Daniel Knauf

"Wilfred Schmidt" redirects here. For the English footballer who was born Wilfred Schmidt, see Wilf Smith (footballer born 1946).

Daniel Knauf
Pen name	Wilfred Schmidt, Chris Neal
Occupation	Screenwriter, comic book writer, television producer
Nationality	American
Alma mater	California State University, Los Angeles
Notable work(s)	Carnivàle Year Zero
Influences J. R. R. Tolkien,[1] Charles Dickens,[2] Stanley Kubrick,[3] Tim Burton,[3] Tod Browning,[3] David Lynch[3]

Daniel Knauf, sometimes credited under the pseudonyms Wilfred Schmidt and Chris Neal, is an American screenwriter, comic book writer, director and producer best known for his creation of the 2003 HBO series Carnivàle.

Biography

Born and raised in Los Angeles, Knauf attended several colleges in South California studying fine art, and later graduated from the California State University, Los Angeles with a bachelor's degree in English in 1982.^[4] He began work as a employee benefits consultant and later a health insurance broker, writing once he was able to support himself and his family financially.^[3][4] Hoping to become a screenwriter, Knauf's first script was a draft of Carnivàle, written in 1992,^[2] 180 pages long and twice the length of the average feature film.^[3] Convinced the screenplay could not work as either a standard television series or a film, he put it aside, planning to one day adapt it into a novel.^[2] Carnivàle evolved as a result of Knauf's childhood fascination with carnivals and his interest in "freaks", due in part to the childhood polio that confined his father to a wheelchair, which Knauf felt his father was defined by.^[2][3] After meeting with a number of television writers at a Writers Guild of America retreat in the mid-90s, he started to think that his screenplay might work as a television piece. He took the first act and reworked it as a television pilot, but shelved the script again when he could not get the project produced.^[3]

Knauf went on to write the 1994 HBO-produced television movie Blind Justice,^[5] and, during a low-point in his screenwriting career, created his own website, posting his resume and Carnivàle's first act online.^[3] He created the 2001 television pilot Honey Vicarro and wrote, produced and directed for the television series Wolf Lake and feature film Dark Descent^[4] before a television production scout brought Carnivàle to television producers Scott Winant and Howard Klein, who brought it to HBO where the series ended up being produced,^[5] twelve years after Knauf had first drafted the script.^[3]

Since Carnivàle was cancelled in 2005, Knauf has moved on to write for television series Supernatural and Standoff also serving as a co-executive producer on Standoff. He worked as a writer for the Christian Slater drama My Own Worst Enemy in 2008.

He and his son Charles Knauf have written issues 7-18 and 21-28 of Iron Man for Marvel Comics,^[6] as well as volume #2 of The Eternals since its 2006 revival after over thirty years.^[7][8] He will also write a Captain America Theater of War: Zero-Point story set during World War II, and has submitted a draft to Sci Fi Channel for an adaptation of the Phantom.

He was a consulting producer for the latter part of the first season of historical action drama Spartacus: Blood and Sand. Knauf wrote two episodes for the first season. Knauf co-wrote with Andrea Berloff and Caleb Pinkett the script for the upcoming mystery thriller The Legend of Cain.^[9]

On September 28, 2010, it was announced that Knauf will be writing the HBO/BBC America mini-series, Year Zero, based on the concept album by Nine Inch Nails front man Trent Reznor.

References

1. ^ Tuohy, Wendy (December 24, 2004). "Magical mystery tour". The Sydney Morning Herald. http://www.smh.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Magical-mystery-tour/2004/12/23/1103391887687.html. Retrieved 2008-05-02. 
2. ^ ^{a b c d} ""The Making of a Magnificent Delusion": Daniel Knauf". HBO. http://www.hbo.com/carnivale/behind/daniel_knauf.shtml. Retrieved 2008-05-02. 
3. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j} Tuohy, Wendy (December 16, 2004). "Freaking hell". The Age. http://www.theage.com.au/news/TV--Radio/Freaking-hell/2004/12/14/1102787083353.html. Retrieved 2008-05-02. 
4. ^ ^{a b c} "Daniel Knauf: Creator/Executive Producer". HBO. http://www.hbo.com/carnivale/cast/crew/daniel_knauf.shtml. Retrieved 2008-05-02. 
5. ^ ^{a b} Frankel, Daniel (June 16, 2004). "Carnivale: Where mysticism's often meted out in meticulously slow fashion". Variety. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117906608.html?categoryid=1734&cs=1. Retrieved 2008-05-02. 
6. ^ Weiland, Jonah (September 27, 2005). ""Carnivale" Creator Daniel Knauf to Write "Iron Man"". Comic Book Resources. http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=5722. Retrieved 2008-05-02. 
7. ^ Minnick, Remy (July 27, 2007). "CCI: Charles & Daniel Knauf: Waking Up from An Eternal Slumber". Comic Book Resources. http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=10960. Retrieved 2008-05-02. 
8. ^ Eternal Glory of the King: Knaufs talk “Eternals”, Comic Book Resources, June 11, 2008
9. ^ Will Smith Puts the Bite On in The Legend of Cain

External links

• Daniel Knauf at the Internet Movie Database

Preceded by Warren Ellis

Iron Man writer 2006–present (with Charles Knauf)

Succeeded by Matt Fraction

Persondata
Name	Knauf, Daniel
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth
Place of birth	Los Angeles, California
Date of death
Place of death