Kelly Masterson is an American playwright and screenwriter who lives in New York City. He is known for writing the screenplay for the 2007 film ''

Before the Devil Knows You're Dead ''Before the Devil Knows You're Dead'' is a 2007 American crime thriller film directed by Sidney Lumet. The film was written by Kelly Masterson, and stars Philip Seymour Hoffman, Ethan Hawke, Marisa Tomei, and Albert Finney. The title come ...

''.

Education and career

Before moving to New York City to stage several of his early plays, he studied

theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

at the

University of California, Davis The University of California, Davis (UC Davis, UCD, or Davis) is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Davis, California, United States. It is the northernmost of the ten campuses of the University ...

. He tried to get the script for ''Before the Devil Knows You're Dead,'' made seven years before director

Sidney Lumet Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. Lumet started his career in theatre before moving to film, where he gained a reputation for making realistic and gritty New York City, New York dramas w ...

agreed to direct it. In describing his script he has said: :"I don't know. It was winter, and I was depressed I guess when I was writing it. I'm fascinated by the folly of human nature. I love characters who we understand and sympathize with, but we just shake our heads at how stupidly they act. This probably comes from my theology background but I love the big themes of good and evil and how we're such a combination of both. We try to chart a path that's on the side of good, but we all have evil impulses in us." Subsequent to his success with ''Before the Devil Knows You're Dead'', he has worked in several media including stage plays, film and television. Masterson's play ''Edith'', about Woodrow and Edith Wilson, premiered at the

Berkshire Theatre Festival The Berkshire Theatre Festival is one of the oldest professional performing arts venues in the Berkshires, celebrating 100 years of theatre in 2028. History The main building of the Berkshire Theatre Festival was originally the Stockbridge Casin ...

in 2012. Masterson wrote the teleplay for the television movie, ''Killing Kennedy'', which aired in November 2013 on the

National Geographic Channel National Geographic (formerly National Geographic Channel; abbreviated and trademarked as Nat Geo or Nat Geo TV) is an American pay television network and flagship channel owned by the National Geographic Global Networks unit of Disney Enter ...

. Cowriting with

Bong Joon-ho Bong Joon Ho (, ; born September 14, 1969) is a South Korean filmmaker. Bong Joon Ho filmography, His work is characterized by emphasis on social and class themes, genre fiction, genre-mixing, black comedy, dark comedy, and sudden tone shifts. ...

, Masterson adapted the French

climate fiction Climate fiction (sometimes shortened to cli-fi) is literature that deals with climate change.Glass, Rodge (31 May 2013).Global Warning: The Rise of 'Cli-fi' retrieved 3 March 2016 Generally speculative in nature but inspired by climate science ...

graphic novel ''

Le Transperceneige ''Snowpiercer'' (French language, French: ''Le Transperceneige'' ) is a four-volume post-apocalyptic, climate fiction graphic novel written by Jacques Lob and illustrated by Jean-Marc Rochette. The first volume was serialized in 1982 and publishe ...

'' by

Jacques Lob Jacques Lob (19 August 1932 – 24 May 1990) was a French comic book creator, known for several Franco-Belgian comics, comics creations, including ''Superdupont''. His series ''Le Transperceneige'', later continued by Benjamin Legrand, was adapte ...

, Benjamin Legrand, and Jean-Marc Rochette into the film ''

Snowpiercer ''Snowpiercer'' () is a 2013 Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic action thriller film based on the French climate fiction graphic novel ''Le Transperceneige'' by Jacques Lob, Benjamin Legrand and Jean-Marc Rochette. The f ...

'', which was also released in 2013.

Filmography

* ''

'' (2007) * ''

'' (2013) * '' Killing Kennedy'' (2013) * '' Good People'' (2014)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Masterson, Kelly Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) 20th-century births Living people 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American dramatists and playwrights 21st-century American screenwriters American male dramatists and playwrights American male television writers American television writers University of California, Davis alumni Screenwriters from New York City