Mitch Brian

Mitch Brian is an award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter who has sold, optioned or written on assignment more than 25 scripts to major studios, networks and independent production companies. An American screen writer who grew up in Hutchinson, Kansas (born October 15, 1961), he 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^[1] 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.^[2] 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–American War, 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,^[3] 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 I 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.^[4] He then adapted Bob King’s fictional 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^[5] and revised Phoenix’s Last Voyage of the Demeter,^[6] 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^[7] 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, James Ellroy’s Stay Clean and Rhubarb Pie.

He is currently a visiting assistant professor at University of Missouri-Kansas City.^[8]

His plays “Maul of the Dead” and “Sorority House of the Dead” are published by Dramatic publishing.^[9][10]

His play based on Roger Corman’s “A Bucket of Blood” premiered March 21, 2012 at The Living Room.^[11]

In 2012 his short story “Last Night at the Rialto” was included in the Akashic Books anthology “Kansas City Noir." ^[12]

References