BAFTA Award nominee and screenwriter John August has been trending on social media lately for possibly trying to start a Twitter feud. It’s a good thing actually considering that he’s trying to compile a list of famous movies from the past that seem to be impossible to stream digitally. He’s called out filmmakers on why there are still movies that can’t be watched legally online given the digital age we’re in. August has managed to compile quite a list, and whether a solution will come out of this situation is something we’ll just have to wait on to see. If you’re curious about the screenwriter that started it all, here are 10 things that you probably didn’t know about John August.
1. Movies
August happens to have quite a few blockbuster films under his belt. He’s responsible for writing films such as the Charlie’s Angels franchise, the 2005 Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, and our favorite, Big Fish. It’s obvious that the man is talented.
2. Busy Schedule
When August is not writing blockbuster films, he spends his time in various other projects. He has a screenwriting podcast called Scriptnotes, which he hosts along with Craig Mazin. He also has a screenwriting blog, and he owns a software development company called Quote-Unquote Apps. He may be a successful screenwriter, but he’s also obviously successful in other fields.
3. Education
August took his writing education all the way. He had a strong journalism background from getting his Bachelor’s in Journalism from Drake University in Des Moines, Iowa. One summer, he participated in a film program at Stanford, which convinced him to pursue screenwriting instead. He eventually earned his MFA from The Peter Stark Producing Program at the University of Southern California.
4. Burton
Out of the 15 films that he’s credited as screenwriter for, quite a few are in collaboration with famous director Tim Burton. August first worked with Burton in the film, Big Fish. Since then, the two have worked together on Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Corpse Bride, Frankenweenie, and Dark Shadows.
5. McCarthy
One of the first actors that August developed a working relationship with was Melissa McCarthy. August worked with McCarthy before she became big. McCarthy had a small role in August’s debut film, Go back in 1999. After that film, the two ended up working together on a short film project called God, which showcased McCarthy’s incredible comedic chops. The duo would work together again many years later on another one of August’s projects.
6. Director
August also happens to have some director credit. He made his directorial debut in 2007 with the feature film The Nines, a science fiction psychological thriller that starred McCarthy again alongside Ryan Reynolds, Hope Davis, and Elle Fanning. Of course, August wrote the film as well.
7. Producer
Apart from writer and director credits, August also has producer credits. Remember the Disney film Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time? August was actually the one that pitched an adaptation of that story alongside Jordan Mechner. He eventually got executive producer credits for the film, which ended up being directed by Mike Newell.
8. Broadway
If you think that August has reached his peak, you should know that he’s also crossed the Broadway stage. August revisited Big Fish to write a Broadway adaptation of it back in 2013. The result was a stunning musical that made people from all over the world fall in love with the story all over again.
9. Books
August is now also a published novelist. Back in 2016, he signed a book deal for a three-book series. The series are supposed to be inspired by his life and experiences while he was in the Boy Scouts. He published the first part of the series earlier this year–Arlo Finch in the Valley of Fire. The next books should come out in 2019 and 2020.
10. Latest film
Perhaps the most exciting news about John August today is one of his latest film projects. August happens to be the screenwriter in charge of Disney’s upcoming live-action adaptation of the beloved classic, Aladdin. We could only imagine what he’s got up his sleeves. Given his track record, we could only trust that August will do the story absolute justice.
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