Derek Connolly
Bornc. 1976 (age 47–48)
Miami, Florida, U.S.
Occupation
  • Screenwriter
  • film producer
Alma materTisch School of the Arts
Years active2005–present

Derek Connolly (born c. 1976)[1] is an American screenwriter and film producer. He is best known for his collaborations with filmmaker Colin Trevorrow, and has written the films Safety Not Guaranteed and the Jurassic World trilogy, which is a part of the Jurassic Park franchise.

Education

Connolly attended Miami Palmetto Senior High School in Miami and New York University Tisch School of the Arts.[2]

Career

Connolly was listed on Variety's Ten Screenwriters to Watch in 2012.[3] Connolly rewrote Kong: Skull Island (2017), for Warner Bros. and Legendary Pictures.[4] Connolly co-wrote early (and ultimately uncredited) drafts of Pacific Rim: Uprising with Guillermo del Toro, Jon Spaihts and Zak Penn; the final screenplay was by Steven S. DeKnight, Emily Carmichael, Kira Snyder and T.S. Nowlin; based on characters by Travis Beacham and del Toro[5] Connolly and Trevorrow co-wrote the screenplay for the sequel Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom (2018), and by February 2018, had written a story treatment for Jurassic World Dominion, set for release on June 10, 2022.[6]

Connolly was reported to be working on a remake of the film Flight of the Navigator,[7] as well as writing an upcoming original Pixar film directed by Teddy Newton[8] and a live action Legend of Zelda film directed by Wes Ball and produced by Shigeru Miyamoto and Avi Arad.[9] Connolly has been tapped to pen the script for a Metal Gear film.[10]

Filmography

Year Film Role Notes
2012 Safety Not Guaranteed Written by, producer Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay
Nominated – Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature
2015 Jurassic World Screenplay by Co-wrote screenplay with Colin Trevorrow, Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver based on a story by Jaffa and Silver and Characters by Michael Crichton
Nominated – Saturn Award for Best Writing
2016 Monster Trucks Wrote screenplay based on a story by Matthew Robinson, Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger
2017 Kong: Skull Island Co-wrote screenplay with Dan Gilroy and Max Borenstein; based on a story by John Gatins and King Kong by Merian C. Cooper and Edgar Wallace
2018 Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom Written by Co-wrote screenplay with Colin Trevorrow, based on Characters by Michael Crichton
2019 Pokémon Detective Pikachu Screenplay by Co-wrote screenplay with Dan Hernandez, Benji Samit, and Rob Letterman
Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker Story by Co-wrote story with Colin Trevorrow, J. J. Abrams & Chris Terrio; screenplay by J. J. Abrams & Chris Terrio; Based on Characters by George Lucas
2022 Jurassic World Dominion Co-wrote story with Colin Trevorrow; screenplay by Colin Trevorrow and Emily Carmichael; based on Characters by Michael Crichton
TBA The Legend of Zelda Screenplay by Based on the Nintendo video game franchise of the same name

Unproduced screenplay

References

  1. ^ Sneider, Jeff (November 29, 2012), "Connolly: College partnership leads to 'Guaranteed' success", Variety, retrieved 2012-12-21
  2. ^ Kareem Tabsch (June 19, 2012), "Safety Not Guaranteed: Miami Screenwriter Derek Connolly Turned an Internet Meme Into an Indie Film Success Story", Miami New Times
  3. ^ "VARIETY'S 10 SCREENWRITERS TO WATCH". Retrieved 2013-03-10.
  4. ^ Kit, Borys (August 18, 2015). "'Jurassic World' Writer Heads to 'Kong: Skull Island' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 19, 2015.
  5. ^ Kit, Borys (May 12, 2016). "Pacific Rim 2 Enlists Jurassic World Writer Derek Connolly (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  6. ^ Kroll, Justin (February 21, 2018). "Jurassic World 3 to Hit Theaters in June 2021". Variety. Retrieved June 11, 2018.
  7. ^ Trumbore, Dave (2012-11-27). "Colin Trevorrow and Derek Connolly to Rewrite FLIGHT OF THE NAVIGATOR Remake; Trevorrow May Direct". Collider. Retrieved 2021-10-18.
  8. ^ "New Pixar Movie Coming From 'Safety Not Guaranteed' Writer Derek Connolly and 'Day & Night' Director Teddy Newton". slashfilm.com. 29 November 2012. Retrieved 2013-03-10.
  9. ^ "'Legend Of Zelda' Live-Action Pic In Works At Sony With Wes Ball Directing, Nintendo Co-Financing". deadline.com. 7 November 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-10.
  10. ^ Kroll, Justin; Lang, Brent (November 8, 2017). "Jurassic World Scribe To Write Metal Gear Solid Film (Exclusive)". Variety. Retrieved November 10, 2017.

External links


Independent Spirit Award for Best First Screenplay
Authority control databases
Categories