David Peoples

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This article is about David Peoples the screenwriter, for the golfer of the same name, see David Peoples (golfer).

David Webb Peoples (born c. 1940 in Middletown, Connecticut, USA) is an American screenwriter who studied English at the University of California, Berkeley and has had a significant impact on science fiction. His work is known for its moral ambiguity and the award winning Unforgiven is credited for revitalizing the Western genre and Clint Eastwood's career.

[edit] Career

Peoples began as a film editor, before co-writing the cult-classic Blade Runner when Ridley Scott (director) and Hampton Fancher (screenwriter) could not work together because of creative differences. Peoples also wrote Soldier (though it was extensively rewritten by director Paul W. S. Anderson), and the highly regarded Twelve Monkeys which was co-written by his wife, Janet Peoples.

The screenplay Peoples received the most accolades for was also the film that took the longest to produce. He wrote Unforgiven in 1976 (as The William Munny Killings) but it was not produced until 1992. He received Oscar, Golden Globe and British Academy nominations, and won L.A. Film Critics (1991) and National Society of Film Critics (1992) awards for best screenplay.

On the unconventional side Peoples also wrote a comedy called Hero (his script was called Accidental Hero). He also wrote and directed The Blood of Heroes (1989), released in some countries as Salute to the Juggers.