Justin Haythe (born September 16, 1973) is an American

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living writing novels and other fiction, while others asp ...

short story A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest ...

writer, and screenwriter. He is best known for his book ''The Honeymoon'', and the screenplay for the film ''Revolutionary Road'', directed by Sam Mendes. Haythe lives in

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Early life and literary debut

Born in

London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...

, Haythe is a graduate of

The American School in London The American School in London (ASL) is a private, independent school in St John's Wood, London, England, for students from kindergarten through high school. The school's mission statement is: "The American School in London empowers each student ...

and Middlebury College. He earned his MFA from Sarah Lawrence College. His first short story was published by Harper's Magazine. His

debut novel A debut novel is the first novel a novelist publishes. Debut novels are often the author's first opportunity to make an impact on the publishing industry, and thus the success or failure of a debut novel can affect the ability of the author to p ...

, ''The Honeymoon'', was longlisted for the 2004 Man Booker Prize. Haythe has plans to write another novel.

Screenwriting career

Haythe wrote the screenplay of the

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc. (previously known as 20th Century Fox) is an American film production company headquartered at the Fox Studio Lot in the Century City area of Los Angeles. As of 2019, it serves as a film production arm of Walt Dis ...

thriller '' The Clearing''. The film was released on July 2, 2004, directed by

Pieter Jan Brugge Pieter Jan Brugge (born 6 November 1955) is a Dutch film producer. He was born in Deventer, Netherlands. In 1979, he graduated from the Netherlands Film and Television Academy in Amsterdam, and was subsequently awarded a scholarship by the Du ...

, and starred Helen Mirren and Robert Redford. Afterwards, Haythe wrote the screenplay to '' Revolutionary Road'', starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Kate Winslet and

Kathy Bates Kathleen Doyle Bates (born June 28, 1948) is an American actor and director. Known for her roles in comedic and dramatic films and television programs, she has received various accolades throughout her career spanning over five decades, includ ...

, and based on the popular 1961 book of the same name by Richard Yates. The film was released on December 26, 2008 and was nominated for a

USC Scripter Award The USC Scripter Award (Scripter) is the name given to an award presented annually by the University of Southern California (USC) to honor both authors and screenwriters. Starting in 1988, the USC Libraries Board of Councilors award the year's bes ...

as well as a

BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award for Best Adapted Screenplay has been presented to its winners since 1968, when the original category (BAFTA Award for Best Screenplay) was split into two awards, the other being the BA ...

After, Haythe was a co-writer and executive producer of '' Snitch'', a 2013 action-thriller film starring

Dwayne Johnson Dwayne Douglas Johnson (born May 2, 1972), also known by his ring name The Rock, is an American actor and former professional wrestler. Widely regarded as one of the greatest professional wrestlers of all time, he was integral to the develop ...

. The project was first set up in 2004 by Guy East and Nigel Sinclair, partners at Spitfire Pictures. They were inspired by a Frontline documentary about how changes to the federal drug policy of the United States encouraged the incarcerated to snitch on their accomplices. Haythe also helped rewrite ''

The Lone Ranger The Lone Ranger is a fictional masked former Texas Ranger who fought outlaws in the American Old West with his Native American friend Tonto. The character has been called an enduring icon of American culture. He first appeared in 1933 in ...

'', a 2013 Disney/ Bruckheimer-produced re-imagining of the iconic radio character, starring

Armie Hammer Armand Douglas Hammer (born August 28, 1986) is an American actor. Hammer began his acting career with guest appearances in several television series. His first leading role was as Billy Graham in the 2008 film '' Billy: The Early Years'', and ...

and Johnny Depp. The script was originally written by '' Pirates of the Caribbean'' and ''

Shrek ''Shrek'' is a 2001 American computer-animated comedy film loosely based on the 1990 book of the same name by William Steig. It is the first installment in the ''Shrek'' franchise. The film was directed by Andrew Adamson and Vicky Jen ...

'' scribes

Terry Rossio Terry Rossio (born July 2, 1960) is an American screenwriter. He co-wrote the films ''Aladdin'', ''Shrek'', and all five of the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' series. He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for ''Shrek' ...

and Ted Elliot, and had more of a supernatural element with werewolves and "ghost coyotes", which was ultimately toned down in the finished film. Haythe reunited with ''Lone Ranger'' director

Gore Verbinski Gregor Justin "Gore" Verbinski (born March 16, 1964) is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, and musician. He is best known for directing '' The Ring'', the ''Pirates of the Caribbean'' films, and '' Rango''. He won the Academy Awar ...

to write ''

A Cure for Wellness ''A Cure for Wellness'' is a 2016 psychological neo-gothic horror film directed by Gore Verbinski and written by Justin Haythe, based on a story co-written by Haythe and Verbinski, who were both inspired by Thomas Mann's 1924 novel '' The Magic ...

'', a 2016

science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel uni ...

psychological horror Psychological horror is a subgenre of horror and psychological fiction with a particular focus on mental, emotional, and psychological states to frighten, disturb, or unsettle its audience. The subgenre frequently overlaps with the related subge ...

thriller film Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...

. He wrote a draft of the Queen musical biopic ''

Bohemian Rhapsody "Bohemian Rhapsody" is a song by the British rock band Queen, released as the lead single from their fourth album, '' A Night at the Opera'' (1975). Written by lead singer Freddie Mercury, the song is a six-minute suite, notable for its lack o ...

''. He wrote the Cold War spy thriller ''

Red Sparrow ''Red Sparrow'' is a 2018 American spy thriller film directed by Francis Lawrence and written by Justin Haythe, based on the 2013 novel of the same name by Jason Matthews. The film stars Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton, Matthias Schoenaerts, ...

'', released in 2018, starring Jennifer Lawrence, and did rewrites on '' Morbius''. In 2022, Haythe created the period television drama ''The Serpent Queen'', centering on the life and political schemes of Catherine de' Medici, for Starz. It got renewed for a second season on October 27, 2022.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Review of ''The Honeymoon''

Interview with Haythe
{{DEFAULTSORT:Haythe, Justin 1973 births Living people 21st-century American novelists 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American screenwriters American male novelists American male screenwriters Middlebury College alumni People educated at The American School in London Sarah Lawrence College alumni Writers from London