Actors and actresses tend to get the most attention, but it is important to remember that the success of movies, TV shows, and other media projects are reliant on the cooperation of all the cast and crew. As a result, screenwriters deserve recognition for their efforts, without which such media projects could not exist in the first place.
Here are five of the top five screenwriters who are active at this moment in no particular order:
James Cameron
James Cameron is best-known for his work as a director as well as a deep-sea explorer who became the third person to descend to the bottom of the Mariana Trench in 2012. However, it is important to note that he is a prolific screenwriter responsible for some of the most beloved movies of modern times as well, with examples ranging from Avatar and Alien to Terminator and Titanic. At the moment, he is involved in the Avatar franchise as well as a new installment in the Terminator franchise.
Quentin Tarantino
Quentin Tarantino got his start as a screen-writer before branching out into the rest of the roles for which he has become famous. It is interesting to note that he prefers to write out something similar to a novel before paring it down to an actual screenplay, which he says is a process to makes for something that feels more like literature. Interestingly, Tarantino has become one of the more discussed filmmakers in academic literature in recent times, which is rather remarkable considering all of the talent that he is going up against.
Andrew Stanton
Andrew Stanton has been involved in an incredible number of Pixar movies, with examples ranging from Toy Story to Wall-E. He has had his stumbles from time to time, as shown by the failure of John Carter in 2012, but it cannot be denied that he is one of the most successful directors and writers in the whole of Hollywood. For proof, look no further than the fact that he penned and directed Finding Dory and is even now working as a writer on Toy Story 4.
Joss Whedon
Joss Whedon had been involved in the entertainment industries before 1997, but it was not until then that he managed to break through in a major way with Buffy the Vampire Slayer. Since that time, he has continued working on a number of much-praised sci-fi and fantasy works, though none have managed to match the success of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. It is interesting to note that Joss Whedon’s success in bringing comic books to the movie screen might not be limited to the movie screen for long, seeing as how he has been contracted to both direct and write a Batgirl movie in the DC Extended Universe.
Aaron Sorkin
Aaron Sorkin’s fast-moving dialogue has often been set to long tracking shots of characters moving through a set, which is a combination should be recognizable to anyone who pays attention to TV shows. His body of work ranges from Broadway plays to movies such as Steve Jobs and TV shows such as The West Wing. At the moment, Aaron Sorkin is involved in an almost bewildering range of projects that include but are not limited to a biopic of Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz, a stage adaptation of To Kill a Mockingbird, his debut as a director with Molly’s Game, and even teaching MasterClass screenwriting lessons.
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