William Monahan facts for kids

Quick facts for kids William Monahan
October 2006
Born	(1960-11-03) November 3, 1960 (age 64) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation	Screenwriter novelist journalist essayist
Alma mater	University of Massachusetts Amherst
Notable awards	Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (2007) Writers Guild of America Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (2007)

William J. Monahan (born November 3, 1960) is an American screenwriter and novelist. He is best known for writing the movie The Departed. This film won him important awards like the Writers Guild of America Award and an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Becoming a Writer and Editor

William Monahan was born in Dorchester, Boston. He went to the University of Massachusetts Amherst. There, he studied old English plays from the time of Queen Elizabeth I and King James I.

After college, he moved to New York City. He wrote for different newspapers and magazines. These included the New York Press, Talk, and Spy. In 1997, he won a special award called the Pushcart Prize. This award was for his short story titled "A Relation of Various Accidents Observable in Some Animals Included in Vacuo". Monahan also worked as an editor at Spy magazine. He would help make articles better and improve jokes before the magazine was printed.

In 1999, Talk magazine started, and Monahan wrote a travel story for its first issue. In 2000, his first novel, Light House: A Trifle, was published. Many critics liked it. The New York Times said his writing was "cocksure" and "gallops along".

Starting a Screenwriting Career

William Monahan's novel, Light House: A Trifle, caught the attention of Warner Bros.. They bought the rights to make it into a movie. However, the movie was never made. A few years later, Monahan bought back the rights to his novel.

In 2001, another big movie studio, 20th Century Fox, bought a script from Monahan. This script was called Tripoli. It was about a brave soldier named William Eaton and his journey during the Barbary Wars. The famous director Ridley Scott was set to direct it.

Monahan met with Scott to talk about Tripoli. During their talk, Scott mentioned he wanted to make a movie about knights. Monahan suggested setting the story during the Crusades. He thought this time period had many exciting stories. Scott liked Monahan's idea and hired him to write the movie Kingdom of Heaven. The Tripoli project was put on hold, but Monahan still owned the script.

Monahan continued to get more work in the film industry. Brad Pitt's company, Plan B, hired him to adapt a Hong Kong gangster movie called Infernal Affairs. Monahan changed the story to be about Irish American gangsters and police in Boston. Martin Scorsese directed this movie, which was renamed The Departed. Monahan's work on The Departed later won him two major awards for best adapted screenplay.

Working on Films Through Production

Kingdom of Heaven was the first movie made from Monahan's scripts. He had a special contract that allowed him to be on the movie set. This meant he could make changes to the script while the movie was being filmed. When the movie first came out in 2005, some critics didn't like it much. But later, a longer version of the movie was released on DVD. This version included extra scenes from Monahan's original script. Many critics then liked the extended version much more.

Monahan's second movie to be produced was The Departed. This film was based on the Hong Kong movie Infernal Affairs. The actor Jack Nicholson, who played a main role, even helped shape the script. When The Departed was released in 2006, Monahan received a lot of praise. People said he did a great job showing how people in Boston talk and act. He used his own knowledge of Boston, where he grew up, to make the characters feel real.

By the end of 2006, The Departed had won many awards from critics. Monahan won awards for best screenplay from groups like The Boston Society of Film Critics and the Chicago Film Critics Association. He also won the Writers Guild of America Award and an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Producing and Directing Movies

In 2006, Monahan made a deal with Warner Bros. This deal meant that Warner Bros. would get the first chance to look at any movies his new company, Henceforth, wanted to make. In return, Henceforth got the rights to make a movie from a true crime book called The Gamblers.

Monahan also started directing his own films. His first movie as a director was London Boulevard, released in 2010. He also produced and wrote this film. It was based on a book by Ken Bruen. Some critics liked it, saying it was "sharply adapted." Others felt it had too many story ideas and was a bit confusing for a first-time director.

A few years later, a movie called The Gambler was finally made. Monahan wrote and helped produce this film. It received mixed reviews. Some people liked the acting, but others found the story unclear.

His most recent movie as a director and producer is Mojave, which he also wrote. This movie came out in 2015. Critics had different opinions about it. Some said it had good actors but didn't quite live up to its potential.

Works

Novel

• Light House: A Trifle (2000)

Film