Jump to content

Roger Avary: Difference between revisions

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
No edit summary
 
(303 intermediate revisions by more than 100 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|Canadian producer, screenwriter and director (born 1965)}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name = Roger Avary
| name = Roger Avary
| image = Avary, Roger (2007).jpg
| image = Roger Avary 2012.jpg
| alt = Roger Avary in 2012 [[Scream Awards]]
| imagesize = 200px
| alt = Roger Avary at the 2007 [[Scream Awards]]
| caption = Avary in 2012
| caption = Roger Avary at the 2007 [[Scream Awards]]
| birth_name = Roger Roberts Avary
| birth_name = Roger d'Avary
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|8|23}}
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1965|8|23}}
| birth_place = [[Flin Flon]], [[Manitoba]], [[Canada]]
| birth_place = [[Flin Flon]], [[Manitoba]], Canada<ref name="tcm"/>
| nationality = [[Canadians|Canadian]]<br>[[Americans|American]]<ref name="tcm"/>
| occupation = [[motion picture]]/[[television]] [[screenwriter]], [[Film director|director]] and [[television producer|producer]]
| occupation = Director, screenwriter, producer
| years_active = 1992-present
| years_active = 1992–present
}}
}}


'''Roger Avary''' (born Roger d'Avary on August 23, 1965) is a [[Canadian]] [[Film producer|film]] and [[television producer]], [[screenwriter]], [[olive]] [[farm]]er and [[film director|director]] in the American [[List_of_entertainment_industry_topics#Present-day_mass_media_industry|mass media industry]]. He was behind the screenplays of the films ''[[Silent Hill (film)|Silent Hill]]'' and ''[[Beowulf (2007 film)|Beowulf]]''. Before that he had worked on ''[[Reservoir Dogs]]'' and ''[[Pulp Fiction]]'', the latter of which earned both him and [[Quentin Tarantino]] an [[Academy Award|Oscar]] for [[Academy_Award_for_Writing_Original_Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] at the [[67th Academy Awards]]. He also directed the films ''[[Killing Zoe]]'' and ''[[The Rules of Attraction (film)|The Rules of Attraction]]''<ref>[http://www.filmbug.com/db/2215 Roger Avary]. Filmbug (2007-11-18). Retrieved on 2010-08-28.</ref> among other film and television projects.
'''Roger Roberts Avary'''<ref name="tcm">{{cite web |title=Roger Avary: Biography |url=http://www.tcm.com/tcmdb/person/511282%7C0/Roger-Avary/ |publisher=[[Turner Classic Movies]] |access-date=October 19, 2018}}</ref> (born August 23, 1965) is a Canadian-American film, television director, screenwriter and producer. He worked with [[Quentin Tarantino]] on ''[[Pulp Fiction]]'', for which they won [[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay|Best Original Screenplay]] at the [[67th Academy Awards]]. Avary directed ''[[Killing Zoe]]'', ''[[The Rules of Attraction (film)|The Rules of Attraction]]'', ''[[Lucky Day (film)|Lucky Day]]'', and wrote the screenplays for ''[[Silent Hill (film)|Silent Hill]]'' and ''[[Beowulf (2007 film)|Beowulf]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmbug.com/db/2215 |title=Roger Avary |publisher=Filmbug |date=2007-11-18 |access-date=2012-10-27}}</ref>


After ''Pulp Fiction'', Avary had a falling-out with Tarantino that lasted nearly twenty years.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/lucky-day-review-1203369353/ |title=Film Review: 'Lucky Day' |date=14 October 2019 }}</ref> In 2022, Avary reunited with Tarantino to launch a podcast called ''The [[Video Archives]] Podcast''.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-07-19 |title=Quentin Tarantino Launches His New Movie Podcast with Roger Avary |url=https://nofilmschool.com/video-archives-podcast |access-date=2022-07-21 |website=No Film School |language=en}}</ref> The first episode premiered on July 19, 2022.<ref name="Avary">{{Cite web |last=Avary |first=The Video Archives Podcast with Quentin Tarantino and Roger |title=The Video Archives Podcast with Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary - Dark Star / Cocaine Cowboys |url=https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9mZWVkcy5zaW1wbGVjYXN0LmNvbS9oUTFfdHQwSw/episode/MjI0ZWJhYzAtN2NmNy00N2QzLTgwODEtMmM2ZWY2MzliMGMy |access-date=2022-07-21 |website=Google Podcasts |language=en}}</ref>
== Career History==


== Early life ==
===Quentin Tarantino, ''True Romance'', and ''Pulp Fiction''===
Roger Roberts Avary was born in [[Flin Flon]], [[Manitoba]] in Canada on August 23, 1965 to a Brazillian-raised father who worked as a mining engineer, and a German mother who worked as a physical therapist. They later moved to [[Oracle, Arizona|Oracle]], [[Arizona]], and later [[Torrance, California|Torrance]], [[California]] before settling in [[Manhattan Beach, California|Manhattan Beach]].<ref name="tcm" />
When in 1981, Video Out-Takes co-owner Lance Lawson (a name that comes up repeatedly in Avary and Tarantino's films) left to open the now famous [[Video Archives]] Avary went along, writing the store's database program with fellow [[6502]] programmer Andy Blinn on an [[Atari 800]] computer. Under the vision of Lawson, Video Archives became a gathering place for a group of [[cinephile|cinephiles]], who became known as "Archivists". Among this group, Avary met an odd and brilliant film enthusiast, [[Quentin Tarantino]]. The two became friends, introducing each other to their favorite films.


==Career==
Early in his career, Avary made a number of contributions to some of Quentin Tarantino's movies. He worked as a cinematographer on Tarantino's unfinished first film, ''[[My Best Friend's Birthday]]''. He had at one point written a script called "The Open Road" which Tarantino rewrote. Avary took on the producer's role, and he and Tarantino tried unsuccessfully for several years to get funding so that Tarantino could direct the script himself. Eventually, the script was sold to French producer [[Samuel Hadida]] and became the movie ''[[True Romance]]''. Since Tarantino was busy prepping ''[[Reservoir Dogs]]'', Avary was hired with Tarantino's consent by [[Tony Scott]] and Hadida to work as a script doctor on the material, a job which included bringing the length down, reforming the narrative to a linear fashion, and writing a more commercial ending where the Clarence character is not killed.


===''Mr. Stitch''===
When the Paul Brothers, a pair of wealthy bodybuilders who wanted to get into the movies, offered Tarantino funding for his script ''[[Natural Born Killers]]'' on the condition he include a scene featuring them, he could not write it out of disgust, and asked Avary to write it as a favor. The scene, known as the "Hun Brothers" scene, was described by [[Oliver Stone]] as the best scene in the script. It was, however, cut from the final film because, as Stone is quoted as saying on the ''Natural Born Killers'' special edition laserdisc, "I fucked it up." Avary co-wrote the background radio dialogue in ''Reservoir Dogs'' (1992), and designed the "Dog Eat Dog" logo which appeared in the end credits.
In 1995 Avary wrote and directed the science fiction ''Mr. Stitch'' a film for the [[Sci-Fi Channel|Syfy]]. Loosely a modern take on Frankenstein, the film features [[Wil Wheaton]], [[Rutger Hauer]], [[Nia Peeples]], and [[Ron Perlman]].<ref>{{cite news|last1=Todd Everett|title=Review: 'Mr. Stitch'|url=https://variety.com/1996/film/reviews/mr-stitch-1200446390/ |access-date=9 June 2015|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|date=August 15, 1996 }}</ref>


===''Phantasm 1999''===
Most notably, Avary contributed material which, combined with Tarantino's, formed the basis of ''[[Pulp Fiction (film)|Pulp Fiction]]'' (1994) for which he and Tarantino won the [[67th Academy Awards|Academy Award]] for Best Original Screenplay. Earlier in their careers, Tarantino and Avary had planned on making an anthology movie comprising three short films; one written and directed by Avary, one written and directed by Tarantino, and one written and directed by a third filmmaker, reportedly [[Adam Rifkin]]. When the third filmmaker never materialized, Tarantino and Avary took their respective stories and expanded them into full length screenplays separately. Tarantino's story became ''Reservoir Dogs'', and Avary's story became "Pandemonium Reigns". "Pandemonium Reigns" ended up forming the basis of the "Gold Watch" chapter of ''Pulp Fiction'' (an earlier version of his website displayed an excerpt from "Pandemonium Reigns", illustrating the changes that were made by Tarantino when writing "The Gold Watch"), and other odd scenes Avary had written during his rewrite of ''[[True Romance]]'' were reworked and incorporated into the ''Pulp Fiction'' script, such as the accidental shooting of Marvin, and the scene in which the bullets fired at Jules and Vincent miss their targets. Tarantino and Avary got together in Amsterdam shortly after the release of ''Reservoir Dogs'', and pasted each other's scenes together into a first draft, after which Avary left to film ''[[Killing Zoe]]'', leaving Tarantino to continue subsequent writing of ''Pulp Fiction''. Avary's bizarre 1994 [[Academy Awards|Oscar]] speech (for Best Original Screenplay) consisted of "I want to thank my beautiful wife, Gretchen, who I love more than anyone else in the world...I'm gonna go now 'cause I really got to take a pee." The "pee comment" was a reference to all five films nominated in 1994 for Best Picture having a scene where a character excuses themselves to use the bathroom.
After winning an Oscar for ''Pulp Fiction'', Avary reached out to [[Don Coscarelli]] and expressed an interest in writing a ''[[Phantasm (film)|Phantasm]]'' sequel.<ref name="jenkins">{{cite web|last=Jenkins|first=Jason|title='Phantasm 1999' – Don Coscarelli Details the Wild Post-Apocalyptic Sequel We Never Saw|url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/exclusives/3716689/phantasm-1999-don-coscarelli-details-the-wild-post-apocalyptic-sequel-we-never-saw-phantom-limbs/|website=[[Bloody Disgusting]]|date=May 30, 2022|access-date=October 7, 2023}}</ref> Entitled '' Phantasm 1999'', the film would have taken place in an apocalyptic future United States divided into three zones: Los Angeles, California; New York, New York; and the Plague Zone. The Plague Zone would be controlled by the [[Tall Man (Phantasm)|Tall Man]] where he infects people with his "bag plague".<ref name="jenkins"/> [[Reggie (Phantasm)|Reggie]] must lead a secret government operation, called the "S Squad", into the Plague Zone to defeat the Tall Man.<ref name="jenkins"/>


Avary and Coscarelli spent years trying to get the film made and even had financing in place in 1997 before that company changed hands and the deal evaporated.<ref name="jenkins"/> Eventually, Coscarelli made ''[[Phantasm IV]]'' without Avary, although as of 2022 Coscarelli still had interest in filming Avary's script, now entitled ''Phantasm’s End'' as 1999 has come and gone.<ref name="jenkins"/>
===''Killing Zoe''===
Avary also wrote and directed the [[neo-noir]] cult thriller ''[[Killing Zoe]]'' (1994) which Tarantino executive produced. The screenplay was based in part on his experiences travelling through Europe (which he also refers to in Victor's European trip in ''[[The Rules of Attraction (film)|The Rules of Attraction]]''). Avary had initially intended to write a screenplay completely devoted to this experience, for which Tarantino suggested the ironic title ''Roger Takes a Trip''. But when producer Lawrence Bender called Avary during [[location scouting]] on ''Reservoir Dogs'' asking if he had a screenplay that took place entirely in a bank so that they could take advantage of an inexpensive location they had no use for, Avary told Bender that he had such a script—and quickly wrote ''[[Killing Zoe]]'' in under a week, using elements of his European trip as inspiration. While ''Killing Zoe'' takes place in Paris, the film was almost entirely shot in downtown Los Angeles locations, with only two days in Paris to shoot the opening credit sequence and two drive-by shots. The film was also an influence on Tarantino; according to Avary, Tarantino, while rewriting ''Pulp Fiction'', added the heroin scenes after viewing a rough cut of ''Killing Zoe''. The film was honored with le Prix très spécial à Cannes 1994, the very same year that ''Pulp Fiction'' won the [[Palme d'Or]]. It continued to win awards worldwide on the festival circuit, including the Grand Prize at Japan's [[Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival]] in February 1994 and the Italian Mystfest. The film was also celebrated by the [[Cinémathèque Française]], who heralded Avary as "the [[Antonin Artaud]] of cinema" during their Cinema of Cruelty retrospective.


===''The Rules of Attraction''===
===''Glitterati''===
The film ''[[Glitterati (film)|Glitterati]]'' was finished in 2004 and stars Kip Pardue. It can never be released because of legal and ethical concerns.
From 1985 to 1986, Avary attended [[Menlo College]], in [[Atherton, California]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.laweekly.com/film+tv/film/pulp-friction/3544/?page=2|work=[[LA Weekly]]|date=9 October 2002|accessdate=24 June 2008|title=Pulp Friction}} {{Dead link|date=October 2010|bot=H3llBot}}</ref> The school, "a West coast Bennington", laid the foundations for his film adaptation of the [[Bret easton ellis|Bret Easton Ellis]] novel ''[[The Rules of Attraction]]''.


===''The Video Archives Podcast'' (2022–present)===
In 2002, Avary directed [[The Rules of Attraction (film)|his adaptation]] of the novel, which he also executive produced. As of 2009, the film ranked as the twenty-seventh highest grossing college comedy of all time.<ref>[http://www.boxofficemojo.com/genres/chart/?id=collegecomedy.htm Box Office Mojo]</ref>
''The Rules of Attraction'' was the first studio movie to prove reliable use of Apple's [[Final Cut Pro]] editing system for editing motion picture film.<ref>[http://www.macworld.com/news/2002/01/15/finalcut/ Final Cut Pro drives 'Blue Car,' 'Rules' films]</ref>
Roger Avary became a spokesperson for Apple's [[Final Cut Pro]] product,<ref>[http://www.apple.com/ca/pro/film/avary/ Made on a Mac: Roger Avary: “I designed ‘Rules’ to be a culture bomb.”]</ref> appearing in Apple print and web ads worldwide. His film from within the film, ''[[Glitterati (film)|Glitterati]]'' (2004), used elements of Victor's European trip and was shot on digital video. In 2005, he purchased the rights to another Bret Easton Ellis novel ''[[Glamorama]]'', and is currently developing it for himself to direct.


In 2021, Quentin Tarantino announced that he and Roger Avary would launch a podcast titled ''The Video Archives Podcast''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Spangler |first=Todd |date=2022-06-02 |title=Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary Set to Launch 'The Video Archives Podcast' |url=https://variety.com/2022/digital/news/quentin-tarantino-roger-avary-video-archives-podcast-1235283963/ |access-date=2022-07-21 |website=Variety |language=en-US}}</ref> The point of the podcast is to discuss films from the actual Video Archives collection that they would recommend to customers when they worked there. The set is surrounded by actual [[VHS]] copies of films from [[Video Archives]] that Tarantino bought after the store went out of business. They are joined by podcast announcer, Gala Avary, Roger Avary's daughter. The first episode premiered on July 19, 2022.<ref name="Avary"/> The duo discussed [[John Carpenter]]'s ''[[Dark Star (film)|Dark Star]]'' (1974) and [[Ulli Lommel]]'s ''[[Cocaine Cowboys (1979 film)|Cocaine Cowboys]]'' (1979).
In 2005, Avary, at the request of his friend, actor [[James Van Der Beek]], played the part of a [[peyote]]-taking gonzo film director Franklin Brauner in the film "Standing Still."<ref name="moviehole">
{{cite news | author=Clint Morris | url=http://www.moviehole.net/interviews/20060901_exclusive_interview_james_van.html | title=Exclusive Interview : James Van Der Beek | publisher=[[Moviehole.net]] | accessdate=21 January 2007 |archiveurl = http://web.archive.org/web/20061013113529/http://www.moviehole.net/interviews/20060901_exclusive_interview_james_van.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archivedate = 13 October 2006}}
</ref>


==Manslaughter Conviction ==
===''Silent Hill''===
On January 13, 2008, Avary was arrested under suspicion of [[manslaughter]] and [[DUI]], following a car crash in [[Ojai, California]], in which a passenger, Andreas Zini, was killed. The Ventura County Sheriff's department responded to the crash after midnight Sunday morning on the 1900 block of East Ojai Avenue. Avary was released from jail on $50,000 bail.<ref>
In 2006, Avary wrote a screenplay adaptation to the hit [[Konami]] videogame, ''[[Silent Hill (film)|Silent Hill]]'' (2006), with French director and friend, [[Christophe Gans]], and ''Killing Zoe'' producer Samuel Hadida. Avary and Gans being long time video gamers and fans of the ''Silent Hill'' series, collaborated on this game-based film.<ref name="joblo">
{{cite news | title = 'Pulp Fiction' screenwriter Avary arrested after fatal Ojai crash | publisher = Ventura County-Star | date = 13 January 2008 | url = http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jan/13/no-headline---nxxfcfatal14/ | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130205152257/http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jan/13/no-headline---nxxfcfatal14/ | archive-date = 5 February 2013 }}</ref> In December 2008, he was charged with, and pleaded not guilty to, gross vehicular manslaughter and two felony counts of causing bodily injury while intoxicated.<ref>{{cite news | author = Catherine Saillant | title = Screenwriter Roger Avary charged with gross vehicular manslaughter | url = http://www.latimes.com/news/local/crime/la-me-avary13-2008dec13,0,6148916.story | work = Los Angeles Times | date = 13 December 2008 }}</ref> He changed his plea to guilty on August 18, 2009.<ref>{{cite news | author = The Associated Press | title = Roger Avary pleads guilty to manslaughter | url = https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/roger-avary-pleads-guilty-manslaughter-87954/ | work = The Hollywood Reporter | date = 21 August 2009 }}</ref> On September 29, 2009, he was sentenced to one year in work furlough (allowing him to go to his job during the day and then report back to the furlough facility at night) and five years of probation.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ovnblog.com/?p=2035 |title=Avary Given Work Furlough at Ojai Valley News Blog |publisher=Ovnblog.com |access-date=2012-10-27 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120301123116/http://ovnblog.com/?p=2035 |archive-date=2012-03-01 }}</ref> However, after making several [[Twitter|tweets]] about the conditions of his stay on [[Twitter]], Avary was sent to Ventura County Jail to serve out the remainder of his term.<ref>{{cite news | title = Screenwriter Roger Avary moved from work furlough program to jail after tweeting episode | work = Los Angeles Times | date = 27 November 2009 | url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/11/screenwriter-is-moved-from-work-furlough-program-to-jail-after-twittering-episode.html | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130628183104/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/11/screenwriter-is-moved-from-work-furlough-program-to-jail-after-twittering-episode.html | archive-date = 28 June 2013 }}</ref>
{{cite news | author=Matt Withers | url=http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=11029 | title=INT: Roger Avary | publisher=[[JoBlo.com]] | date=20 April 2006 | accessdate=21 January 2007 }}
</ref>

===''Beowulf''===
According to Avary's biography on the American "Killing Zoe" DVD, Avary directed a small, independent musical production of "Beowulf" for the stage in Paris in 1993. Little is known about the nature of the production, but Beowulf seems to have been a lifelong obsession with Avary. In the production notes of the same "Killing Zoe" DVD, Avary is said to have given copies of Beowulf to the actors as inspiration for their character's motivations.

In the late 1990s, Avary was hired by Warner Bros studio to adapt [[Neil Gaiman]]'s comic series ''[[The Sandman (DC Comics Modern Age)|The Sandman]]'' to the big screen. He frequently sparred with the studio over the direction of the film, with Avary wanting to adapt as close to the source material as possible. When he suggested that he would film a large part of ''Sandman'' like a [[Jan Švankmajer]] film, he was fired. After the incident, Gaiman and Avary became friends and started work together writing an adaptation of the epic poem ''[[Beowulf]]''.<ref name="cinematical">
{{cite news | author=Kevin Kelly | url=http://www.cinematical.com/2007/07/26/comic-con-beowulf-footage-screening-qanda-and-party/ | title=Comic-Con: 'Beowulf' Footage Screening, Q&A, and Party! | publisher=[[cinematical.com]] | accessdate=2 August 2007 }}
</ref>

Avary and novelist [[Neil Gaiman]]'s long gestating screenplay for ''[[Beowulf (2007 film)|Beowulf]]'' was finally produced by the pair in 2007 with [[Robert Zemeckis]] directing, utilizing the [[Performance capture]] technology pioneered in ''[[The Polar Express]]''. Gaiman and Avary enjoyed the experience of working together, coming across as a happy team in Beowulf interviews.<ref>
[http://www.stv.tv/content/out/film/videointerviews/display.html?id=opencms:/out/films/video_interviews/neil_gaiman_roger_avary Neil Gaiman and Roger Avary: Shaping Beowulf's story, video interview] with [[stv.tv]]
</ref>

===''Return to Castle Wolfenstein''===
On August 3, 2007, [[id Software]] announced at Quakecon 2007 that a film adaptation of their game, ''[[Return to Castle Wolfenstein (film)|Return to Castle Wolfenstein]]'' is in development with the writer/producer team of ''Silent Hill'' on board with Avary as director and writer and Samuel Hadida as producer.<ref name="juckum">
{{cite news | author=Gamespot| url=http://www.gamespot.com/news/6176182.html?tag=top_stories;title;2 | title=Wolfenstein headed for Hollywood | publisher=[http://www.gamespot.com] | accessdate=3 August 2007 }}
</ref>

==Manslaughter charge==
On January 13, 2008, Avary was arrested under suspicion of [[manslaughter]] and [[DUI]], following a car crash in [[Ojai, California]] where a passenger, Andreas Zini, was killed. The Ventura County Sheriff's department responded to the accident after midnight Sunday morning on the 19-hundred block of East Ojai Avenue. Avary was released from jail on $50,000 bail.<ref>
{{cite news | author = | title = 'Pulp Fiction' screenwriter Avary arrested after fatal Ojai crash | publisher = Ventura County-Star | date = 13 January 2008 | url = http://www.venturacountystar.com/news/2008/jan/13/no-headline---nxxfcfatal14/ | pages=}}
</ref>

In December 2008, he was charged with, and pleaded not guilty to, gross vehicular manslaughter and two felony counts of causing bodily injury while intoxicated.<ref>
{{cite news | author = Catherine Saillant | title = Screenwriter Roger Avary charged with gross vehicular manslaughter | url = http://www.latimes.com/news/local/crime/la-me-avary13-2008dec13,0,6148916.story | publisher = Los Angeles Times | date = 13 December 2008 }}</ref> He later changed his plea to guilty on August 18, 2009.<ref>
{{cite news | author = CBC news | title = Pulp Fiction writer pleads guilty over deadly car crash | url = http://www.cbc.ca/arts/film/story/2009/08/21/avary-plea.html | publisher = CBC News | date = 21 August 2009 }}</ref>

On September 29, 2009, he was sentenced to 1 year in work furlough, (allowing him to go to his job during the day and then report back to the furlough facility at night), and 5 years of probation.<ref>[http://ovnblog.com/?p=2035 Avary Given Work Furlough at Ojai Valley News Blog]. Ovnblog.com. Retrieved on 2010-08-28.</ref> However, after making several [[Twitter|tweets]] about the conditions of his stay on [[Twitter]], Avary was sent to Ventura County Jail to serve out the remainder of his term.<ref>
{{cite news | title = Screenwriter Roger Avary moved from work furlough program to jail after tweeting episode | url = http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2009/11/screenwriter-is-moved-from-work-furlough-program-to-jail-after-twittering-episode.html | publisher = Los Angeles Times | date = 27 November 2009 }}</ref>

On July 10, 2010, after spending eight months in jail, Avary was released.<ref>http://bigmouthery.blogspot.com/2010/07/bigmouthery-exclusive-oscar-winning.html</ref>


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
===Director===
===Short film===
{| class="wikitable"
*''The Worm Turns'' (1983) (short)
|-
*"Roger Avary's Day Off" (1987) (short)
! Year
*''[[Killing Zoe]]'' (1994)
! Title
*''[[Mr. Stitch (film)|Mr. Stitch]]'' (1996) (television)
!width=65| Director
*''[[The Rules of Attraction (film)|The Rules of Attraction]]'' (2002)
!width=65| Writer
*''[[Glitterati (film)|Glitterati]]'' (2005) (unreleased)
!width=65| Producer
! Notes
|-
|rowspan=2|1983
|''The Worm Turns''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|-
|''The Boys''
|{{no}}
|{{no}}
|{{yes}}
|Also cinematographer
|-
|}


===Writer===
===Feature film===
{| class="wikitable"
*''The Worm Turns'' (1983) (short)
|-
*''[[Reservoir Dogs]]'' (1992) (uncredited)
! Year
*''[[True Romance]]'' (1993) (uncredited)
! Title
*''[[Pulp Fiction (film)|Pulp Fiction]]'' (1994) (shared a "Story by" [[WGA_screenwriting_credit_system|credit]] with [[Quentin Tarantino]], who also received the sole "Written by" credit)
!width=65| Director
*''[[Killing Zoe]]'' (1994)
!width=65| Writer
*''[[Crying Freeman (film)|Crying Freeman]]'' (1995) (uncredited)
!width=65| Executive<br>Producer
*''[[Mr. Stitch]]'' (1996) (television)
! Notes
*''Odd Jobs'' (1997) (television)
|-
*''[[The Rules of Attraction (film)|The Rules of Attraction]]'' (2002)
|1993
*''[[Glitterati (film)|Glitterati]]'' (2005) (unreleased)
|''[[Killing Zoe]]''
*''[[Silent Hill (film)|Silent Hill]]'' (2006)
|{{yes}}
*''[[Beowulf (2007 film)|Beowulf]]'' (2007)
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|[[Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival#1994 Awards|Grand Prize at the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival]]
|-
|1994
|''[[Pulp Fiction]]''
|{{no}}
|{{Partial|Story}}
|{{no}}
|[[Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay]]<br>[[BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay]]
|-
|1995
|''[[Mr. Stitch]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|-
|2002
|''[[The Rules of Attraction (film)|The Rules of Attraction]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|-
|2004
|''[[Glitterati (film)|Glitterati]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|Unreleased;<br />Also producer, editor and cinematographer
|-
|2006
|''[[Silent Hill (film)|Silent Hill]]''
|{{no}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|
|-
|2007
|''[[Beowulf (2007 film)|Beowulf]]''
|{{no}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|
|-
|2019
|''[[Lucky Day (film)|Lucky Day]]''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{no}}
|
|-
|}


'''Executive producer only'''
===Producer===
*''[[Mr. Stitch]]'' (1996) (television)
* ''[[Boogie Boy]]'' (1998)
* ''[[The Last Man (2002 film)|The Last Man]]'' (2000)
*''[[Odd Jobs]]'' (1997) (television)
*''[[Glitterati (film)|Glitterati]]'' (2005) (unreleased)


===Executive Producer===
===Television===
{| class="wikitable"
*''[[Boogie Boy]]'' (1998)
|-
*''[[The Rules of Attraction (film)|The Rules of Attraction]]'' (2002)
! Year
*''[[The Last Man (film)|The Last Man]]'' (2003)
! Title
*''[[Beowulf (2007 film)|Beowulf]]'' (2007)
!width=65| Director
!width=65| Writer
!width=65| Producer
! Notes
|-
|1997
|''Odd Jobs''
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes}}
|TV pilot
|-
|2012
|''[[XIII: The Series]]''
|{{no}}
|{{yes}}
|{{yes|Executive}}
|13 episodes
|-
|}


===Actor===
===Other credits===
{| class="wikitable"
*''[[Phantasm IV: Oblivion]]'' (1998) ([[Cameo appearance|cameo]])
|-
*''[[Standing Still]]'' (2005)
! Year

! Title
===Cinematographer===
! Role
*''[[My Best Friend's Birthday]]'' (1987)
|-
|1987
|''Maximum Potential''
|Production assistant
|-
|1987
|''[[My Best Friend's Birthday]]''
|[[Lost film]]<br />Cinematographer
|-
|1992
|''[[Reservoir Dogs]]''
|Writer of background radio dialogue<ref name=rulebreaker/>
|-
|1993
|''[[True Romance]]''<ref name=rulebreaker>{{cite web| date=March 14, 2003| title= Roger Avary: Rule Breaker| website= [[Independent.co.uk]]| url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/roger-avary-rule-breaker-122668.html}}</ref>
|Uncredited writer<ref name=rulebreaker/>
|-
|2006
|''36 Steps''
|Spiritual support
|-
|}


==References==
==References==
{{reflist|2}}
{{reflist}}


==External links==
==External links==
{{commons}}
{{commons}}
*[http://www.avary.com/ Roger Avary official website]
* {{official website}}
* {{AllMovie name|188303}}
*[http://www.projectavary.org/ "Project Avary": an organization founded to benefit the children of incarcerated parents]
*{{Amg name|B188303}}
* {{IMDb name|812}}
* [http://www.edge-online.co.uk/archives/2005/09/roger_avary_tal.php Roger Avary talks to Edge Magazine about Silent Hill]
*{{IMDb name|812}}
*[http://www.edge-online.co.uk/archives/2005/09/roger_avary_tal.php Roger Avary talks to Edge Magazine about Silent Hill]
* [http://suicidegirls.com/words/Roger+Avary/ Roger Avary Interview on Suicide Girls]
*[http://suicidegirls.com/words/Roger+Avary/ Roger Avary Interview on Suicide Girls]
* [http://www.webwombat.com.au/entertainment/movies/rules_int.htm Webwombat.com Interview]
* [http://www.screenit.com/movies/2002/the_rules_of_attraction.html Screen-It deconstructs the sex, drugs, and violence in The Rules of Attraction]
*[http://www.webwombat.com.au/entertainment/movies/rules_int.htm Webwombat.com Interview]
* [http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=11029 JoBlo.com Interview on Silent Hill]
*[http://www.screenit.com/movies/2002/the_rules_of_attraction.html Screen-It deconstructs the sex, drugs, and violence in The Rules of Attraction]
*[http://www.joblo.com/index.php?id=11029 JoBlo.com Interview on Silent Hill]


{{Roger Avary films}}
{{Roger Avary}}
{{Navboxes
|title = Awards for Roger Avary
|list =
{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalScreenplay 1981-2000}}
{{AcademyAwardBestOriginalScreenplay 1981-2000}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay 1983-1999}}
{{BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay 1983-1999}}
{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Dallas–Fort Worth Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{Los Angeles Film Critics Association Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Screenplay}}
{{New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Screenplay}}
}}
{{Authority control}}


{{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see [[Wikipedia:Persondata]]. -->
| NAME =Avary, Roger
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES =
| SHORT DESCRIPTION =
| DATE OF BIRTH =1965-08-23
| PLACE OF BIRTH =[[Flin Flon]], [[Manitoba]], [[Canada]]
| DATE OF DEATH =
| PLACE OF DEATH =
}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avary, Roger}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Avary, Roger}}
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:1965 births]]
[[Category:BAFTA winners (people)]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian criminals]]
[[Category:Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Best Original Screenplay Academy Award winners]]
[[Category:Canadian people of German descent]]
[[Category:Best Original Screenplay BAFTA Award winners]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Pinal County, Arizona]]
[[Category:People from Flin Flon]]
[[Category:People from Flin Flon]]
[[Category:Film directors from Manitoba]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian screenwriters]]
[[Category:Film producers from Manitoba]]
[[Category:Canadian people convicted of manslaughter]]
[[Category:Canadian people convicted of manslaughter]]
[[Category:21st-century American criminals]]

[[Category:21st-century American male writers]]
[[de:Roger Avary]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian male writers]]
[[es:Roger Avary]]
[[Category:20th-century American male writers]]
[[eo:Roger Avary]]
[[Category:20th-century Canadian male writers]]
[[fr:Roger Avary]]
[[Category:Canadian people of German descent]]
[[hr:Roger Avary]]
[[Category:American people of German descent]]
[[it:Roger Avary]]
[[Category:21st-century Canadian screenwriters]]
[[ja:ロジャー・エイヴァリー]]
[[Category:Canadian male screenwriters]]
[[pl:Roger Avary]]
[[Category:ArtCenter College of Design alumni]]
[[pt:Roger Avary]]
[[Category:Screenwriters from Manitoba]]
[[ru:Эвери, Роджер]]
[[fi:Roger Avary]]
[[sv:Roger Avary]]
[[tr:Roger Avary]]
[[uk:Роджер Евері]]

Latest revision as of 19:07, 22 October 2024

Roger Avary
Roger Avary in 2012 Scream Awards
Avary in 2012
Born
Roger Roberts Avary

(1965-08-23) August 23, 1965 (age 59)
Flin Flon, Manitoba, Canada[1]
NationalityCanadian
American[1]
Occupation(s)Director, screenwriter, producer
Years active1992–present

Roger Roberts Avary[1] (born August 23, 1965) is a Canadian-American film, television director, screenwriter and producer. He worked with Quentin Tarantino on Pulp Fiction, for which they won Best Original Screenplay at the 67th Academy Awards. Avary directed Killing Zoe, The Rules of Attraction, Lucky Day, and wrote the screenplays for Silent Hill and Beowulf.[2]

After Pulp Fiction, Avary had a falling-out with Tarantino that lasted nearly twenty years.[3] In 2022, Avary reunited with Tarantino to launch a podcast called The Video Archives Podcast.[4] The first episode premiered on July 19, 2022.[5]

Early life

[edit]

Roger Roberts Avary was born in Flin Flon, Manitoba in Canada on August 23, 1965 to a Brazillian-raised father who worked as a mining engineer, and a German mother who worked as a physical therapist. They later moved to Oracle, Arizona, and later Torrance, California before settling in Manhattan Beach.[1]

Career

[edit]

Mr. Stitch

[edit]

In 1995 Avary wrote and directed the science fiction Mr. Stitch a film for the Syfy. Loosely a modern take on Frankenstein, the film features Wil Wheaton, Rutger Hauer, Nia Peeples, and Ron Perlman.[6]

Phantasm 1999

[edit]

After winning an Oscar for Pulp Fiction, Avary reached out to Don Coscarelli and expressed an interest in writing a Phantasm sequel.[7] Entitled Phantasm 1999, the film would have taken place in an apocalyptic future United States divided into three zones: Los Angeles, California; New York, New York; and the Plague Zone. The Plague Zone would be controlled by the Tall Man where he infects people with his "bag plague".[7] Reggie must lead a secret government operation, called the "S Squad", into the Plague Zone to defeat the Tall Man.[7]

Avary and Coscarelli spent years trying to get the film made and even had financing in place in 1997 before that company changed hands and the deal evaporated.[7] Eventually, Coscarelli made Phantasm IV without Avary, although as of 2022 Coscarelli still had interest in filming Avary's script, now entitled Phantasm’s End as 1999 has come and gone.[7]

Glitterati

[edit]

The film Glitterati was finished in 2004 and stars Kip Pardue. It can never be released because of legal and ethical concerns.

The Video Archives Podcast (2022–present)

[edit]

In 2021, Quentin Tarantino announced that he and Roger Avary would launch a podcast titled The Video Archives Podcast.[8] The point of the podcast is to discuss films from the actual Video Archives collection that they would recommend to customers when they worked there. The set is surrounded by actual VHS copies of films from Video Archives that Tarantino bought after the store went out of business. They are joined by podcast announcer, Gala Avary, Roger Avary's daughter. The first episode premiered on July 19, 2022.[5] The duo discussed John Carpenter's Dark Star (1974) and Ulli Lommel's Cocaine Cowboys (1979).

Manslaughter Conviction

[edit]

On January 13, 2008, Avary was arrested under suspicion of manslaughter and DUI, following a car crash in Ojai, California, in which a passenger, Andreas Zini, was killed. The Ventura County Sheriff's department responded to the crash after midnight Sunday morning on the 1900 block of East Ojai Avenue. Avary was released from jail on $50,000 bail.[9] In December 2008, he was charged with, and pleaded not guilty to, gross vehicular manslaughter and two felony counts of causing bodily injury while intoxicated.[10] He changed his plea to guilty on August 18, 2009.[11] On September 29, 2009, he was sentenced to one year in work furlough (allowing him to go to his job during the day and then report back to the furlough facility at night) and five years of probation.[12] However, after making several tweets about the conditions of his stay on Twitter, Avary was sent to Ventura County Jail to serve out the remainder of his term.[13]

Filmography

[edit]

Short film

[edit]
Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1983 The Worm Turns Yes Yes Yes
The Boys No No Yes Also cinematographer

Feature film

[edit]
Year Title Director Writer Executive
Producer 		Notes
1993 Killing Zoe Yes Yes No Grand Prize at the Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival
1994 Pulp Fiction No Story No Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay
1995 Mr. Stitch Yes Yes Yes
2002 The Rules of Attraction Yes Yes Yes
2004 Glitterati Yes Yes No Unreleased;
Also producer, editor and cinematographer
2006 Silent Hill No Yes No
2007 Beowulf No Yes Yes
2019 Lucky Day Yes Yes No

Executive producer only

Television

[edit]
Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1997 Odd Jobs Yes Yes Yes TV pilot
2012 XIII: The Series No Yes Executive 13 episodes

Other credits

[edit]
Year Title Role
1987 Maximum Potential Production assistant
1987 My Best Friend's Birthday Lost film
Cinematographer
1992 Reservoir Dogs Writer of background radio dialogue[14]
1993 True Romance[14] Uncredited writer[14]
2006 36 Steps Spiritual support

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "Roger Avary: Biography". Turner Classic Movies. Retrieved October 19, 2018.
  2. ^ "Roger Avary". Filmbug. 2007-11-18. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
  3. ^ "Film Review: 'Lucky Day'". 14 October 2019.
  4. ^ "Quentin Tarantino Launches His New Movie Podcast with Roger Avary". No Film School. 2022-07-19. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  5. ^ a b Avary, The Video Archives Podcast with Quentin Tarantino and Roger. "The Video Archives Podcast with Quentin Tarantino and Roger Avary - Dark Star / Cocaine Cowboys". Google Podcasts. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  6. ^ Todd Everett (August 15, 1996). "Review: 'Mr. Stitch'". Variety. Retrieved 9 June 2015.
  7. ^ a b c d e Jenkins, Jason (May 30, 2022). "'Phantasm 1999' – Don Coscarelli Details the Wild Post-Apocalyptic Sequel We Never Saw". Bloody Disgusting. Retrieved October 7, 2023.
  8. ^ Spangler, Todd (2022-06-02). "Quentin Tarantino, Roger Avary Set to Launch 'The Video Archives Podcast'". Variety. Retrieved 2022-07-21.
  9. ^ "'Pulp Fiction' screenwriter Avary arrested after fatal Ojai crash". Ventura County-Star. 13 January 2008. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013.
  10. ^ Catherine Saillant (13 December 2008). "Screenwriter Roger Avary charged with gross vehicular manslaughter". Los Angeles Times.
  11. ^ The Associated Press (21 August 2009). "Roger Avary pleads guilty to manslaughter". The Hollywood Reporter.
  12. ^ "Avary Given Work Furlough at Ojai Valley News Blog". Ovnblog.com. Archived from the original on 2012-03-01. Retrieved 2012-10-27.
  13. ^ "Screenwriter Roger Avary moved from work furlough program to jail after tweeting episode". Los Angeles Times. 27 November 2009. Archived from the original on 28 June 2013.
  14. ^ a b c "Roger Avary: Rule Breaker". Independent.co.uk. March 14, 2003.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Roger Avary.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/enwiki/w/index.php?title=Roger_Avary&oldid=1252740276"