Peter Briggs
Encyclopedia
Peter Briggs is a British
born and based director, producer, screenwriter, and concept artist; hired generally by overseas Hollywood motion picture studios. Although having worked in the motion picture industry for close to 20 years, he is best known for his work on the acclaimed film Hellboy
. His films draw heavily on sources as diverse as weird fiction
, fantasy
and war
.
screenplay, which sold almost overnight to 20th Century Fox
through Lawrence Gordon. The project languished in development hell
for many years, until a version of the property was brought to the screen by Paul W. S. Anderson
(who ditched Briggs' script) in Anderson's poorly received production.
Briggs' draft is often cited as an example of strong action writing in a number of screenwriting books, including Chris Gore
's book "The 50 Greatest Movies Never Made" http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20202171,00.html.
Since 1991, Briggs has worked steadily as a "writer for hire" on largely studio-based productions, including Freddy vs. Jason
, Judge Dredd
, the original period version of The War of the Worlds
(which had two abortive attempts at production; the first with Kenneth Branagh
in 1995; and then later with Tom Cruise
's production company in 1998, both of which were thwarted by legal reasons), and numerous other projects.
, was asked by the producers of the film, William Panzer and Peter Davis, to help set-up Highlander: The Series
. Despite having contributed major strands to the show (including the invention of the "Watcher" subplot), Briggs received no credit from the two producers.
Years later, Briggs was hired by Dimension Films to write a new draft for Highlander: The Source
- the fourth sequel in the franchise. Briggs anonymously joined the message boards at the official Highlander website to help research what fans of the franchise would want in another film. Under the screenname Everpresent Scribe, Briggs introduced himself only as someone with access to the script. In the following months, Briggs posted several pages of his script for the fans to read and gauge their reactions. Fan reception to both drafts of his script were very positive.
Despite having contributed two drafts to Dimension, the movie company folded, and the rights to the property were transferred to Lionsgate Films. The final film, which was reworked by other writers and contained virtually none of the material Briggs created, was the first in the franchise to go straight to video, and was extremely poorly received.
Briggs still occasionally returns to the message board, where he is one of the most popular members.
script finally hit the screens as a blockbuster in 2004, sharing credit with director Guillermo Del Toro
. Briggs was initially hired in 1996, a full three years before Del Toro joined the project.
and Eastern Europe. Veteran producer James Jacks
will be handling the reins, along with Briggs.
It was instead announced on 30 October 2009 Briggs' World War 2 supernatural thriller Panzer 88 would likely go into production prior to Mortis Rex. Briggs is currently splitting his time between Europe; Los Angeles; and New Zealand, prepping Panzer 88 with legendary producer Gary Kurtz
which Briggs will also direct, as well as produce.
On August 23, 2010, it was announced in the Hero Complex section of the Los Angeles Times that Richard Taylor and Peter Jackson's Weta Workshop
would be joining Panzer 88. Reaction spread across the internet fan pages and was overwhelmingly enthusiastic.
In February 2011, a Facebook page for Panzer 88 was established by the filmmakers, exclusively releasing advance concept art from the movie.
and himself had maintained a brief email correspondence, after Grimwood saw Briggs' review of "Replay" on the book's Amazon feedback page.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
born and based director, producer, screenwriter, and concept artist; hired generally by overseas Hollywood motion picture studios. Although having worked in the motion picture industry for close to 20 years, he is best known for his work on the acclaimed film Hellboy
Hellboy
Hellboy is a comic book superhero created by writer-artist Mike Mignola. The character first appeared in San Diego Comic-Con Comics #2 , and has since appeared in various eponymous miniseries, one-shots and intercompany crossovers...
. His films draw heavily on sources as diverse as weird fiction
Weird fiction
Weird fiction is a subgenre of speculative fiction written in the late 19th and early 20th century. It can be said to encompass the ghost story and other tales of the macabre. Weird fiction is distinguished from horror and fantasy in that it predates the niche marketing of genre fiction...
, fantasy
Fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of fiction that commonly uses magic and other supernatural phenomena as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. Many works within the genre take place in imaginary worlds where magic is common...
and war
War
War is a state of organized, armed, and often prolonged conflict carried on between states, nations, or other parties typified by extreme aggression, social disruption, and usually high mortality. War should be understood as an actual, intentional and widespread armed conflict between political...
.
Early professional career
Briggs hit the screenwriting scene in 1991 with his well-received Alien vs. PredatorAlien vs. Predator (film)
Alien vs. Predator is a 2004 American science fiction film directed by Paul W. S. Anderson for 20th Century Fox and starring Sanaa Lathan and Lance Henriksen. The film adapts the Alien vs. Predator crossover imprint bringing together the eponymous creatures of the Alien and Predator series, a...
screenplay, which sold almost overnight to 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...
through Lawrence Gordon. The project languished in development hell
Development hell
In the jargon of the media-industry, "development hell" is a period during which a film or other project is trapped in development...
for many years, until a version of the property was brought to the screen by Paul W. S. Anderson
Paul W. S. Anderson
Paul William Scott Anderson , also known as Paul W. S. Anderson or Paul Anderson, is an English film director who regularly works in science fiction movies and video game adaptations.-Life and career:...
(who ditched Briggs' script) in Anderson's poorly received production.
Briggs' draft is often cited as an example of strong action writing in a number of screenwriting books, including Chris Gore
Chris Gore
Christopher Patrick "Chris" Gore is an acclaimed speaker and writer on the topic of independent film.Gore was born September 5, 1965 in Big Rapids, Michigan. He is the main writer and the founder of Film Threat, a project dedicated to covering independent and underground movies which he started in...
's book "The 50 Greatest Movies Never Made" http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20202171,00.html.
Since 1991, Briggs has worked steadily as a "writer for hire" on largely studio-based productions, including Freddy vs. Jason
Freddy vs. Jason
Freddy vs. Jason is a 2003 American slasher film directed by Ronny Yu. The film is a crossover between the A Nightmare on Elm Street and Friday the 13th franchises...
, Judge Dredd
Judge Dredd
Judge Joseph Dredd is a comics character whose strip in the British science fiction anthology 2000 AD is the magazine's longest running . Dredd is an American law enforcement officer in a violent city of the future where uniformed Judges combine the powers of police, judge, jury and executioner...
, the original period version of The War of the Worlds
War of the Worlds (2005 film)
War of the Worlds is a 2005 American science fiction film adaptation of H. G. Wells' novel of the same name, directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Josh Friedman and David Koepp. It is one of three film adaptations of War of the Worlds released that year, alongside The Asylum's version and...
(which had two abortive attempts at production; the first with Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Branagh
Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from Northern Ireland. He is best known for directing and starring in several film adaptations of William Shakespeare's plays including Henry V , Much Ado About Nothing , Hamlet Kenneth Charles Branagh is an actor and film director from...
in 1995; and then later with Tom Cruise
Tom Cruise
Thomas Cruise Mapother IV , better known as Tom Cruise, is an American film actor and producer. He has been nominated for three Academy Awards and he has won three Golden Globe Awards....
's production company in 1998, both of which were thwarted by legal reasons), and numerous other projects.
Connection to the Highlander franchise
Briggs, who is on record as stating he is a huge fan of the 1986 film HighlanderHighlander (film)
Highlander is a 1986 fantasy action film directed by Russell Mulcahy and based on a story by Gregory Widen. It stars Christopher Lambert, Sean Connery, Clancy Brown, and Roxanne Hart. The film depicts the climax of an ages-old battle between immortal warriors, depicted through interwoven past and...
, was asked by the producers of the film, William Panzer and Peter Davis, to help set-up Highlander: The Series
Highlander: The Series
Highlander: The Series is a fantasy-adventure television series featuring Duncan MacLeod of the Scottish Clan MacLeod, as the Highlander. It was an offshoot and another alternate sequel of the 1986 feature film with a twist: Connor MacLeod did not win the prize and Immortals still exist post-1985...
. Despite having contributed major strands to the show (including the invention of the "Watcher" subplot), Briggs received no credit from the two producers.
Years later, Briggs was hired by Dimension Films to write a new draft for Highlander: The Source
Highlander: The Source
Highlander: The Source is the fifth installment of the Highlander film series, directed by Brett Leonard, and was intended to be the first film of a planned trilogy on SciFi Channel though no further direct sequels are currently planned. Adrian Paul reprises his role as Duncan MacLeod from the...
- the fourth sequel in the franchise. Briggs anonymously joined the message boards at the official Highlander website to help research what fans of the franchise would want in another film. Under the screenname Everpresent Scribe, Briggs introduced himself only as someone with access to the script. In the following months, Briggs posted several pages of his script for the fans to read and gauge their reactions. Fan reception to both drafts of his script were very positive.
Despite having contributed two drafts to Dimension, the movie company folded, and the rights to the property were transferred to Lionsgate Films. The final film, which was reworked by other writers and contained virtually none of the material Briggs created, was the first in the franchise to go straight to video, and was extremely poorly received.
Briggs still occasionally returns to the message board, where he is one of the most popular members.
Hellboy
Briggs' HellboyHellboy (film)
Hellboy is a 2004 supernatural superhero film, starring Ron Perlman, John Hurt and Selma Blair, directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film is based on the Dark Horse Comics work Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola. It was produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures...
script finally hit the screens as a blockbuster in 2004, sharing credit with director Guillermo Del Toro
Guillermo del Toro
Guillermo del Toro is a Mexican director, producer, screenwriter, novelist and designer. He is mostly known for his acclaimed films, Blade II, Pan's Labyrinth and the Hellboy film franchise. He is a frequent collaborator with Ron Perlman, Federico Luppi and Doug Jones...
. Briggs was initially hired in 1996, a full three years before Del Toro joined the project.
Current Projects
Although it was announced that Briggs would make his directorial debut with Mortis Rex early in 2010, it seems more likely this will now be his second movie. The movie was initially announced as shooting in spring 2010 in the UK, ItalyItaly
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Eastern Europe. Veteran producer James Jacks
James Jacks
James Jacks is a film producer who has in recent years produced several high-budget films. His credits include:*The Mummy*Dazed and Confused*Tombstone*Down to Earth*The Hunted*The Scorpion King*The Mummy Returns...
will be handling the reins, along with Briggs.
It was instead announced on 30 October 2009 Briggs' World War 2 supernatural thriller Panzer 88 would likely go into production prior to Mortis Rex. Briggs is currently splitting his time between Europe; Los Angeles; and New Zealand, prepping Panzer 88 with legendary producer Gary Kurtz
Gary Kurtz
Gary Kurtz is an American film producer whose list of credits include American Graffiti, Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. He later produced The Dark Crystal and Return to Oz after departing from the Star Wars series...
which Briggs will also direct, as well as produce.
On August 23, 2010, it was announced in the Hero Complex section of the Los Angeles Times that Richard Taylor and Peter Jackson's Weta Workshop
Weta Workshop
Weta Workshop is a special effects and prop company based in Miramar, New Zealand, producing effects for television and film.Founded in 1987 by Richard Taylor and Tania Rodger as RT Effects, Weta Workshop has produced creatures and makeup effects for the TV series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys...
would be joining Panzer 88. Reaction spread across the internet fan pages and was overwhelmingly enthusiastic.
In February 2011, a Facebook page for Panzer 88 was established by the filmmakers, exclusively releasing advance concept art from the movie.
Personal life
In a 2004 interview for IGN, Briggs revealed that science fiction author Ken GrimwoodKen Grimwood
Kenneth Milton Grimwood was an American author who was born in Dothan, Alabama. In his fantasy fiction Grimwood combined themes of life-affirmation and hope with metaphysical concepts, themes found in his best-known novel, the highly popular Replay...
and himself had maintained a brief email correspondence, after Grimwood saw Briggs' review of "Replay" on the book's Amazon feedback page.
Filmography
| Year | Film | Credited as | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director Film director A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:... |
Writer Screenwriter Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:... |
Producer Film producer A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The... |
||
| 2004 | Hellboy Hellboy (film) Hellboy is a 2004 supernatural superhero film, starring Ron Perlman, John Hurt and Selma Blair, directed by Guillermo del Toro. The film is based on the Dark Horse Comics work Hellboy: Seed of Destruction by Mike Mignola. It was produced by Revolution Studios, and distributed by Columbia Pictures... |
|||
| 2011 | Panzer 88 | |||
| 2012 | Mortis Rex Mortis Rex Mortis Rex is a Roman-themed upcoming supernatural action thriller film, set in 123 A.D. and due to begin production in early-to-mid 2011, tentatively scheduled to begin filming in Spring 2012, and with plans to complete and release later that year... |
|||