David Franzoni
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David Harold Franzoni (born March 4, 1947) is an American screenwriter and film producer. He conceived the story for, co-wrote and co-produced the 2000 film ''Gladiator (2000 film), Gladiator'', for which he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay and won the Academy Award for Best Picture. His other screenplays include ''King Arthur (2004 film), King Arthur'' (2004), ''Amistad (film), Amistad'' (1997), and ''Jumpin' Jack Flash (film), Jumpin’ Jack Flash'' (1986).


Career

Franzoni's script for ''Gladiator'' was a revival of the Peplum (film genre), sword-and-sandal genre, using characters very different from the original and drawing upon available historic and archaeological sources. He started to write the story in the 1970s, after reading the 1958 non-fiction book ''Those About to Die'' by Daniel P. Mannix, which detailed the Roman gladiatorial games. For ''Amistad'', Franzoni decided not to use a standard narrative, explaining, "the typical slant in this sort of film is to have the poor, chained black man arrive in the presence of the white guy, who has a good soul and fights the good faith to liberate the black man." Franzoni was also the one who convinced Steven Spielberg to direct the film. Franzoni stated that the screenplay of ''King Arthur'' "aims more for history than myth," and again relied upon archaeological evidence in an attempt to create a more realistic human and political interpretation of the character.


Filmography


References


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* 1947 births Living people American male screenwriters Filmmakers who won the Best Film BAFTA Award Producers who won the Best Picture Academy Award University of Vermont alumni {{US-screenwriter-stub