Joshua R. Olson is an American screenwriter and podcaster, known for writing the 2005 film A History of Violence.
Josh Olson | |
|---|---|
 Josh Olson at the 2008 Screenwriting Expo | |
| Born | |
| Occupation(s) | Podcast writer, Screenwriter |
Career
editOlson wrote and directed the low budget horror film Infested in 2002.[1] He wrote the screenplay for the 2005 film A History of Violence.[2][3]. He was nominated for the British Academy Award,[4] the Writer's Guild Award[4] and the Academy Award.[5] In 2006, Olson collaborated with Harlan Ellison on an adaptation of the author's short story "The Discarded" for ABC's series Masters of Science Fiction.[3][6] He worked on Peter Jackson's film based on the Halo video game series, but the project was later cancelled.[7]
Olson wrote the first draft of the movie Jack Reacher, for Paramount Pictures.[8][9] Ultimately, the movie was written and directed by Christopher McQuarrie [10][11]
Olson wrote two seasons of the audio drama, Bronzeville, which is produced by and stars Laurence Fishburne and Larenz Tate.[2] He is one of the hosts of the film interview podcast, "The Movies That Made Me", along with director Joe Dante.[12]
Olson co-hosts with Dave Anthony The West Wing Thing, a podcast rewatching and discussing episodes of The West Wing and its impact on politics.[13] In 2020, Olson started Rainy Day Podcasts with Mick Jagger, Steve Bing, and Victoria Pearman. The company has a "first look deal" with Warner Brothers, and will produce original narrative podcasts.[2]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | On the Border | Screenplay; television film |
| 1999 | Hitman's Run | Screenplay (uncredited) |
| 2001 | Instinct to Kill | Screenplay; television film |
| 2002 | Infested | Also director |
| 2005 | A History of Violence | Screenplay |
| 2007 | The Discarded | Episode of Masters of Science Fiction |
| 2008 | Batman: Gotham Knight | Anthology film segment: Have I Got a Story for You |
| 2024 | Trigger Warning | Screenplay; post-production[14] |
References
edit- ^ Infested - Sony Entertainment MovieDetails
- ^ a b c Low, Elaine (2020-01-24). "Mick Jagger's Rainy Day Podcasts, Warner Bros. Digital Networks Sign First-Look Deal". Variety. Archived from the original on 24 January 2020. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
[Olson] penned two seasons of the "Bronzeville: audio drama, exec produced by and starring Laurence Fishburne and Larenz Tate, and co-hosts the podcast "The Movies That Made Me" with director Joe Dante.
- ^ a b Olson, Josh (10 October 2007). "The Life and Death of Jesse James". LA Weekly. Archived from the original on 23 November 2018. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Film in 2006 | BAFTA Awards". awards.bafta.org.
- ^ "The 78th Academy Awards | 2006". Oscars.org | Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
- ^ "Masters of Science Fiction - The Discarded". MastersOfScifi.com. May 16, 2008. Archived from the original on May 16, 2008.
- ^ Fritz, Ben (October 31, 2006). "No home for 'Halo' pic". Variety. Archived from the original on 17 August 2010. Retrieved October 20, 2007.
Commercial helmer Neill Blomkamp is still aboard to direct. "A History of Violence" scribe Josh Olson was doing the most recent rewrite.
- ^ Siegel, Tatiana. "Josh Olson scripting 'One Shot'". Variety. Archived from the original on 29 March 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2020.
Paramount Pictures has tapped "A History of Violence" scribe Josh Olson to adapt the Lee Child-penned mystery "One Shot." Story centers on a Dirty Harry-like homicide investigator who seeks the truth behind what seems an open-and-shut murder case after a trained military sniper is arrested for shooting five random victims.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2011-09-26). "Josh Olson Scripts 'Tabloid' For Mick Jagger And Steve Bing". Deadline. Retrieved 2024-01-13.
Olson most recently wrote the first draft of One Shot, the Lee Child novel that Paramount is putting into production with Chris McQuarrie directing and Tom Cruise playing Jack Reacher.
- ^ "Jack Reacher (2012)" – via www.rottentomatoes.com.
- ^ Debruge, Peter (December 11, 2012). "Jack Reacher".
- ^ "The Movies That Made Me". Apple Podcasts. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
- ^ The West Wing Thing - All Things Comedy
- ^ Asatryan, Tigran (July 16, 2021). "Jessica Alba Netflix Thriller 'Trigger Warning': What We Know So Far". whatsonnetflix.com. Netflix. Archived from the original on 8 November 2021. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
External links
edit- Olson, Josh (9 September 2009). "I Will Not Read Your Fucking Script". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on 20 March 2018. Retrieved 2020-03-29.
... he wanted real criticism. They never do, of course. What they want is a few tough notes to give the illusion of honesty, and then some pats on the head. What they want — always — is encouragement, even when they shouldn't get any.
- Josh Olson interview, 'Pursue The Passion', 14 November 2007.
- Josh Olson at IMDb