Aaron Guzikowski is an American screenwriter. He is best known for writing the 2013 film '' Prisoners'' and creating the 2014 television series ''

The Red Road The red road is a modern English-language concept of the right path of life, as inspired by some of the beliefs found in a variety of Native American spiritual teachings. The term is used primarily in the Pan-Indian and New Age communities,McGaa ...

''. In 2020, he created the

HBO Max HBO Max is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in the United States on May 27, 2020, the service is built around the libraries of HBO, Warner Bros., Cartoon Netw ...

series '' Raised by Wolves''.

Career

Guzikowski was raised in

Brockton, Massachusetts Brockton is a city in Plymouth County, Massachusetts, United States; the population is 105,643 as of the 2020 United States Census. Along with Plymouth, it is one of the two county seats of Plymouth County. It is the sixth-largest city in Mas ...

. He was interested in

visual arts The visual arts are art forms such as painting, drawing, printmaking, sculpture, ceramics, photography, video, filmmaking, design, crafts and architecture. Many artistic disciplines such as performing arts, conceptual art, and textile art ...

as a child and completed a Master of Fine Arts with a major in film. He was unable to find any work in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

after graduation but began writing

spec script A spec script, also known as a speculative screenplay, is a non-commissioned and unsolicited screenplay. It is usually written by a screenwriter who hopes to have the script optioned and eventually purchased by a producer, production company, or ...

s in his spare time while working other jobs with the help of a manager in

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. He conceived '' Prisoners'' in 2007 and completed a final draft in 2009. The script won several competitions and featured in The Black List, a survey of the most popular unproduced screenplays in circulation in Hollywood. After it was sold to

Alcon Entertainment Alcon Entertainment, LLC is an American film production company, founded in 1997 by film producers Broderick Johnson and Andrew Kosove. Since its establishment, Alcon Entertainment has developed and financed films that are ultimately distribut ...

, the project languished in development hell for a number of years with interest from

Bryan Singer Bryan Jay Singer (born September 17, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is the founder of Bad Hat Harry Productions and has produced almost all of the films he has directed. After graduating from the University of Southern California, Singer ...

Christian Bale Christian Charles Philip Bale (born 30 January 1974) is an English actor. Known for his versatility and physical transformations for his roles, he has been a leading man in films of several genres. He has received various accolades, including ...

, and Leonardo DiCaprio at various stages. The film was ultimately realized in 2013, directed by Denis Villeneuve and starring

Hugh Jackman Hugh Michael Jackman (born 12 October 1968) is an Australian actor. Beginning in theatre and television, he landed his breakthrough role as James "Logan" Howlett / Wolverine in the 20th Century Fox ''X-Men'' film series (2000–2017), a role ...

and

Jake Gyllenhaal Jacob Benjamin Gyllenhaal (; ; born December 19, 1980) is an American actor. Born into the Gyllenhaal family, he is the son of director Stephen Gyllenhaal and screenwriter Naomi Foner, and his older sister is actress Maggie Gyllenhaal. He ...

. His next project was an adaptation of the 2008 Icelandic film ''

Reykjavík-Rotterdam ''Reykjavík-Rotterdam'' is a 2008 Icelandic film directed by Óskar Jónasson and starring Baltasar Kormákur. A Hollywood remake titled '' Contraband'' starring Mark Wahlberg was released in 2012. Plot synopsis Kristofer is working as a secur ...

'' titled '' Contraband''. He was hired by actor

Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), former stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, businessman, and former rapper. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, three ...

, who had once been attached to star in ''Prisoners.'' Although the script was written after ''Prisoners'', it was released a year earlier in 2012. He was approached by television producer Sarah Condon with an idea for a television series about the

Ramapough Mountain Indians The Ramapough Lenape Nation is a state-recognized tribe in New Jersey. They were previously named the Ramapough Mountain Indians (also spelled Ramapo), also known as the Ramapough Lenape Nation or Ramapough Lunaape Munsee Delaware Nation. They ...

, resulting in ''

'' for

SundanceTV Sundance TV (formerly known as Sundance Channel) is an American pay television channel owned by AMC Networks that launched on February 1, 1996. The channel is named after Robert Redford's character in ''Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid'' and, w ...

in 2014. The series ended after its second season in 2015. Guzikowski initially co-wrote '' Seventh Son'' for

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...

; the project ended up at Universal, without credit for his work. In November 2014, Universal hired him to write a reboot of '' The Wolf Man''. In December 2015, he was in negotiations for a '' Friday the 13th'' reboot at Paramount Pictures which was ultimately cancelled. He is the creator and primary screenwriter of '' Raised by Wolves'', released in September 2020 on

as part of an overall deal with the network.

Personal life

Guzikowski is of Polish descent - his great-grandmother was from Poland. He moved to Los Angeles after selling his first script in 2009, and is married with three children. He was raised

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

but is no longer practicing, although, he states "I often make connections to Catholic iconography or Bible stories".

Filmography

Film * '' Contraband'' (2012) * '' Prisoners'' (2013) * '' Papillon'' (2017) Television

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Guzikowski, Aaron Living people Year of birth missing (living people) American male writers American male screenwriters American television writers Screenwriters from Massachusetts American male television writers Writers from Brockton, Massachusetts