William Monahan

Infobox Writer
name = William J. Monahan


imagesize = 130px
caption = William Monahan, at "The Departed"'s Boston Premiere, Loews Boston Common, on October 3, 2006.
birthdate = birth date and age|1960|11|3
birthplace = Boston, Massachusetts, United States
deathdate =
deathplace =
occupation = Screenwriter
Novelist
Journalist
Essayist
Critic
nationality = American
pseudonym =
notableworks = Novel ' (2000)
Film"' "Kingdom of Heaven" (2005), "The Departed" (2006)
influences = William Shakespeare, Martin Amis,cite news |title=Fiction (With a Twist of Lennon) |author=William Monahan interviews David Thewlis |date=2007-10-15 |publisher="BlackBook" magazine |url=http://www.blackbookmag.com/features/comments/fiction-with-a-twist-of-lennon1/ |accessdate=2007-10-20] Alan Sillitoe, Robert Bolt, David Lean
influenced =
networth =
spouse =
children =
website =

William Monahan (pronEng|ˈwɪljəm ˈmɒnəhæn) [cite web | url = http://inogolo.com/pronunciation/d801/William_Monahan | title = Pronunciation of William Monahan | accessdate = 2007-05-03 | publisher = inogolo.com] (born November 3, 1960) is an Academy Award-winning American screenwriter, literary novelist, and former journalist. After attending the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, where he studied Elizabethan and Jacobean drama, Monahan, already a professional writer while an undergraduate, as well as a musician in Northampton, Massachusetts, moved to New York City to pursue a career as a journalist, writer and critic. He wrote many satirical pieces for the "New York Press", a few reviews for "The New York Post", and contributed to the magazines "Talk", "Maxim", and "Bookforum". He was also an editor at "Spy" magazine. He won a 1997 Pushcart Prize when the Amherst literary magazine "Old Crow Review" nominated one of his short stories. After "Spy" failed, he concentrated on writing films and published "", a novel which was critically praised and led to Monahan's move into film when in 1998, Warner Bros. bought the film rights to the novel and commissioned Monahan to adapt it to the screen for director Gore Verbinski.

In 2001, 20th Century Fox bought Monahan's spec script about the Barbary Wars called "Tripoli", with Ridley Scott, who was to become Monahan's primary collaborator, attached to direct. Monahan has since worked with Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg, among other filmmakers. His first produced screenplay, "Kingdom of Heaven" was made into a film by Ridley Scott and released to theaters in 2005. His second produced screenplay was "The Departed", a film which earned him a WGA award and an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. A second film that Monahan has completed with Ridley Scott is "Body of Lies", scheduled to be released in the United States on October 10, 2008.

In 2006, he started his own company, Henceforth, and negotiated a "first-look" producing deal with Warner Bros. Monahan resides in the United States with his wife and two children.

Early years

Monahan was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and spent his early years in the neighborhood of Roslindale, eventually moving to the suburbs of Boston at age six when his parents divorced.William Monahan. "Holiday Gift Guide: Merry Crucifix", "New York Press", vol. 9, no. 48 (November 27–December 3, 1996).] Over the years he continued to frequently move, living in many of the suburban communities on the North Shore of Massachusetts with his mother and sister. His father lived in the neighborhood of West Roxbury, working as an engineer. Monahan regularly visited, and often read from his father's extensive book collection—he particularly enjoyed Shakespeare's plays. [cite journal |author=William Monahan |title=The Irish question |journal=Old Crow Review |issue=6 |pages=5 pages |publisher=FkB Press |month=December | year=1995] He has described his upbringing as one in which he had "two households, two families, two homes": his father's family was "deeply Irish, deeply Catholic" and his mother's family was "Anglo-Saxon with an admixture of stuffy Scot". He recalls developing a keen interest in movies at age seven, when it occurred to him that a screenwriter was behind the story in "Lawrence of Arabia".cite news |title=William Monahan: His 'Departed' left Hong Kong for the USA |author=Susan Wloszczyna |date=2007-02-15 |work=USA Today |url=http://www.usatoday.com/life/movies/movieawards/oscars/2007-02-15-screenwriters-monahan_x.htm |accessdate=2007-02-25] His first screenplay was written at age twelve.cite news |title=A Man of Letters |author=Dylan Callaghan |date=2006-10-13 |url=http://www.wga.org/subpage.aspx?id=2240 |publisher=Writers Guild of America, West |accessdate=2007-01-01]

Monahan spent a year moving boxes at a liquor store before he began attending classes at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. He studied Elizabethan and Jacobean drama there,cite news |title=Profane Eloquence: Through the words of William Monahan, Boston swagger meets Hong Kong crime drama |author=John Koch |year=2007 |month=February/March |work=Written By |publisher=The Writers Guild of America, West |url=http://www.wga.org/writtenby/writtenbysub.aspx?id=2312 |accessdate=2007-03-07] and chose the university mainly for its scholars, such as Normand Berlin. He also began publishing fiction in small presses and zines. His earliest known published piece, a short story titled "At the Village Hall", appeared in 1991 in the Northampton zine "Perkins Press". [cite news |title=Adventures in Journalism: Petty Games |author=William Georgiades |date=2004-11-17 |publisher=Mediabistro.com |url=http://www.mediabistro.com/articles/cache/a3200.asp |accessdate=2008-07-15 |quote=It was the free weekly newspaper that was independent and angry enough to say whatever it wanted, and the paper that had made minor stars (cloudy satellites, really) of two writers I'd first published back in Massachusetts.] Two years later, his first novel "Light House" was published serially in the Amherst literary magazine "Old Crow Review" over five installments; it was eventually released as a book by Riverhead Books under the title "". When Kurt Vonnegut visited the campus as part of the university's Distinguished Visitors Program, Monahan attended the event as a writer for "Old Crow Review" and asked a few questions of Vonnegut; he later published an account of Vonnegut's visit in a "New York Press" piece titled "And Slow It Goes". [cite web |title=Robert Kennedy Jr. criticizes environmental policy |author=Michael Busack, Collegian Staff |date=2005-04-20 |work=The Daily Collegian |url=http://www.umass.edu/rso/dvp/history.htm |accessdate=2008-01-15] [William Monahan. "And Slow It Goes: Portrait of Kurt Vonnegut as Hot Fudge Sundae", "New York Press", vol. 7, no. 23 (June 8-14, 1994).] [The literary magazine "Old Crow Review" was founded in 1990, releasing 13 issues between the years 1993 and 2005, published by FkB Press in Amherst, Massachusetts, USA.] He entered into a short-lived business partnership, involving bookmaking, with a lady whom he had first met when he crashed his motorcycle in front of her car and who had then driven him to the hospital; they decided to print a slate of 100 paperback copies of a novella he had written, yet, before any copies were sold, Monahan reconsidered the undertaking and bought out his partner, burning "all the copies but one". [William Monahan. "Holiday Gift Guide: The Seven Pillars of Christmas", "New York Press", vol. 7, no. 48 (November 30-December 6, 1994).]

Musician

In the late 1980s, Monahan was a musician playing guitar in a band called the Slags; they performed in and around Northampton, Massachusetts before breaking up. [cite journal | author= William Georgiades |title=Contributors Notes | journal =Perkins Press | volume =2 | issue =4 | year =1991 "William Monohan ["sic"] 'writes fiction and plays guitar for the Slags.' A long (but it's worth it) short story eats up pages 12 and 13."] A few years later, he was a guitarist and a song-writer in another band called Foam. [cite web |title=The Last Gang: Are there any Clash II interviews with Nick — Pete — Vince |author=BostonBeanEater |date=2007-04-04 |publisher=clashcity.com |url=http://www.clashcity.com/boards/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=15222&p=191010 |accessdate=2007-10-20] During Monahan's brief tenure as editor of "Hamptons" magazine, he hired his friend Mike Ruffino as his assistant, a Northampton writer and a bassist for The Unband. In Ruffino's memoir "Gentlemanly Repose", chronicling his rock career in The Unband, he includes a couple of short anecdotes about Monahan. [cite book |title=Gentlemanly Repose: Confessions Of A Debauched Rock 'n' Roller |author=Michael Ruffino |date=2004-11-01 |publisher=Citadel Press |isbn=978-0806526263 NOTE: Monahan is mentioned thrice in Ruffino's memoir: in the Acknowledgments as the person without whom the "book would not have been possible", on page 37 at a computer monitor smashing party, and on page 157 at a concert where The Unband opened for Def Leppard at the Tweeter Center in Mansfield, Massachusetts. Monahan may be present on page 193 as one of the "guest-listed friends" for The Unband's final show at the Bowery Ballroom on July 29, 2001.]

Man of letters

In 1993, Monahan began contributing essays and short fiction to the alternative weekly "New York Press", where editorial control was unusually permissive compared with most papers, allowing him to publish satirical pieces which were markedly erudite and heavily imbued with literary and historical references. [cite news |title=The P Decades |date=2008-04-23 |work=New York Press |url=http://www.nypress.com/21/17/news&columns/feature2.cfm |accessdate=2008-05-15] [cite news |title=Jim Knipfel: A Swell Looking Babe |author=Brian Berger |date=2007-12-12 |publisher=WhoWalkInBrooklyn.com |url=http://www.whowalkinbrooklyn.com/?p=512 |quote=… it was inspiring to see such a diverse, "weird" group of writers successfully published. |accessdate=2008-08-15 ] At first, the letters from readers reacting to Monahan's satire were favorable, however, in 1995, he regularly courted controversy and reactions from readers became highly polarized: their discourse is best exemplified in the letters responding to the essays "The Angel Factory", "Heroin", and "Dr. Rosenthal, I Presume" (See Reception). He wrote a cover story titled "Ceci n'est pas une bombe" that proved singular for its novel theory about the Unabomber's targeting methodology, which, according to Alston Chase in his book "Harvard and the Unabomber", was the only instance where the lexical clues left by the Unabomber were correctly identified prior to his capture. [cite news |title=Closing in on the Unabomber |date=1995-08-21 |work=Fortune |url=http://money.cnn.com/magazines/fortune/fortune_archive/1995/08/21/205414/] cite book |title=Harvard and the Unabomber: The Education of an American Terrorist |author=Alston Chase |year=2003 |month=March |publisher=W. W. Norton & Company |pages=pp. 43-44 |url=http://books.google.com/books?id=av5iRXPoXZYC&printsec=frontcover#PPA43,M1#PPA44 ] In an essay titled "Manhattan Samurai", Monahan sheds light on the type of journalism published by the "New York Press" with an exchange he recounts in which he was asked "How many reporters on your paper?", and remedially explained "We're all sort of essayists, actually." [William Monahan. "Manhattan Samurai: Swords and Sensibilities", "New York Press", vol. 8, no. 48 (November 29–December 5, 1995).] Years later, when Monahan was establishing himself as a screenwriter, his peers looked back specifically at his journalism at the "New York Press": former "New York Press" colleague Dawn Eden recalled him "as charming, libertarian-leaning, with a razor-sharp wit that he used in print to anger as many people as possible" and "Newsday"'s Jon Fine considered him to have been "an excellent and writer".cite news |title=Crusades-Film Writer's Personal Jihad |author=Dawn Eden |date=2005-05-07 |work=The Dawn Patrol |url=http://www.dawneden.com/2005/05/crusades-film-writers-personal-jihad.html |accessdate=2007-03-17] [cite news |title=Oscar-Winner William Monahan's (Poorly Documented) Past Life |author=Jon Fine |date=2007-02-26 |work=BusinessWeek |url=http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/FineOnMedia/archives/2007/02/oscar-winner_wi.html |accessdate=2007-03-06]

Throughout the summer season of 1995, Monahan wrote a weekly column for the seasonal "Hamptons" magazine. He was hired on account of a scathing review of "Manhattan File" magazine he had written for the "New York Press" in 1994 titled "Filed Away". [William Monahan. "Filed Away: Another Vain Experiment Fails", "New York Press", vol. 7, no. 52 (December 28, 1994-January 3, 1995).] The publisher of "Hamptons" magazine (a publication which covers The Hamptons summer colony during the tourist season) had initially sought permission from Monahan to reprint his review with the objective of slandering "Manhattan File" for personal reasons, but Monahan had declined permission. Instead, Monahan accepted the publisher's offer to write a weekly column, and at the conclusion of its successful run he requested the position of editor at the magazine for the following year. This request was granted, yet his stint as editor of "Hamptons" in 1996 was brief. After editing only three issues he quit, and several weeks later he described his tenure at "Hamptons" in a "New York Press" cover story titled "The Burning Deck: My Brilliant Career at "Hamptons", criticizing the workplace environment as chaotic and "ridiculously unworkable".William Monahan. "The Burning Deck: My Brilliant Career at "Hamptons", "New York Press", vol. 9, no. 29 (July 17-23, 1996). "A few weeks after flattening "Manhattan File" on behalf of western civilization, I got a call from an associate editor at "Hamptons", who said that a person or concept named 'Randy' wanted to reprint the article for any reasonable figure I might like to name. The reason? I had whacked his treasonous former employees. This struck me as disgusting and sleazoid, so I said no; but I did accept an offer to write for the magazine for the summer season of 1995— 500 words a week on anything I liked, at better than the usual rate, cash on the barrelhead."] [cite book |title=The Pushcart Prize XXI: Best of the Small Presses (1997) |editor=Bill Henderson |publisher=Pushcart Press |year=1996 |month=December |chapter=Contributors' notes |isbn=978-1888889000 |quote=WILLIAM MONAHAN has edited a magazine on Long Island, lived in New York City, and is now on the road.] cite news |title=TV critics play the blues |author=Aaron Barnhart |date=2008-07-08 |work=The Kansas City Star |url=http://blogs.kansascity.com/tvbarn/2008/07/tv-critics-play.html|accessdate=2008-07-09] [cite web |title=Mission Statement |publisher="HAMPTONS" magazine |url=http://www.hamptons-magazine.com/mission.php |accessdate=2007-10-20]

In the mid-1990s, Monahan resided in New York City, earning a living doing freelance work for the "New York Press", and gradually for several other publications: he reviewed books for "The New York Post", writing a review of Oliver Stone's first novel "A Child's Night Dream" in one instance, and contributed to the recently launched men's magazine "Maxim", a tremendously successful publication in its first years. [cite news |title=Required Reading |author=William Georgiades |date=2007-02-25 |work=The New York Post |url=http://www.nypost.com/seven/02252007/entertainment/required_reading_entertainment_william_georgiades.htm |accessdate=2007-03-04] [cite news |title=Felix Dennis — owner of Dennis Publishing forwards Maxim magazine |author=Tony Silber |date=1999-04-15 |publisher="Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management" reprinted by FindArticles.com |url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m3065/is_5_28/ai_54471794 |accessdate=2007-11-10] An early and avid user of the internet, Monahan frequently participated in discussions at EchoNYC, a distinctly New York online community. [cite news |title=Echoids |author=Harold Goldberg |date=1998-02-15 |work=The New York Times |url=http://www.nytimes.com/books/98/02/15/reviews/980215.15goldbet.htm] [cite news |title=Night of the Big O (live) |author=James Wolcott |date=2007-02-25 |work=Vanity Fair |url=http://www.vanityfair.com/politics/blogs/wolcott/2007/02/the_most_dispir.html] [William Monahan. " [http://www.nypress.com/14/21/billboard/billboard.cfm Daily Billboard: Defeat Death: Kill Someone] ", "New York Press", vol. 14, no. 21 (May 21, 2001).] Before long, he won recognition for his short fiction. He was awarded a 1997 Pushcart Prize for his short story, "A Relation of Various Accidents Observable in Some Animals Included in Vacuo", following a nomination by "Old Crow Review"; and, in the following year's "Pushcart" volume, his "Perkins Press" short story "At the Village Hall", another nomination by "Old Crow Review", garnered a special mention. [ cite book |title="The Pushcart Prize XXII: Best of the Small Presses"|editor=Bill Henderson |publisher=Pushcart Press |year=1997 |month=December |chapter=Special Mention |isbn=978-1888889017 |pages=p. 609 |url=http://books.google.ca/books?id=BMhZAAAAMAAJ&pgis=1 ] cite book |title=The Pushcart Prize XXI: Best of the Small Presses (1997) |editor=Bill Henderson |author=William Monahan |publisher=Pushcart Press |year=1996 |month=December |chapter=A Relation of Various Accidents Observable in Some Animals Included in Vacuo |isbn=978-1888889000 ]

In 1997, Monahan was hired to work as an editor at "Spy" magazine, a satirical monthly, by the editor-in-chief Bruno Maddox. He later reminisced, in an interview with "The Boston Globe", that he "had God's own job there". Unfortunately, in 1998, "Spy" magazine was shutdown; he had worked on the last four issues as a rewrite man and editor.cite news|title= Standing at the corner of Shakespeare and Scorsese |author=Sam Allis| date=2006-10-03 |work=The Boston Globe |url=http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2006/10/03/standing_at_the_corner_of_shakespeare_and_scorcese/ | accessdate=2007-01-01 ]

"Light House: A Trifle"

In 1998, Monahan sold his first novel "" to Riverhead Books, a Penguin Group imprint. He shortly became a working screenwriter when Warner Bros. optioned the film rights to his novel—still in manuscript—and contracted him to write the adaptation. He continued to occasionally contribute to the "New York Press" and even wrote an essay, on the depiction of Gloucester, Massachusetts in the movies, for "Talk" magazine's debut issue in August 1999. [William Monahan. "So Seedy! Smell that fish bait! Gloucester's a perfect town for pictures", "Talk" magazine, September 1999, Premiere issue, p. 82.] [cite news |title=MUGGER: I’m in Bermuda and Rick Lazio Isn’t |author=Russ Smith |date=1999-08-11 |work=New York Press |url=http://nypress.com/12/32/news&columns/mugger.cfm |accessdate=2007-03-08] It wasn't until 2000 that "Light House: A Trifle" was finally published: it garnered critical acclaim but had lackluster sales.cite press release |title=Van Morrison, Terry George and Bill Monahan honored in LA |date=2007-02-26 |publisher=US-Ireland Alliance |url=http://www.us-irelandalliance.org/wmspage.cfm?parm1=622 |accessdate=2007-03-05] William Georgiades, in a review for "The New York Times", called the novel "a sort of old English farce that allows Monahan [...] to skewer whatever comes to mind: modern art, magazine writing, education, the young"; [cite news |title=An Offshore Farce |author=William Georgiades |date=2000-07-23 |work=The New York Times |url=http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/07/23/bib/000723.rv090232.html |accessdate=2007-03-10] while "BookPage Fiction"'s Bruce Tierney declared Monahan "a worthy successor to Kingsley Amis". [cite web |title=Review: Light House |author=Bruce Tierney |year=2000 |work=BookPage Fiction |url=http://www.bookpage.com/0006bp/fiction/light_house.html |accessdate=2007-03-15] However, Claire Dederer, in an editorial review for Amazon.com, cautioned that " ["Light House"] is not a novel for the culturally illiterate", and criticized the occasional inside-jokes that " [make] most sensible people very tired". [cite web |title=Amazon.com Editorial Review of "Light House" |author=Claire Dederer |url=http://www.amazon.com/Light-House-William-Monahan/dp/157322877X |accessdate=2007-10-01] The work intentionally references the satirical novels of the early 19th century British author Thomas Love Peacock and tells the story of an artist named Tim Picasso who runs afoul of a drug lord and seeks refuge at a New England inn in the middle of a nor'easter.

In late 2001, Monahan wrote a comic serial narrative for the "New York Press" titled "Dining Late with Claude La Badarian", published over thirteen weeks under the pseudonym Claude La Badarian, a fictional restaurant critic of "The Aristocrat" magazine. These short stories made satirical reference to his first novel and literary career.cite news |title=The Last Supper: Being eventually a PROPOSAL for a column called "DINING LATE WITH CLAUDE LA BADARIAN, By Claude La Badarian" |author=William Monahan |date=2001-06-21 |work=New York Press |url=http://www.nypress.com/14/25/news&columns/culture.cfm |accessdate=2007-03-06] The "Dining Late with Claude La Badarian" column was described by a fictional Monahan, who entered the narrative occasionally, as "a blackmailed dining column written by a delusional media scumbag" intended as "a small yet integral part" of a forthcoming second novel. [cite news |title=That Asshole, Monahan |author=Claude La Badarian |date=2001-08-15 |work=New York Press |url=http://www.nypress.com/14/33/news&columns/claude.cfm |quote=To my horror, Monahan said that his next plan was to do a blackmailed dining column written by a delusional media scumbag. It would be a small yet integral part of what, with apologies to me, he was calling "Second Novel".] Each of the twelve columns that followed the initial proposal for the column contained a portrait of Claude La Badarian drawn by Antony Zito, a New York portrait painter and curator as well as Monahan's former band-mate in the Slags. At the conclusion of the serial, Monahan and Bruno Maddox went on a joint book tour that was interrupted by the 9/11 attacks. Shortly afterward he sold his spec script "Tripoli" to 20th Century Fox, and was commissioned to write "Kingdom of Heaven" by Ridley Scott.cite news|title=Interview: Ridley Scott "'Kingdom of Heaven'" |date=2005-05-04 |author=Garth Franklin |work=Dark Horizons |url=http://www.darkhorizons.com/news05/kingdom2.php |accessdate=2007-01-05]

creenwriting career

Monahan's first film commission was the adaptation of his own novel in 1998, with Gore Verbinski attached as director. Warner Bros. optioned the film rights to his satirical novel "".cite news |title='Mars' loses Verbinski: Studio, director cannot agree |author=Chris Petrikin, Dan Cox |date=1999-01-12 |work=Variety |accessdate=2007-01-07 |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117490115.html] Penguin Putnam then wanted to delay publishing the novel; they were interested in releasing it concurrent with the anticipated film release. Monahan continued working as a journalist, editing for "Details" magazine, and reviewing books for "Bookforum" magazine, but had committed to film writing. When "Light House: A Trifle" was finally released in 2000, Monahan had divested himself of any immediate interest in being a novelist. After less than four years in publication, "Light House" was taken off the market by Monahan while he was on location in Spain for the production of "Kingdom of Heaven"; he bought back the rights from the Penguin Group, later lamenting that it was "an empty, damaging gesture".cite news |title=William Monahan – Exclusive Interview |date=2007-02-18 |publisher=Collider.com |url=http://www.collider.com/entertainment/interviews/article.asp?aid=3700&tcid=1 |accessdate=2007-02-20] "Light House" was available in a German edition translated by Ulrike Seeberger. [cite web |title=Light House: Roman. Aus d. Amerikan. v. Ulrike Seeberger von William Monahan |publisher=Buch.de |url=http://www.buch.de/buch/02939/529_light_house.html |accessdate=2007-04-27]

"Tripoli"

In 1990, Monahan wrote a script titled "Tripoli", about William Eaton's epic march on Tripoli during the Barbary Wars, registering it with the WGA with the alternate title of "Captain Eaton", and later set out the opening of "Tripoli" in prose form under the title of "Romantic" in 1997, published in "Old Crow Review". [cite journal |author=William Monahan |title=Romantic |journal=Old Crow Review |issue=8 |pages=16 pages|publisher=FkB Press |month=December | year=1997] While working at "Spy" magazine, Monahan routinely spent two weeks working in Manhattan followed by two weeks writing his own material in Massachusetts; during this period he took the "Tripoli" script out of a drawer and placed it with an agent. In 2001, shortly after he got married, "Tripoli" sold to 20th Century Fox, in a deal worth mid-six figures in American dollars with Mark Gordon attached as the producer.cite news| title=Monahan 'Tripoli' spec lands on Gordon's shore |date=2001-11-27| author=Cathy Dunkley, Jonathan Bing |work=Variety |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117856400.html |accessdate=2007-01-05] The historical epic follows Eaton's campaign against Yusuf Bashaw to restore Yusuf's brother, the exiled heir Hamet Karamanli, to the throne of the Barbary Coast nation of Tripoli, and features a French mercenary named Joubert. [cite news |author=Stax |work=IGN |date=2003-08-07 |title=The Stax Report: Script Review of Tripoli |url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/432/432011p1.html |accessdate=2007-06-30] Ridley Scott signed to direct. Monahan met with Scott to discuss "Tripoli" and Scott mentioned his desire to direct a film about knights. Monahan suggested the fall of the Latin Kingdom of Jerusalem as a setting, and Ridley Scott and Fox commissioned Monahan to write the original screenplay which became "Kingdom of Heaven".

Negotiating deals and production rewriting

Before the start of production on "Kingdom of Heaven" in January 2004, Monahan was hired to write several scripts for big-budget films, beginning in 2002 when it was reported that Universal Pictures had hired him to write the screenplay for "Jurassic Park IV". [cite news |title=Lizards leap again for U: 'Tripoli' scribe returning to 'Park' pen |author=Dana Harris |date=2002-11-06 |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117875636.html |work=Variety |accessdate=2007-01-06] Columbia Pictures then hired him to write a script based on a manuscript by journalist Doug Stanton, later published as "The Horse Soldiers: A True Story of Modern War", which recounted the bloody uprising in the Afghan city Mazari Sharif following the American incursion against the Taliban. Subsequently, Brad Pitt's production company Plan B hired him to adapt the Hong Kong action film "Infernal Affairs", which Martin Scorsese directed under the title "The Departed" for Warner Bros.; the film won Monahan two Best Adapted Screenplay awards, from the Writers Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. [cite news| title=Monahan eyes war script for Col: Busy writer has two tales for Scott, a 'Jurassic' sequel |author=Claude Brodesser |date=2003-03-16 |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117882350.html |work=Variety |accessdate=2007-01-06] [cite news |title=Scorsese takes on Hong Kong gangs: Pitt considering role in popular 'Infernal' redo |author=Claude Brodesser, Cathy Dunkley |date=2004-02-12 |work=Variety |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117900068.html |accessdate=2007-01-06] [cite news |title=Brad Pitt's role as filmmaker threatens to eclipse his actorly exploits and tabloid profile |author=Dade Hayes |date=2006-12-14 |work=Variety |url=http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_article/VR1117955806.html |accessdate=2007-03-03 ] John Sayles was later hired to write a subsequent draft for "Jurassic Park IV" when Monahan became indisposed: he had entered into a production write-through contract for "Kingdom of Heaven", requiring him to be on location to potentially modify its shooting script.cite news |title=William Monahan Talks The Departed |author=Sasha Stone |date=2007-02-16 |publisher=OscarWatch.com |url=http://www.oscarwatch.com/2007/02/william_monahan_talks_the_depa.html |quote="Did you spend any time on the set?" I was on set through the entire shoot on what is known as a production write-through contract. I did the same thing on Kingdom of Heaven. I'll rarely be in there with headphones on while the cameras are rolling, because I think that actors need to work with the director without the writer spooking at them. I'll usually watch the first couple of takes on behalf of the team to make sure I'm not catching any gremlins and then split. I worked through post-production as well, with Thelma and Marty, doing ADR stuff. |accessdate=2007-02-26 ] [cite news|title=Rewriting Jurassic Park IV: Silver City scribe tackles new dinosaur tale |author=Paul Davidson |date=2004-09-17 |url=http://movies.ign.com/articles/549/549150p1.html |work=IGN |accessdate=2007-01-06 ]

"Kingdom of Heaven" released to theaters

After production on "Kingdom of Heaven" completed, Monahan was hired to collaborate once again with director Ridley Scott on an adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's ultra-violent Western novel "Blood Meridian" for producer Scott Rudin. [cite news|title=The Vine: Monahan eyed for 'Blood' work |author=Liza Foreman | date=2004-05-10 |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1000507203 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |accessdate=2007-01-06] In post-production on "Kingdom of Heaven", Scott edited a 3-hour long cut but decided to pare it down after it was discovered at a preview screening that the audience felt the film was too long; Scott was gradually convinced as well and settled on a 145-minute cut. [cite web |title=Kingdom of Heaven: The Director's Cut — Ridley Scott interview |author=Rob Carnevale |work=IndieLondon |url=http://www.indielondon.co.uk/Film-Review/kingdom-of-heaven-the-directors-cut-ridley-scott-interview |accessdate=2007-03-18]

The months leading up to "Kingdom of Heaven"'s theatrical release were troubled when author James Reston Jr. claimed that Monahan's "Kingdom of Heaven" script violated the copyright of his 2001 novel "". Reston claimed that a producer had previously offered Ridley Scott the book for a movie deal but was turned down. He alleged that the entire second half of Monahan's shooting script was based on the first 105 pages of his book, and noted that "Kingdom of Heaven" is the title of the second chapter. [cite news |title=Inside Move: Scribe on crusade over 'Heaven' script: Reston fires on Fox over 'Kingdom' |author=William Triplett, Claude Brodesser |date=2005-03-28 |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117920194.html |work=Variety |accessdate=2007-01-06] 20th Century Fox denied all of Reston's claims and Monahan, in an e-mail, commented, "There was no infringement, period. I've been familiar with the fall of the Latin Kingdom for thirty-odd years." Reston did not pursue the matter and never filed a lawsuit.cite news |title=Hollywood on Crusade: With His Historical Epic, Ridley Scott Hurtles Into Vexing, Volatile Territory |author=Bob Thompson |date=2005-05-01 |work=The Washington Post |url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/04/29/AR2005042900744.html |accessdate=2007-01-08]

In the meantime, it was reported that Monahan had secured work on two Warner Bros. projects. He was hired to adapt Louis Begley's novel "Wartime Lies" for Warner Independent Pictures, previously in development as a Stanley Kubrick project called "Aryan Papers". [cite news |title= WIP a 'Wartime' recruit: Warner catches WWII 'Lies' |author=Claude Brodesser |date=2005-05-10 |work=Variety |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117922510.html |accessdate=2007-01-06] A second script was to be based on Marco Polo's autobiography "Travels", as a star vehicle for actor Matt Damon, titled "The Venetian", and set during Polo's Far East explorations.cite news |title=Warner Bros. plays 'Polo': Historical epic to feature Damon as explorer |author=Michael Fleming |date=2005-05-02 |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117922038.html |work=Variety |accessdate=2007-01-06]

"Kingdom of Heaven" was released theatrically in May 2005. Peter Canavese of "Groucho Reviews" described "Kingdom" as a "confusing compromise at best and a dull obfuscation of history at worst" and Jeffrey M. Anderson of "Combustible Celluloid" wrote that "Kingdom" "has at its center a bold story, and yet it sits there like a stone pillar". [cite web |title=Kingdom of Heaven (2005) Review |author=Peter Canavese |work=Groucho Reviews |url=http://www.grouchoreviews.com/index.php?module=Movie_Reviews&func=display&id=2221 |accessdate=2007-03-18] [cite web |title=Kingdom of Heaven (2005) Review |author=Jeffrey M. Anderson |work=Combustible Celluloid |url=http://www.combustiblecelluloid.com/2005/kingheav.shtml |accessdate=2007-03-18] Ridley Scott later remarked that he got carried away with cutting the film in the editing room and learned that "the enemy is previews" because these test screenings are tantamount to asking an inexperienced group of people to be film critics. [cite news |title=Ridley Scott's French Invasion |author=Edward Douglas |date=2006-11-03 |publisher=ComingSoon.net |url=http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=17321 |accessdate=2007-03-18] "Kingdom" was reappraised by critics when it was released on DVD in the form of a director's cut, containing an additional 45 minutes of footage previously shot from Monahan's shooting script. Critics were pleased with the extended version of the film and James Berardinelli of "ReelViews" remarked how "now that the director's cut is available, there's no reason for anyone to watch the neutered theatrical edition". [cite web |title=Kingdom of Heaven: Director's Cut: A Film Review |author=James Berardinelli |year=2006 |publisher=ReelViews.net |url=http://www.reelviews.net/movies/k/kingdom_heaven_directors.html |accessdate=2007-03-04]

Best Adapted Screenplay Awards for "The Departed"

While Monahan was on the set of "The Departed" his wife gave birth to a daughter. He was already a step-father to his wife's son. Monahan managed to get two days off to spend with them.cite news |title=William Monahan's 2007 Oscar Acceptance Speech |date=2007-02-25 |publisher=OSCAR.com |url=http://www.oscar.com/oscarnight/winners/?pn=detail&nominee=TheDepartedWritingAdaptedScreenplayNominee |archiveurl=http://web.archive.org/web/20070302104347/http://www.oscar.com/oscarnight/winners/?pn=detail&nominee=TheDepartedWritingAdaptedScreenplayNominee |archivedate=2007-03-02 |accessdate=2007-03-05] In the run-up to "The Departed"'s theatrical release, Monahan was hired by Warner Bros. to adapt David Ignatius' novel "Body of Lies" into a film of the same title, about a CIA operative who goes to Jordan to track a high-ranking terrorist, with Ridley Scott directing. [cite news |title=Warner sets spy team: Scott to helm Monahan-adapted 'Penetration' |author=Michael Fleming |date=2006-03-13 |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117939610.html |work=Variety |accessdate=2007-01-06] He also started his own company on the Warner Bros. lot called Henceforth and negotiated a first-look producing deal that gave the studio the first right of first refusal on any films produced by Henceforth. In return Monahan and producer Quentin Curtis received from Warner Bros. the film rights to produce John Pearson's true crime novel "The Gamblers"; reportedly Monahan will write the adaptation.cite news |title='Departed' scribe digs WB: Studio inks overall deal with Monahan |author=Michael Fleming |date=2006-10-05 |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117951278.html |work=Variety |accessdate=2007-01-05]

When Martin Scorsese's "The Departed" was released to theaters in October 2006, Monahan received considerable praise from critics and was applauded for his depiction of the city of Boston. Monahan had chosen not to watch "Infernal Affairs" so that he could create an original interpretation of the Hong Kong action film, and instead worked from an English translation of the Chinese script. [cite news |title=Movie Review: The Departed |author=Beth Accomando |date=2006-10-06 |publisher=KPBS.Org |url=http://www.kpbs.org/blogs/movies/2006/10/06/the-departed/ |accessdate=2007-03-10] He used his intimate knowledge of the way Bostonians talk and act, learned from his youth spent in the many neighborhoods of Boston, to create characters that "The Boston Globe" described as distinctly indigenous to the city. [cite news |title=Oscar winners weigh in on victory: Backstage notes at the Academy Awards |author=David S. Cohen, Justin Chang |date=2007-02-25 |work=Variety |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117960130.html |accessdate=2007-03-02] cite news |title=The Storyteller |author=Sam Allis| date=2006-12-31 |work=The Boston Globe |url=http://www.boston.com/news/globe/magazine/articles/2006/12/31/the_storyteller/ |accessdate=2007-01-02]

"The Departed" won many critics' prizes. [cite news |title= 'The Departed' tops Boston film critics' awards |author=Wesley Morris |date=2006-12-11 |work=The Boston Globe |url=http://www.boston.com/ae/movies/articles/2006/12/11/the_departed_tops_boston_film_critics_awards/ |accessdate=2007-01-06 ] [cite news |title='Departed' tops Chicago critics' list |date=2006-12-29 |work=Chicago Sun-Times |url=http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/movies/190265,CST-FTR-critics29.article |accessdate=2007-01-06] [cite news |title= Oscar 2006: Southeastern Film Critics Select The Departed |date=2006-12-19 |url=http://www.emanuellevy.com/article.php?articleID=4000 |work=Hollywood News |accessdate=2007-01-06] The "Los Angeles Times" reported that Monahan had hired a publicist to run a campaign promoting his screenplay during the awards season, [cite news |title=SCRIPTLAND: Publicists get ink for screenwriters: Even Oscar-nominated writers need someone looking out for their interests in the crush of award season. |author=Jay Fernandez |date=2007-02-21 |work=Los Angeles Times |url=http://articles.latimes.com/2007/feb/21/entertainment/et-scriptland21 |accessdate=2007-02-21 ] although he had in fact hired the publicity firm to manage relations with the studio involved, and had respectfully refused most publicity offers during the awards season, including an appearance on "The Charlie Rose Show"; he rarely does in-person interviews. He was honored by the US-Ireland Alliance for his writing in film and ended up winning two Best Adapted Screenplay awards for "The Departed", from the Writers Guild of America and from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. [cite news |title='Departed' shines at WGA kudos: 'Miss' a hit with scribes |author=Dave McNary |date=2007-02-11 |work=Variety |url=http://www.variety.com/awardcentral_article/VR1117959264.html |accessdate=2007-02-21] [cite news |title=Scorsese cuffs Oscar: 'Departed' named best pic |author=Gregg Kilday |date=2007-02-26 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003550152 |accessdate=2007-03-02] He was later invited to join the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. [cite news | title = Film Academy Invites 115 New Members | url = http://abclocal.go.com/kabc/story?section=entertainment&id=5400194 | author = Associated Press | date = June 19, 2007 | accessdate = 2007-06-22 | publisher = abc7.com] As of 2007, he is working on a film treatment for a follow-up to "The Departed", which may be either a prequel or a sequel. [cite news |title=Monahan Has Started More Departed |author=Dennis Michael |date=2007-02-01 |publisher=FilmStew.com |url=http://www.filmstew.com/showArticle.aspx?ContentID=15440 |accessdate=2007-02-20]

Taking on producing roles with intent to direct

After winning the 2007 Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for "The Departed", it was announced that Monahan had been hired to work on two film projects: an adaptation of the Hong Kong film "Confession of Pain" and an original Rock and Roll film titled "The Long Play". Monahan signed to both executive produce and write the adaptation of the Hong Kong film "Confession of Pain" for Warner Bros. Pictures, later given the title "Nothing in the World"; it would be his second adaptation of a Media Asia Films production created by directors Andrew Lau and Alan Mak and screenwriter Felix Chong. [cite press release |title=Media Asia's event film "Confession of Pain" |date=2006-07-10 |publisher=Media Asia Entertainment Group Ltd. |url=http://www.mediaasia.com/eng/news_detail.php?Id=249 |accessdate=2007-03-06] cite news |title=Monahan, DiCaprio reconnect |author=Borys Kit |date=2007-02-27 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/search/article_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003550909 |accessdate=2007-03-02] cite news |title=Scribes list celebrates tenth edition: Variety marks occasion with alumni update |author=Variety staff |date=2008-06-18 |work=Variety |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117987715.html |accessdate=2008-06-24] Monahan's other commission was to rewrite a script about the history of the rock music business titled "The Long Play" ("Rolling Stone" writer Rich Cohen, commissioned in 1999 by Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese, completed the original drafts and Matthew Weiss wrote the subsequent drafts). [cite news |title=HBO gets 'Tough' with rock scribe Cohen |author=Jonathan Bing |date=2001-01-17 |work=Variety |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117792079.html |accessdate=2007-03-02] [cite web |title=Matthew Weiss: Filmography |work=The New York Times |url=http://movies2.nytimes.com/gst/movies/filmography.html?p_id=231945 |accessdate=2007-03-21] cite news |title=Scorsese, Monahan ready to 'Play': 'Departed' duo rock on at Paramount |author=Michael Fleming, Pamela McClintock |date=2007-02-26 |work=Variety |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117960184.html |accessdate=2007-03-02]

In 2007, the movie rights to Robert Graves' novel "I, Claudius", previously held by the BBC and Jim Sheridan, were expired and consequently brought back into the marketplace on behalf of the author's estate. [cite news |title=Scott Rudin seizes 'I, Claudius': Producer nabs screen rights to Graves book |author=Michael Fleming |date=2007-09-05 |work=Variety |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117971367.html |accessdate=2007-01-15] "I, Claudius" is the first of two books Graves wrote that form the fictional autobiography of the Roman Emperor Claudius, who ruled from 41–54 A.D. The movie rights were contested by several studios, including Warner Bros., but producer Scott Rudin outbid them, reportedly leasing the rights to "I, Claudius" in a two million dollar deal. The companies of Monahan and Leonardo DiCaprio (Henceforth and Appian Way, respectively) both had first look deals with Warner Bros., but despite their studio's losing bid, they were reported to be attached to Rudin's intended "I, Claudius" feature film with Monahan adapting the novel and DiCaprio starring.cite news |title=Rudin picks up 'Claudius' film rights: DiCaprio, Monahan eye project |author=Borys Kit |date=2007-09-06 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/news/e3i6f8f659f09a5fba94b2a2c4671ffd193 |accessdate=2007-10-20] cite news |title=Hollywood's family fray: Streamlined Disney fights to keep crown |author=Marc Graser |date=2007-10-05 |work=Variety |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117973530.html |accessdate=2007-10-20] However, the rights to the Graves novels proved compromised: Rudin did not complete the deal. Monahan and DiCaprio are not attached to "I, Claudius". [cite news |title=Relativity says aye, 'Claudius': Jim Sheridan to co-write, direct |author=Borys Kit |date=2008-09-12 |work=The Hollywood Reporter |url=http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/hr/content_display/television/news/e3i6e1ea93903c4b3a3d377eba19b9ab13a |accessdate=2008-09-12 ]

In the weeks following the end of the 2007–2008 Writers Guild of America strike, it was reported that Monahan had been hired by Warner Bros. to adapt the South Korean action film "The Chaser". He shortly thereafter entered into a first look deal with GK films, the production company of Graham King, a producer on "The Departed", who had hired Monahan in 2007 to write a feature film adaptation of the six-hour 1985 BBC mini-series "Edge of Darkness"; as part of this deal, Monahan was enlisted to write a script about drug dealer Jim Keene, based on Hillel Levin's "Playboy" article, "The Strange Redemption of James Keene". [cite news |title=All too quiet on the post-strike front |author=Steven Zeitchik and Borys Kit |date=2008-02-22 |work=Hollywood Reporter ] Hillel Levin. "The Strange Redemption of James Keene", "Playboy", vol. 55, no. 8 (August 2008), pp. 54–56, 64, 121–124. NOTE: Levin is currently expanding this article into a book, to explore in greater depth several larger issues he has raised.] Monahan, already acting in producing capacities on several films, was then reported to have acquired, in conjunction with producer Quentin Curtis, the rights to Ken Bruen's novel "London Boulevard" (a novel which pays homage to the film noir classic "Sunset Boulevard" and has some plot points in common with the film, although it is set in London's criminal underworld); Monahan has written the screenplay and will direct the film. [cite news |title='London Boulevard' by Ken Bruen |author=K. Robert Einarson |date=Spring 2007 |publisher="Spinetingler" magazine |url=http://www.spinetinglermag.com/london_boulevard_review.htm |accessdate=2008-06-01]

"Body of Lies" released to theaters

Writing process

Monahan prefers that screenplays be written by one author and does not support the collaborative model in which multiple screenwriters write competing drafts. His interest in motion pictures began at an early age, but he admittedly steered clear of the film industry because he mistakenly surmised that the collaborative model was a de facto practice for creating screenplays. However, in his mid 30s, he went to Hollywood to adapt his first novel into a film and later discovered that if you produce exceptional work, you can "stick to your own model of work, instead of caving in to industry expectations", however, he acknowledged that the writer does need to have the backing of a powerful film director who will protect his vision. Since then, he has generally been the sole writer on his screenplays, except for "Jurassic Park IV", which was taken over by John Sayles and rewritten when Monahan had to go on location for "Kingdom of Heaven".

Monahan has quipped that, having studied English drama for over 30 years, he is "post-conscious about craft". When doing historical fiction he reads the available primary sources and will not look at a contemporary book. [cite news |title=A burly war epic and a gay TV channel. Next year should be fun |author=Richard Corliss and Jeanne McDowell |date=2004-10-03 |work=Time Magazine |url=http://www.time.com/time/covers/1101041011/nextentertainment.html |accessdate=2007-03-06] He is critical of the instruction given by people running screenwriting courses, and has said that "classes and books on screenwriting do far more harm than good, because writing drama is intuitional and case-by-case". He has stated a couple of times that he believes there are no general rules to writing, and, in a Collider.com interview, he further elaborated that he has come to realize that " [e] ach work has its own inherent rules. You discover them. You don’t import them."

In his experience he has found that "when you’re writing a character, you are that character", musing that "It’s probably no joke that Shakespeare was an actor."

Monahan has said that he would prefer to work on an old Olivetti Praxis typewriter in many instances because there are too many distractions on a modern computer.

Credits

Essays, criticism, reviews, and short fiction

Novels and serialized work

*
* William Monahan (serialized between June and September 2001). "Dining Late with Claude La Badarian", published weekly at the "New York Press" under the pseudonym Claude La Badarian.

Films

*"Kingdom of Heaven" (2005; screenplay)
*"The Departed" (2006; screenplay)
*"Body of Lies" (2008; screenplay)
*"Edge of Darkness" (2009; in production; screenplay)cite news |title=Mel Gibson returns for 'Darkness': Actor back onscreen with 'Edge' |author=Michael Fleming |date=2008-04-28 |work=Variety |url=http://www.variety.com/VR1117984773.html]

creenplays (yet to be produced)

*"Light House" (2000; adaptation of Monahan's satirical novel "") [cite web |title=About This Book: Light House: A Trifle |publisher=Powell's Books |url=http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio?inkey=17-157322877x-0 |accessdate=2007-03-08]
*"Tripoli" (2001; Monahan's first sale of a spec script)
*"Mazar e Sharif" (adaptation of author Doug Stanton's book "The Horse Soldiers: A True Story of Modern War")
*"Blood Meridian" (adaptation of Cormac McCarthy's "Blood Meridian")
*"Wartime Lies" (adaptation of Louis Begley's "Wartime Lies")
*"The Venetian"
*"Nothing in the World" (adaptation of the Hong Kong action film "Confession of Pain")
*"London Boulevard" (adaptation of novelist Ken Bruen's "London Boulevard" (2001); Monahan is also directing)cite news |title=Monahan takes Bruen's 'Boulevard': Scribe to make directing debut on crime drama |author=Michael Fleming |date=2008-04-02 |work=Variety |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117983390.html]
*"Jurassic Park IV" (first drafts of screenplay)

creenplays (unwritten)

*"The Gamblers" (adaptation of John Pearson's "The Gamblers")
*"The Long Play" (rewrite)
*Untitled Jim Keene Project (adaptation of a "Playboy" article about drug dealer Jim Keene)cite news |title=Monahan to write Paramount thriller: Story based on upcoming Playboy article |author=Michael Fleming |date=2008-03-19 |work=Variety |url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1117982681.html] [cite news |title=Untitled Jim Keene Project (2010) |url=http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1143919/ |publisher=IMDB]
*"The Chaser" (adaptation of the South Korean crime movie "The Chaser") [cite news |title=Warner Bros. to remake 'The Chaser': Studio picks up rights to South Korean hit |author=Michael Fleming and Darcy Paquet |date=2008-03-06 |work=Variety |url=http://www.variety.com/VR1117982002.html]

References and notes

Further reading

* The first draft for "Kingdom of Heaven" is available on Disc 3 of the "Kingdom of Heaven" Director's Cut (Four-Disc Special Edition) DVD.
* The shooting script for "The Departed" is available for [http://php.warnerbros.com/movies/warnerbros2006/departedfinal.pdf download on Warner Bros. website]
*

Interviews

* NOTE: Contains two audio interviews, each approximately twenty-five minutes long.
*
*

External links

*imdb name|id=1184258|name=William Monahan
* [http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x70nst_william-monahan-body-of-lies-red-ca_shortfilms Short video of William Monahan] on the red carpet for "Body of Lies".

Persondata
NAME= Monahan, William J.
ALTERNATIVE NAMES=
SHORT DESCRIPTION= Screenwriter, Novelist
DATE OF BIRTH= November 3, 1960
PLACE OF BIRTH= Dorchester, Massachusetts, United States
DATE OF DEATH=
PLACE OF DEATH=