J. Michael Straczynski facts for kids

Quick facts for kids J. Michael Straczynski
Straczynski in 2008
Born	Joseph Michael Straczynski (1954-07-17) July 17, 1954 (age 70) Paterson, New Jersey, U.S.
Education	Southwestern College (AA) San Diego State University (BA)
Occupation	Screenwriter producer director comic book writer
Years active	1979–present
Spouse(s)	Kathryn M. Drennan ​ ​ (m. 1983; div. 2003)​

Joseph Michael Straczynski (born July 17, 1954) is an American writer, producer, and director. He is famous for creating the science fiction TV show Babylon 5 (1993–1998). He also created Crusade (1999), Jeremiah (2002–2004), and Sense8 (2015–2018).

Straczynski has written many movies. These include the drama Changeling (2008) and the action film Ninja Assassin (2009). He also helped write Marvel's Thor (2011) and the horror movies Underworld: Awakening (2012) and World War Z (2013).

He is also a well-known comic book writer. From 2001 to 2007, he wrote for Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man. Later, he wrote for Thor and Fantastic Four. For DC Comics, he wrote the Superman: Earth One graphic novels. He also worked on Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen. Straczynski created his own comic series like Rising Stars and Midnight Nation through Joe's Comics.

Besides TV and comics, Straczynski has written books. These include his autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) and the novel Together We Will Go (2021). He was also one of the first TV producers to talk directly with fans online. He used early computer networks like Usenet to connect with viewers. This helped shape his show Babylon 5.

Early Life and Education

Where Did Straczynski Grow Up?

Joseph Michael Straczynski was born in Paterson, New Jersey. His father, Charles, was a manual laborer, and his mother was Evelyn. He grew up in several places, including Newark, New Jersey; Kankakee, Illinois; Dallas, Texas; Chula Vista, California; and San Diego, California. He finished high school in Chula Vista. His family was Catholic and had Polish roots. His grandparents came to the United States from an area that is now Belarus, fleeing the Russian Revolution.

How Did Straczynski Get His Education?

Straczynski went to Southwestern College and San Diego State University (SDSU). He earned an Associate degree from Southwestern and a Bachelor of Arts from SDSU. At SDSU, he studied psychology and sociology, with minors in philosophy and literature. He wrote so many articles for the student newspaper, The Daily Aztec, that people jokingly called it the "Daily Joe."

What About His Personal Life?

Straczynski met Kathryn M. Drennan at SDSU. They moved to Los Angeles in 1981 and married in 1983. They later divorced in 2001. Straczynski has Asperger syndrome, which is a type of autism.

Straczynski's Writing Career

Starting Out: Radio and Animation (1970s–1980s)

Straczynski began his career writing plays for colleges. He also became an entertainment reviewer for a radio station, KSDO-FM. He wrote radio plays and worked on early TV projects in San Diego. He also worked as a journalist for newspapers like the Los Angeles Times and magazines like People. In 1982, he published The Complete Book of Scriptwriting, a book often used in screenwriting classes.

In the mid-1980s, Straczynski started writing for cartoons. He wrote for He-Man and the Masters of the Universe and its spin-off She-Ra: Princess of Power. He also worked on Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors. A big project was adapting the movie Ghostbusters into the animated series The Real Ghostbusters. He was the story editor for 78 episodes. He left the show when new ideas were brought in that he didn't agree with.

Moving to Live-Action TV (Late 1980s)

After animation, Straczynski wrote for live-action shows. He wrote an episode for The Twilight Zone. He also adapted The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde for TV, which was nominated for an award.

He became a story editor for Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future, a science fiction series. He planned a full season story, but left when the toy company funding the show wanted too much control. After a writers' strike, he returned to The Twilight Zone as an executive story editor. He then worked as a co-producer and writer for Murder, She Wrote. He helped move the show's main character, Jessica Fletcher, to New York City, which made the show more popular.

Creating Babylon 5 and Crusade (1990s)

In 1991, Straczynski partnered with Doug Netter to create Babylon 5. This show became a very successful science fiction series. Babylon 5 won two Emmy Awards and two Hugo Awards. Straczynski wrote 92 of the 110 episodes, plus the pilot and five TV movies. The show was known for its deep characters and its use of CGI for special effects. It ran for five seasons, completing the story Straczynski had planned. A follow-up series, Crusade, was made but only had 13 episodes.

Straczynski also wrote outlines for nine Babylon 5 novels and several short stories. He later published many of his Babylon 5 scripts.

Straczynski's Comic Books (1990s-2000s)

Straczynski has always loved comic books. He started writing comics in the late 1980s, including adaptations of his own TV shows like Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future and Babylon 5. In 1999, he created Rising Stars. He also started his own comic book imprint called Joe's Comics, where he wrote series like Midnight Nation.

Working with Marvel and DC Comics (2000s)

Marvel Comics hired Straczynski to write for The Amazing Spider-Man from 2001 to 2007. He and artist John Romita Jr. created a famous story for The Amazing Spider-Man #36 after the September 11 attacks. He wrote several big Spider-Man stories, including "Spider-Man: The Other" and "One More Day". He also wrote for other Marvel titles like Thor and Fantastic Four.

After his Marvel contract, he wrote for DC Comics. He worked on the graphic novel Superman: Earth One, which showed a younger Superman. He also wrote for the main Superman and Wonder Woman comic series. In 2012, he wrote parts of the Before Watchmen series.

TV Series: Jeremiah and Sense8 (2000s-2010s)

Straczynski also ran the TV show Jeremiah from 2002 to 2004. It was based on a Belgian comic. He wrote 22 episodes for the show.

In 2012, Straczynski launched Studio JMS to create TV shows, movies, and comics. In 2013, Netflix announced they would produce Sense8 with Studio JMS and The Wachowskis. The show premiered in 2015 and was renewed for a second season. Straczynski co-created and co-wrote all episodes of the first season.

Writing for Movies (2000s-2010s)

Straczynski wrote the movie Changeling (2008), a drama based on real events. Clint Eastwood directed it, and Angelina Jolie starred in it. The film was nominated for many awards, including a BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay. Straczynski researched the true story for a year, making sure the script was very accurate.

He also wrote a draft for Ninja Assassin (2009) and was a story writer for Marvel's Thor (2011). He even had a small acting part in Thor. He also worked on the screen story for World War Z (2013), a film about a zombie apocalypse.

Recent Work (2020s)

In 2020, Straczynski became the head of the Creative Council for a new comic book company called AWA. He helped create the shared universe for their comics.

His recent books include the novel Together We Will Go (2021) and Becoming A Writer, Staying A Writer (2021).

Return to Babylon 5 and Marvel Comics

In 2022, Straczynski announced that a new Babylon 5 TV series was being developed. In 2023, an animated Babylon 5 movie, Babylon 5: The Road Home, was released. It brought back the voices of many original cast members.

He also returned to Marvel Comics in 2021 and 2022, writing short stories. In 2023, it was announced he would write the new Captain America comic series. He also wrote for Spider-Man again.

Unrealized Projects

Straczynski has worked on many projects that were not made into movies or TV shows.

• In 2004, he was asked to produce the Star Trek: Enterprise series but turned it down.
• He wrote a screenplay for a Silver Surfer movie, but it was not produced.
• He also wrote a script for a film called They Marched into Sunlight for Tom Hanks' company.
• He was set to write a remake of the science fiction classic Forbidden Planet.
• He worked on a movie called Shattered Union, based on a video game about a modern American civil war.
• He was going to write and produce a live-action movie based on the comic book series Shadowman.
• He planned to direct his first movie, The Flickering Light, a World War II drama.
• He was hired to adapt the Red Mars novels into a TV series, but he left the project.
• In 2021, he showed interest in becoming the showrunner for the British TV series Doctor Who, but the BBC had already chosen someone else.

Awards and Recognition

Straczynski has won many awards for his writing.

An asteroid discovered in 1992 was named 8379 Straczynski in his honor.

Film and TV Projects

Movies Straczynski Wrote

TV Shows Straczynski Worked On

See also

In Spanish: Joseph Michael Straczynski para niños