Interview:
James V. Hart,
screenwriter,
"Hook,"
"Bram Stoker's Dracula"
In the early 1990s, James V. Hart established himself as one of Hollywood’s elite screenwriters thanks to the back-to-back successes of the Steven Spielberg-directed Peter Pan sequel Hook and the Francis Ford Coppola-directed adaptation of Bram Stoker’s Dracula. The Fort Worth-raised writer followed up 1991’s Hook and 1992’s highly influential Bram Stoker’s Dracula with adaptations of Carl Sagan’s Contact and the Clive Cussler-penned Dirk Pitt adventure Sahara, both starring Matthew McConaughey. He also returned to family films with 1996’s Muppets Treasure Island, an adaptation of the Robert Louis Stevenson novel that co-starred Tim Curry as Long John Silver; the 2002 romantic drama Tuck Everlasting, the 2007 sci-fi drama The Last Mimzy; and the 2013 animated fantasy Epic. Hart also reunited with his Hook story collaborator Nick Castle for the 2007 musical drama August Rush. Hart received the Heart of Film Award for career achievement in 2023 from the screenwriting-focused Austin Film Festival, which he has attended since its inception in 1994 and often presented his “Hart Chart” guidelines for screenwriting. Filmmaking has become a Hart family business since the days he would sit with his children and dream up “What if?” story ideas. Hart is currently developing three projects with his son Jake; his daughter Julia wrote The Keeping Room and directed Miss Stevens, Fast Color, Stargirl and its sequel Hollywood Stargirl, I’m Your Woman, and the upcoming Adam Sandler-produced Don’t Say Good Luck. The Paramount Summer Classic Film Series and the Austin Film Festival will screen Hook at 2 p.m. July 20 and Bram Stoker’s Dracula at 7 p.m. July 20 at the Paramount Theatre with screenwriter James V. Hart in attendance. Aired: July 16, 2025. Web sites: https://www.hartchart.com/ https://www.austintheatre.org/events/2025-summer-classic-film-series/ https://austinfilmfestival.com/ |
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