Mitch Brian

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Mitch Brian is an American screen writer who grew up in Hutchinson, Kansas and attended film school at California State University, Northridge.

In Los Angeles he worked as a story analyst until being hired to write a pair of low-budget films. He later sold the spec script Cold Sweat to Universal/Imagine and then worked as a co-creator on Warner Bros. Animation’s Batman. In addition to co-writing the series bible he wrote the episodes “On Leather Wings,” “POV” and “Bane.” After writing an episode for CBS’s Viper he adapted John Sanford’s crime-thriller Rules of Prey for Dino De Laurentiis.

Brian teamed up with Kevin Willmott and wrote Shields Green & The Gospel of John Brown, which was sold to Chris Columbus' 1492 Pictures. The two went on to write the Native-American drama Civilized Tribes for 20th Century Fox. They then wrote two screenplays for producer Oliver Stone: Little Brown Brothers, about the Philippine Insurrection, and a biography of Custer based on Michael Blake’s novel Marching to Valhalla. They also wrote two miniseries for NBC, House of Getty and the 70's, which was produced in 2000.

Brian adapted Thomas Hardy’s Far From the Madding Crowd for New Line and producer Geena Davis and then sold the screenplay 21 about World War One fighter ace Frank Luke to 20th Century Fox. He wrote an episode for HBO's unproduced series about Jefferson & Adams called Patriots and adapted Detour: A Hollywood Story for ABC and executive producer James Ellroy about the Lana Turner-Johnny Stompanto scandal. He then adapted Bob King’s military memoir Spooky 8 for FX.

He and Robert Schwentke co-wrote an adaptation of David Morrell’s horror novel The Totem for Mission Entertainment and revised Phoenix’s Last Voyage of the Demeter, about the ill-fated ship that transported Dracula to England in Bram Stoker’s novel. They also worked on Touchstone’s action-thriller Labor Day and adapted Noah Gordon’s novel The Physician.

Most recently, Brian wrote a remake of the political thriller Seven Days in May. As a director, his films include the award winning shorts Hang Ups and James Ellroy’s Stay Clean.