Philippa Jane Boyens (born 1962) is a New Zealand
screenwriter and
film producer who co-wrote the
screenplay for
Peter Jackson's films
''The Lord of the Rings'' series, ''
King Kong
King Kong is a fictional giant monster resembling a gorilla, who has appeared in various media since 1933. He has been dubbed The Eighth Wonder of the World, a phrase commonly used within the franchise. His first appearance was in the novelizat ...
'', ''
The Lovely Bones
''The Lovely Bones'' is a 2002 novel by American writer Alice Sebold. It is the story of a teenage girl who, after being raped and murdered, watches from her personal Heaven as her family and friends struggle to move on with their lives while sh ...
'', and the three-part film ''
The Hobbit
''The Hobbit, or There and Back Again'' is a children's fantasy novel by English author J. R. R. Tolkien. It was published in 1937 to wide critical acclaim, being nominated for the Carnegie Medal and awarded a prize from the ''N ...
'',
all with Jackson and
Fran Walsh
Dame Frances Rosemary Walsh (born 10 January 1959) is a New Zealand screenwriter and film producer.
The partner of filmmaker Peter Jackson, Walsh has contributed to all of their films since 1989: as co-writer since '' Meet the Feebles'', and ...
.
She, Jackson, and Walsh won the
Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
The Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay is the Academy Award for the best screenplay Film adaptation, adapted from previously established material. The most frequently adapted media are novels, but other adapted narrative formats include st ...
for ''
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'' at the
76th Academy Awards
The 76th Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored the best films of 2003 and took place on February 29, 2004, at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood, Los Angeles beginning at 5:30 ...
in 2004. She was also co-producer on every one of Jackson's films since ''King Kong'', and on ''
District 9
''District 9'' is a 2009 science fiction mockumentary film directed by Neill Blomkamp in his feature film debut, written by Blomkamp and Terri Tatchell, and produced by Peter Jackson and Carolynne Cunningham. It is a co-production of New Zea ...
''. Prior to screen-writing, Boyens worked in theater as a playwright, teacher, producer, and editor. She also spent time as director of the
New Zealand Writers Guild
The New Zealand Writers Guild (NZWG) is a New Zealand trade union which represents writers in the fields of film, television, radio, theatre, video and multi-media. The guild's name in Māori language is Puni Taatuhi o Aotearoa. It provides ser ...
.
Personal life
Born in 1962, Boyens is the daughter of John Fraser Boyens and Jane Moana Menhennet. She was educated at
Massey High School
Massey High School is a co-educational state secondary school in West Auckland, New Zealand established in 1969. The school is located on the western edge of the city, thus obtaining students from both suburban and rural backgrounds. In 2017 it w ...
, and was later a part-time student at the
University of Auckland
, mottoeng = By natural ability and hard work
, established = 1883; years ago
, endowment = NZD $293 million (31 December 2021)
, budget = NZD $1.281 billion (31 December 2021)
, chancellor = Cecilia Tarrant
, vice_chancellor = Dawn F ...
, graduating with a
BA in English and history in 1994. She received a Distinguished Alumni Award from the university in 2006.
She has three children: daughter Phoebe Gittins and son Calum Gittins (both with actor
Paul Gittins
Paul Gittins is a New Zealand actor who is best known for playing Doctor Michael McKenna in ''Shortland Street'' from 1992 to 1995 and 1998 to 1999, and he has also appeared in ''The End of the Golden Weather'', '' Xena: Warrior Princess'', ''H ...
); and a second son, Isaac Miller. Phoebe appeared as a Hobbit in ''
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring'', as one of George Harvey's victims in ''
The Lovely Bones
''The Lovely Bones'' is a 2002 novel by American writer Alice Sebold. It is the story of a teenage girl who, after being raped and murdered, watches from her personal Heaven as her family and friends struggle to move on with their lives while sh ...
'', and as a wench in the
Prancing Pony
Bree is a fictional village in J. R. R. Tolkien's Middle-earth, east of the Shire. Bree-land, which contains Bree and a few other villages, is the only place where Hobbits and Men lived side by side. It was inspired by the name of the Buckingh ...
in ''
The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug''; Calum appeared as
Haleth in ''
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers''; and Isaac appeared as a young Hobbit in a flashback of the Old Took's party in the extended edition of ''
The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey''.
In the
2004 Queen's Birthday Honours, Boyens was appointed a
Member of the New Zealand Order of Merit
The New Zealand Order of Merit is an order of merit in the New Zealand royal honours system. It was established by royal warrant on 30 May 1996 by Elizabeth II, Queen of New Zealand, "for those persons who in any field of endeavour, have ren ...
, for services to film.
Work on ''Lord of the Rings''
Boyens first became a Tolkien fan as a child. When she came on board to help the writing team on ''
The Lord of the Rings
''The Lord of the Rings'' is an epic high-fantasy novel by English author and scholar J. R. R. Tolkien. Set in Middle-earth, intended to be Earth at some time in the distant past, the story began as a sequel to Tolkien's 1937 children's b ...
'', she had already read the book seven times.
Filmography
Writer
Producer
Soundtrack
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyens, Philippa
1962 births
21st-century New Zealand women writers
21st-century New Zealand writers
21st-century screenwriters
Best Adapted Screenplay Academy Award winners
Best Adapted Screenplay BAFTA Award winners
Hugo Award-winning writers
Living people
Members of the New Zealand Order of Merit
Nebula Award winners
New Zealand screenwriters
New Zealand women screenwriters
People educated at Massey High School
University of Auckland alumni