World War II buff", to write for the 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. Orloff wrote episode 2, "Day of Days" and episode 9, "Why We Fight". His work earned him a Christopher Award
, and an Emmy
nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special. Band of Brothers has a 9.6 rating on IMDb—higher than any feature film in the database—and has been cited as the highest grossing DVD set of all time.
In 2003, Warner Bros.
paid over US$500,000 for filming rights for Mariane Pearl
's memoir A Mighty Heart
, and Orloff was assigned to adapt the screenplay. New York Times film reviewer Manohla Dargis
declared the film "a surprising, insistently political work of commercial art". The film received a 78% "fresh" review on Rotten Tomatoes
, and Orloff's script for the film earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Screenplay
.
Orloff next adapted the children's fantasy book series Legend of the Guardians, based on the Guardians of Ga'Hoole
series of books written by Kathryn Lasky
. His script came to the attention of director Zack Snyder
in 2008, and the animated 3-D film was released in 2010. And after years of various attempts to get his script based on the controversial Shakespeare authorship question produced, cameras finally rolled under the direction of Roland Emmerich
in the Spring of 2010. Entitled Anonymous
, it stars Vanessa Redgrave
, Rhys Ifans
, Sir Derek Jacobi
, Mark Rylance
and David Thewlis
. Anonymous
was released in October 2011.
Orloff is currently adapting another children's book, Truckers, based on the first novel of The Nome Trilogy by Terry Pratchett
, for Dreamworks Animation
under the direction of Anand Tucker
. He has also been hired to write the screenplay for a movie version of Battlestar Galactica, to be directed by Bryan Singer
.
Chatham (town), New York
Chatham is a town in Columbia County, United States. New York, United States. The population was 4,249 at the 2000 census.The Town of Chatham has a village also called Chatham on its south town line...
.
Life and career
Orloff studied screenwriting at the University of California, Los AngelesUniversity of California, Los Angeles
The University of California, Los Angeles is a public research university located in the Westwood neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, USA. It was founded in 1919 as the "Southern Branch" of the University of California and is the second oldest of the ten campuses...
Film School, and on graduation, went to work in the advertising business. After ten years working on TV commercials in various positions, he met a TV Movie development executive, now his wife, from the HBO television network. When she continually brought home what he felt were "awful" screenplays, he decided to write his own; a 16th-century English melodrama based on the Shakespeare authorship question
Shakespeare authorship question
Image:ShakespeareCandidates1.jpg|thumb|alt=Portraits of Shakespeare and four proposed alternative authors.|Oxford, Bacon, Derby, and Marlowe have each been proposed as the true author...
, which ended up being sent to Tom Hanks
Tom Hanks
Thomas Jeffrey "Tom" Hanks is an American actor, producer, writer, and director. Hanks worked in television and family-friendly comedies, gaining wide notice in 1988's Big, before achieving success as a dramatic actor in several notable roles, including Andrew Beckett in Philadelphia, the title...
and Steven Spielberg
Steven Spielberg
Steven Allan Spielberg KBE is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, video game designer, and studio entrepreneur. In a career of more than four decades, Spielberg's films have covered many themes and genres. Spielberg's early science-fiction and adventure films were seen as an...
.
They were not interested in producing his project, but Hanks asked Orloff, a keen "World War II buff", to write for the 2001 HBO miniseries Band of Brothers. Orloff wrote episode 2, "Day of Days" and episode 9, "Why We Fight". His work earned him a Christopher Award
Christopher Award
The Christopher Award is presented to the producers, directors, and writers of books, motion pictures and television specials that "affirm the highest values of the human spirit"...
, and an Emmy
Emmy Award
An Emmy Award, often referred to simply as the Emmy, is a television production award, similar in nature to the Peabody Awards but more focused on entertainment, and is considered the television equivalent to the Academy Awards and the Grammy Awards .A majority of Emmys are presented in various...
nomination for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie or a Dramatic Special. Band of Brothers has a 9.6 rating on IMDb—higher than any feature film in the database—and has been cited as the highest grossing DVD set of all time.
In 2003, 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,...
paid over US$500,000 for filming rights for Mariane Pearl
Mariane Pearl
Mariane van Neyenhoff Pearl is a French freelance journalist and a reporter and columnist for Glamour magazine. She is the widow of Daniel Pearl, the Wall Street Journal reporter who was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in Pakistan in early 2002.-Life and career:Pearl was born in Clichy,...
's memoir A Mighty Heart
A Mighty Heart
A Mighty Heart is a memoir by Mariane Pearl, the widow of the slain American journalist Daniel Pearl.The book has been reviewed by, among others, The Christian Science Monitor, the Chicago Sun-Times, The Spectator and The New York Review of Books.A Mighty Heart has been made into a film, A Mighty...
, and Orloff was assigned to adapt the screenplay. New York Times film reviewer Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis
Manohla Dargis is a chief film critic for The New York Times, along with A.O. Scott. She was formerly a chief film critic for the Los Angeles Times, the film editor at the LA Weekly, and a film critic at The Village Voice. She has written for a variety of publications, including Film Comment and...
declared the film "a surprising, insistently political work of commercial art". The film received a 78% "fresh" review on Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
, and Orloff's script for the film earned him an Independent Spirit Award nomination for Best First Screenplay
Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay
The Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay is one of the annual awards given by Film Independent, a non-profit organization dedicated to independent film and independent filmmakers.-1990s:1994*David O...
.
Orloff next adapted the children's fantasy book series Legend of the Guardians, based on the Guardians of Ga'Hoole
Guardians of Ga'Hoole
Guardians of Ga’Hoole is a fantasy book series written by Kathryn Lasky and published by Scholastic. The series, which ended in 2008 with the publication of The War of the Ember, has a total of fifteen books. Apart from the main series there are a few more books and spin offs set in the same universe...
series of books written by Kathryn Lasky
Kathryn Lasky
Kathryn Lasky is an American author whose work includes several Dear America books, The Royal Diaries books, Sugaring Time, The Night Journey, and the Guardians of Ga'Hoole series.-Biography:...
. His script came to the attention of director Zack Snyder
Zack Snyder
Zachary Edward "Zack" Snyder is an American actor, film director, screenwriter, and producer. After making his feature film debut with the 2004 remake Dawn of the Dead, he gained wide recognition with the 2007 box office hit 300, adapted from writer-artist Frank Miller's Dark Horse Comics...
in 2008, and the animated 3-D film was released in 2010. And after years of various attempts to get his script based on the controversial Shakespeare authorship question produced, cameras finally rolled under the direction of Roland Emmerich
Roland Emmerich
Roland Emmerich is a German film director, screenwriter, and producer.His films, most of which are Hollywood productions filmed in English, have grossed more than $3 billion worldwide, more than those of any other European director...
in the Spring of 2010. Entitled Anonymous
Anonymous (film)
Anonymous is a political thriller and historical drama which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2011. Directed by Roland Emmerich and written by John Orloff, the movie is a fictionalized version of the life of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, an Elizabethan...
, it stars Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave
Vanessa Redgrave, CBE is an English actress of stage, screen and television, as well as a political activist.She rose to prominence in 1961 playing Rosalind in As You Like It with the Royal Shakespeare Company and has since made more than 35 appearances on London's West End and Broadway, winning...
, Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans
Rhys Ifans is a Welsh actor and musician. He is known for his portrayal of characters such as Spike in Notting Hill and Jed Parry in Enduring Love and as a member of the Welsh rock groups Super Furry Animals and The Peth. Ifans also appeared as Xenophilius Lovegood in Harry Potter and the Deathly...
, Sir Derek Jacobi
Derek Jacobi
Sir Derek George Jacobi, CBE is an English actor and film director.A "forceful, commanding stage presence", Jacobi has enjoyed a highly successful stage career, appearing in such stage productions as Hamlet, Uncle Vanya, and Oedipus the King. He received a Tony Award for his performance in...
, Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance
Mark Rylance is an English actor, theatre director and playwright.As an actor, Rylance found success on stage and screen. For his work in theatre he has won Olivier and Tony Awards among others, and a BAFTA TV Award...
and David Thewlis
David Thewlis
David Thewlis is an English actor of stage and screen. His most commercially successful role to date has been that of Remus Lupin, in the Harry Potter film series...
. Anonymous
Anonymous (film)
Anonymous is a political thriller and historical drama which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2011. Directed by Roland Emmerich and written by John Orloff, the movie is a fictionalized version of the life of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, an Elizabethan...
was released in October 2011.
Orloff is currently adapting another children's book, Truckers, based on the first novel of The Nome Trilogy by Terry Pratchett
Terry Pratchett
Sir Terence David John "Terry" Pratchett, OBE is an English novelist, known for his frequently comical work in the fantasy genre. He is best known for his popular and long-running Discworld series of comic fantasy novels...
, for Dreamworks Animation
DreamWorks Animation
DreamWorks Animation SKG, Inc. is an American animation studio based in Glendale, California that creates animated feature films, television program and online virtual worlds...
under the direction of Anand Tucker
Anand Tucker
Anand Tucker is a film director and producer based in London. He began his career directing factual television programming and adverts...
. He has also been hired to write the screenplay for a movie version of Battlestar Galactica, to be directed by Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer
Bryan Singer is an American film director and film producer. Singer won critical acclaim for his work on The Usual Suspects, and is especially well-known among fans of the science fiction and superhero genres for his work on the X-Men films and Superman Returns.-Early life:Singer was born in New...
.
Filmography
- Band of Brothers (2001) TV 2 episodes
- A Mighty HeartA Mighty HeartA Mighty Heart is a memoir by Mariane Pearl, the widow of the slain American journalist Daniel Pearl.The book has been reviewed by, among others, The Christian Science Monitor, the Chicago Sun-Times, The Spectator and The New York Review of Books.A Mighty Heart has been made into a film, A Mighty...
(2007) - Legend of the Guardians: The Owls of Ga'Hoole (2010)
- AnonymousAnonymous (film)Anonymous is a political thriller and historical drama which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, 2011. Directed by Roland Emmerich and written by John Orloff, the movie is a fictionalized version of the life of Edward de Vere, 17th Earl of Oxford, an Elizabethan...
(2011)