Michael France (January 4, 1962 April 12, 2013) was an American screenwriter. He is best remembered for writing the screenplays for ''

Cliffhanger A cliffhanger or cliffhanger ending is a plot device in fiction which features a main character in a precarious situation, facing a difficult dilemma or confronted with a shocking revelation at the end of an episode of serialized fiction or bef ...

'' (1993), the

James Bond The ''James Bond'' franchise focuses on James Bond (literary character), the titular character, a fictional Secret Intelligence Service, British Secret Service agent created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels ...

film ''

GoldenEye ''GoldenEye'' is a 1995 spy film, the seventeenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions, and the first to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 agent James Bond (lit ...

'' (1995), and the comic book films ''

Hulk The Hulk is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. Created by writer Stan Lee and artist Jack Kirby, the character first appeared in the debut issue of ''The Incredible Hulk (comic book), The Incredible Hulk ...

'' (2003), '' The Punisher'' (2004), and ''

Fantastic Four The Fantastic Four, often abbreviated as FF, is a superhero team appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The team debuted in '' The Fantastic Four'' #1 ( cover-dated November 1961), helping usher in a new level of realism i ...

'' (2005).

Early life

France was born in

St. Petersburg, Florida St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 258,308, making it the List of municipalities in Florida, fifth-most populous city in Florida and the most populous city in the sta ...

. As a kid he loved comics and movies, which may have inspired him to write. He attended the

University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...

in the early 1980s, working as a projectionist at a small movie theater in Gainesville and participating in its programming. He earned a graduate degree from the film school at

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

New York City New York, often called New York City (NYC), is the most populous city in the United States, located at the southern tip of New York State on one of the world's largest natural harbors. The city comprises five boroughs, each coextensive w ...

Career

France moved to

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

, where he sold the script for ''

''. He later wrote the scripts for ''

'', ''

'', '' The Punisher'', and ''

''. He also did some uncredited work on ''

The World Is Not Enough ''The World Is Not Enough'' is a 1999 spy film, the nineteenth in the List of James Bond films, ''James Bond'' series produced by Eon Productions and the third to star Pierce Brosnan as the fictional Secret Intelligence Service, MI6 agent Jam ...

''. France bought the historic Beach Theater in

; built in 1939, the theater is known for its screening of

independent Independent or Independents may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Artist groups * Independents (artist group), a group of modernist painters based in Pennsylvania, United States * Independentes (English: Independents), a Portuguese artist ...

and

foreign film World cinema is a term in film theory in the United States that refers to films made outside of the Cinema of the United States, American motion picture industry, particularly those in opposition to the aesthetics and values of commercial Ame ...

Personal life

France lived in St. Pete Beach, Florida, with his wife, Elizabeth, and their three children, Annabelle and Carolynn, twins, age 10 at the time, and Thomas, age 15. He died on April 12, 2013, after complications resulting from

diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

. He was 51 years old.

References

External links

*
The One-Page Screenplay: Michael France's Tips on Suicide Notes
Movieline.com article, June 22, 2009
Star Trek fans get ready for the big premiere
10Connects.com article (with video), May 8, 2009
Shop Local: Beach Theatre
The Daily Loaf article, December 11, 2008

'' St. Petersburg Times'' article June 14, 2008 *[https://archive.today/20130201015232/http://pqasb.pqarchiver.com/sptimes/access/1492000231.html?dids=1492000231:1492000231&FMT=FT&FMTS=ABS:FT&type=current&date=Jun+8,+2008&author=ANDREW+DELONG&pub=St.+Petersburg+Times&edition=&startpage=130&desc=THE+FRANCE+CONNECTION The France Connection] '' St. Petersburg Times'' article June 8, 2008
Hollywood meets 'Rocky Horror'
PoynterOnline.org article July 2, 2007

'' St. Petersburg Times'' article April 12, 2007 * ttp://www.sptimes.com/2007/04/08/Neighborhoodtimes/Local_screenwriter_bu.shtml Local screenwriter buys St. Pete Beach theater'' St. Petersburg Times'' article April 8, 2007
Floridian: Flexing his writer's muscle
'' St. Petersburg Times'' article June 20, 2003
IGN: 10 Questions: Mike France
June 19, 2003 interview
Countdown to 'Hulk': Screenwriter Michael France's Big, Green Vision
Comic Book Resources interview, June 16, 2003
Floridian: Riding Spider-Man's coattails
'' St. Petersburg Times'' article May 10, 2002
The Beach Theatre
Independent landmark movie theatre in St. Pete Beach, FL, owned by screenwriter Michael France. Built in 1939.
Newmarket Press biography
{{DEFAULTSORT:France, Michael 1962 births 2013 deaths American male screenwriters University of Florida alumni Writers from St. Petersburg, Florida Columbia University School of the Arts alumni Deaths from diabetes in Florida 20th-century American writers 21st-century American writers 20th-century American male writers Screenwriters from Florida