Tab Murphy is an American screenwriter, film producer, film director, and television writer.

Biography

Murphy's theatrical debut, ''

Gorillas in the Mist ''Gorillas in the Mist'' is a 1988 American drama film directed by Michael Apted and starring Sigourney Weaver as the naturalist Dian Fossey. It tells the story of her work in Rwanda with mountain gorillas and was nominated for five Academy Aw ...

'', was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

for his writing. In 1995, Murphy made his

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many film makers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

with ''

Last of the Dogmen ''Last of the Dogmen'' is a 1995 American Western film written and directed by Tab Murphy (in his feature directorial debut). It stars Tom Berenger, Barbara Hershey, Kurtwood Smith, and Steve Reevis. Set in the mountains of northwest Montana, U ...

'' and wrote the feature. Afterwards, Murphy has spent nearly ten years with

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...

writing ''

The Hunchback of Notre Dame ''The Hunchback of Notre-Dame'' (french: Notre-Dame de Paris, translation=''Our Lady of Paris'', originally titled ''Notre-Dame de Paris. 1482'') is a French Gothic novel by Victor Hugo, published in 1831. It focuses on the unfortunate story o ...

'' in 1996, ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton II, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adv ...

'' in 1999, '' Atlantis: The Lost Empire'' in 2001, and ''

Brother Bear ''Brother Bear'' is a 2003 American animated musical fantasy comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. The 44th Disney animated feature film, it was directed by Aaron Blaise and Robert Wa ...

'' in 2003. During his time with Disney, he was hired by

TriStar Pictures TriStar Pictures, Inc. (spelled as Tri-Star until 1991) is an American film studio and production company that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, part of the multinational conglomerate Sony. It is a corporate sibling of Sony ...

to write a treatment to a planned sequel to the 1998 film ''

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or '' kaiju'', originating from a series of Japanese films. The character first appeared in the 1954 film ''Godzilla'' and became a worldwide pop culture icon, appearing in various media, including 32 films produc ...

''. But due to negative reviews from critics and audiences alike, the planned sequel was cancelled. After working with Disney for a few years, he then left the company in 2006 and went to work at

Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Studios division of Warner Bros., a flagship of Warner Bros. Discovery. As the successor to Warner Bros. Cartoons, which was active from 1 ...

for a couple years. His work includes '' Superman/Batman: Apocalypse'' and '' Batman: Year One'', and he wrote several episodes for the 2011 ''Thundercats'' reboot, ''

Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013 and is based on the DC Comics Teen Titans, fictional superhero team. The series was ...

'' and ''

Be Cool, Scooby-Doo! ''Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!'' is an American animated television series produced by Warner Bros. Animation as the twelfth incarnation of Hanna-Barbera's ''Scooby-Doo'' animated series. In the show, the ''Scooby-Doo'' gang decide to travel during their ...

''. While at Warner Bros., Murphy wrote the

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

3D thriller film ''

Dark Country ''Dark Country'' is a 2009 American mystery thriller film directed by and starring Thomas Jane in his directorial debut. It also stars Lauren German and Ron Perlman. Plot Newly weds Dick and Gina decide to head across the Nevada desert for the ...

'' for

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Sony Pictures or SPE, and formerly known as Columbia Pictures Entertainment, Inc.) is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio Conglomerate (company), conglom ...

and

Stage 6 Films Stage 6 Films, Inc. is an American film production label of Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions that acquires and produces feature films that are low budget and that are being released straight-to-DVD, on demand, or through streaming services. ...

, based on a short story written by Murphy, and directed by

Thomas Jane Thomas Jane (born Thomas Elliott III; February 22, 1969) is an American actor. He is known for appearing in the films Padamati Sandhya Ragam (1987), ''Boogie Nights'' (1997), ''Deep Blue Sea (1999 film), Deep Blue Sea'' (1999), ''The Punisher ...

. He was attached to write an animated feature directed by

Kirk Wise Kirk Wise (born August 24, 1963) is an American film director, animator and screenwriter best known for his work at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Wise has directed Disney animated films such as ''Beauty and the Beast'', ''The Hunchback of Notre ...

called ''Galaxy Gas'', and a TV pilot that was sold to

Legendary Pictures Legendary Pictures Productions, LLC (doing business as Legendary Entertainment or simply Legendary) is an American film production and mass media company based in Burbank, California, founded by Thomas Tull in 2000. The company has collaborated ...

. Towards the end of the 2010s, Murphy became involved as a writer of two

crowdsourced Crowdsourcing involves a large group of dispersed participants contributing or producing goods or services—including ideas, votes, micro-tasks, and finances—for payment or as volunteers. Contemporary crowdsourcing often involves digita ...

short films: ''The Haunted Swordsman'' and ''The Passengers'', based on the

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author of horror, supernatural fiction, suspense, crime, science-fiction, and fantasy novels. Described as the "King of Horror", a play on his surname and a reference to his high s ...

short story ''

Rest Stop A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names include motorway servi ...

''. In June 2020, Murphy became attached to write a reimagining of the 1980 horror film '' The Changeling''.

Filmography

Unproduced Features

* '' Godzilla 2'' (1999) * '' Beijing Safari'' (2012) * Untitled China Project * ''Galaxy Gas''

Bibliography

Collaborators

: ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame,'' ''Tarzan,'' ''Atlantis: The Lost Empire,'' ''Brother Bear'' (writer) *

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 ...

: ''Gorillas in The Mist,'' ''Batman: Year One,'' ''Batman/Superman: Apocalypse,'' ''Thundercats,'' ''Teen Titans Go,'' ''Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!'' (writer)

Award nominations

* 1989

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment ind ...

- Writing (Screenplay Based on Material From Another Medium for ''

'') * 1989

WGA Award WGA may refer to: In arts and entertainment: * Web Gallery of Art * Writers Guild of Alberta * Writers Guild of America, an American union ** Writers Guild of America, East ** Writers Guild of America, West Other uses: * Wagga Wagga Airport (IATA ...

(Screen) - Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (for ''Gorillas in the Mist'') * 1997

Golden Raspberry Award The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic under-achievements. Co-founded by UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John J. B. Wilson and Mo Murphy, ...

- Worst Written Film Grossing Over $100 Million (for ''

'') * 1999

Annie Awards The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in cinema and television. Originally desig ...

- Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production (for ''

'') * 2003 Annie Awards - Writing in an Animated Feature Production (for ''

'')

References

External links

*
Official Facebook Page

An Interview Tab Murphy - ''Atlantis'' Screenwriter; by Rick West - June 14, 2001

Tab Murphy on Cake
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Tab American screenwriters Animation screenwriters Living people Walt Disney Animation Studios people Year of birth missing (living people)