Gregory Widen
Born
Gregory Mario Widen
NationalityAmerican
EducationUniversity of California Los Angeles
Occupations
  • Screenwriter
  • film director
  • novelist
Years active1986–present
Known forHighlander, Backdraft, The Prophecy

Gregory Widen is an American screenwriter and film director.[1] He is the creator of the Highlander film and television franchise, and the writer-director of the cult horror film The Prophecy.

Biography

A native of Laguna Beach, California, Gregory Widen holds a master's degree from UCLA and once worked full-time as a city firefighter.

Filmmaking

Highlander

While still an undergrad film student at UCLA, he sold his script for Highlander (1986).[1] The film stars Christopher Lambert, Clancy Brown, and Sean Connery. Its tagline, "There can be only one" has gained pop culture fame.[2] The original movie became a cult classic, spawning five sequels and Highlander: The Series, tie-in novels and video games.

Backdraft

Widen worked as a firefighter for three years while still an undergraduate at UCLA. He witnessed a person being killed by an explosive backdraft, which became the basis for the screenplay he wrote for the movie Backdraft, directed by Ron Howard and starring Kurt Russell, William Baldwin, Scott Glenn, Donald Sutherland, Robert De Niro. Released in 1991, Backdraft received three Academy Award nominations.

Backdraft was turned into a ride for Universal Studios Hollywood (opened 1992, closed 2010) and Universal Studios Japan where it is still active.

A sequel (Backdraft 2) began production in April 2018.

The Prophecy

In 1995, Widen wrote and directed the supernatural thriller The Prophecy starring Christopher Walken, Virginia Madsen, Eric Stoltz, and Viggo Mortensen. The film spawned four sequels: The Prophecy II (1998), The Ascent (2000), Uprising (2005) and Forsaken (2005).

Yasuke

In 2017, original script was written by Gregory Widen for Lionsgate. Currently in Development.

Lionsgate has commenced Highlander creator Gregory Widen to script Black Samurai, an action drama grounded in the historical tale of Yasuke, reputed to be the first black-skinned samurai to serve a warlord in Japan. Mike De Luca and Stephen L'Heureux are producing, and the film is a co-production between Solipsist Films and De Luca Productions.[3] "Yasuke (believed to have lived during the 1500s) was a samurai of black African origin who served under the Japanese warlord Oda Nobunaga in 1581 and 1582."[4]

Television

Widen was the creator, writer and executive producer of the series Rescue 77 and wrote for Tales from the Crypt.

Filmography

Film

Year Title Director Writer Notes
1986 Highlander Yes
1991 Backdraft Yes Cameo as "Engine Lieutenant"
1995 The Prophecy Yes Yes
2017 OtherLife Yes

Direct-to-video

Year Title Writer Executive
Producer
1998 The Prophecy II Yes
2000 The Prophecy 3: The Ascent Yes
2019 Backdraft 2 Yes

Television

Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1988 Weekend War Yes Co-producer TV movie
1993 Space Rangers Yes Episode "The Replacements"
Tales from the Crypt Yes Yes Episode "Half-Way Horrible"
1999 Rescue 77 Yes Executive Also creator;
Wrote 3 episodes
2000 Green Sails Yes Co-executive TV movie

Blood Makes Noise novel

In 2013 he released his debut novel, Blood Makes Noise published by Thomas & Mercer.[5] The book received critical praise, including a starred review from Publishers Weekly[6] and Booklist.[7]

Awards

Backdraft

Source:[8]

Academy Awards, USA 1992

Nominee Oscar Best Effects, Sound Effects Editing

Gary Rydstrom Richard Hymns

Best Effects, Visual Effects

Mikael Salomon Allen Hall Clay Pinney Scott Farrar

Best Sound

Gary Summers Randy Thom Gary Rydstrom Glenn Williams

BAFTA Awards 1992

Nominee BAFTA Film Award Best Special Visual Effects

Allen Hall Scott Farrar Clay Pinney Mikael Salomon

BMI Film & TV Awards 1992

Winner BMI Film Music Award Hans Zimmer

MTV Movie + TV Awards 1992

Nominee MTV Movie Award Best Movie
Best Action Sequence

For the final scene in the burning building and the escape through the old tunnel

The Prophecy

Source:[9]

Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA 1996

Nominee Saturn Award Best Horror Film
Best Supporting Actor

Christopher Walken

References

  1. 1 2 Power, Ed (June 16, 2016). "There can be only one: why Highlander will live forever". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved September 1, 2016.
  2. ↑ "There can be only one". Time. May 5, 2008. Retrieved March 7, 2017.
  3. ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr. (March 23, 2017). "Lionsgate Taps 'Highlander' Creator Gregory Widen To Script Film On First Black Samurai". Deadline. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Lionsgate Is Developing an Action-Drama Film on Yasuke - The First Black Samurai". shadowandact.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  5. ↑ results, search; Vries, David de (April 30, 2013). Blood Makes Noise (Unabridged ed.). Grand Haven, Mich.: Brilliance Audio. ISBN 9781469289335.
  6. ↑ "Fiction Book Review: Blood Makes Noise by Gregory Widen. Amazon/Thomas & Mercer, $14.95 trade paper (458p) ISBN 978-1-61109899-0". PublishersWeekly.com. Retrieved August 23, 2018.
  7. ↑ Blood Makes Noise, by Gregory Widen | Booklist Online. Retrieved August 23, 2018 – via www.booklistonline.com.
  8. ↑ Backdraft, retrieved August 23, 2018
  9. ↑ The Prophecy, retrieved August 23, 2018
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