Benedict Fitzgerald (March 9, 1949 – January 17, 2024) was an American screenwriter who co-wrote the screenplay for the 2004 film ''

The Passion of the Christ ''The Passion of the Christ'' is a 2004 American epic biblical drama film co-produced and directed by Mel Gibson from a screenplay he wrote with Benedict Fitzgerald. It stars Jim Caviezel as Jesus of Nazareth, Maia Morgenstern as the Bl ...

'' with its director,

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...

. His other writing credits include an uncredited television screenplay for ''

Moby Dick ''Moby-Dick; or, The Whale'' is an 1851 Epic (genre), epic novel by American writer Herman Melville. The book is centered on the sailor Ishmael (Moby-Dick), Ishmael's narrative of the maniacal quest of Captain Ahab, Ahab, captain of the whaler ...

'' in 1998 and '' Wise Blood'' in 1979. He was a consulting producer on the

Paramount+ Paramount+ (formerly known as CBS All Access in the United States and 10 All Access in Australia) is an American Video on demand#Subscription models, subscription video on-demand Over-the-top media service, over-the-top Streaming media, stream ...

television series ''

Evil Evil, as a concept, is usually defined as profoundly immoral behavior, and it is related to acts that cause unnecessary pain and suffering to others. Evil is commonly seen as the opposite, or sometimes absence, of good. It can be an extreme ...

''.

Early life

Fitzgerald was born in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

on March 9, 1949. He was the son of Sally and poet/critic

Robert Fitzgerald Robert Stuart Fitzgerald (12 October 1910 – 16 January 1985) was an American poet, literary critic and translator whose renderings of the Greek classics "became standard works for a generation of scholars and students".Mitgang, Herbert (Januar ...

. When he was a child, one of his babysitters was novelist

Flannery O'Connor Mary Flannery O'Connor (March 25, 1925August 3, 1964) was an American novelist, short story writer, and essayist. She wrote two novels and 31 short stories, as well as a number of reviews and commentaries. O'Connor was a Southern writer who of ...

Lawsuit

On February 11, 2008, Fitzgerald filed a lawsuit against

and the production company Icon Productions, alleging the unfair deprivation of compensation and deception on the overall expense of the film production budget after the box office success of the film ''

'', including, but not limited to, "fraud, breach of contract & unjust enrichment" seeking unspecified damages. He also sued Vicki Christianson, Icon Distribution, Marquis Films, and Airborne Productions. According to his lawsuit, Fitzgerald says he "accepted a salary substantially less than what he would have taken had he known the true budget for the film," agreeing to an undisclosed "relatively small salary," a $75,000 production bonus, another $75,000 if the film broke even, and five percent of revenues. Fitzgerald received a loan of $200,000 from Gibson in December 2003 backed by his share of the film's future profits as collateral. In May 2009, Gibson agreed to an undisclosed settlement with Fitzgerald. Details of the settlement, agreed at Los Angeles Superior Court, were not released. Gibson's representatives did not comment on the settlement.

Death

Fitzgerald died in

Marsala Marsala (, ; ) is an Italian comune located in the Province of Trapani in the westernmost part of Sicily. Marsala is the most populated town in its province and the fifth largest in Sicily.The town is famous for the docking of Giuseppe Garibal ...

Sicily Sicily (Italian language, Italian and ), officially the Sicilian Region (), is an island in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of the Italian Peninsula in continental Europe and is one of the 20 regions of Italy, regions of Italy. With 4. ...

, on January 17, 2024, at the age of 74.

Filmography

Film

*'' Wise Blood'' (1979) *''

'' (2004) *''Mary Mother of Christ'' (TBA) *'' A Good Man Is Hard to Find'' (TBA)

Television

*''

Heart of Darkness ''Heart of Darkness'' is an 1899 novella by Polish-British novelist Joseph Conrad in which the sailor Charles Marlow tells his listeners the story of his assignment as steamer captain for a Belgium, Belgian company in the African interior. Th ...

'' (1993) *'' Zelda'' (1993) *'' In Cold Blood'' (1996) *''

'' (1998) (uncredited) * ''

'' (2020) (consulting producer)

References

External links

*
Interview with Benedict Fitzgerald

Honolulu Star-Bulletin The ''Honolulu Star-Bulletin'' was a daily newspaper based in Honolulu, Hawaii, Honolulu, Hawaii, United States. At the time publication ceased on June 6, 2010, it was the second largest daily newspaper in the state of Hawaii (after the ''Honol ...

February 22, 2004 1949 births 2024 deaths American male screenwriters Harvard College alumni {{US-screen-writer-1940s-stub