Ronald Shusett (June 28, 1935 – August 29, 2024) was an American screenwriter and film producer, best known for his works in the science fiction and horror film genres. Along with co-writer

Dan O'Bannon Daniel Thomas O'Bannon (September 30, 1946 – December 17, 2009) was an American film screenwriter, film director, director and visual effects supervisor, most closely associated with the science fiction and Horror fiction, horror genres. O'B ...

, he is the creator of the ''Alien'' film franchise.

Early life and education

Shusett was born to a Jewish family in

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, United States, and its county seat. It is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania#Municipalities, second-most populous city in Pennsylvania (after Philadelphia) and the List of Un ...

, but raised in

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, ...

from the age of 3. His brother, Gary Shusett, is the founder of the Sherwood Oaks Film School. Shusett studied drama at the

University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Its academic roots were established in 1881 as a normal school the ...

, and initially worked as a

playwright A playwright or dramatist is a person who writes play (theatre), plays, which are a form of drama that primarily consists of dialogue between Character (arts), characters and is intended for Theatre, theatrical performance rather than just Readin ...

. He cites

Alfred Hitchcock Sir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock (13 August 1899 – 29 April 1980) was an English film director. He is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in the history of cinema. In a career spanning six decades, he directed over 50 featu ...

as a major inspiration.

Career

In 1974, Shusett's psychological thriller screenplay '' W'' was produced by Bing Crosby Productions into a film directed by Richard Quine and starring

Twiggy Dame Lesley Lawson (''née'' Hornby; born 19 September 1949), widely known by the nickname Twiggy, is an English model, actress, and singer. She was a Culture of the United Kingdom, British cultural icon and a prominent teenage model during th ...

. That same year, Shusett optioned the Philip K. Dick short story, "

We Can Remember It for You Wholesale "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale" is a science fiction novelette by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in ''The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction'' in April 1966. It features a melding of reality, false memory, and real m ...

", that became the basis of the film '' Total Recall''. It was during this time he met his writing partner

, after being impressed by his student film ''Dark Star''. The two wrote several spec scripts, with the one entitled ''Star Beast'' eventually evolving into '' Alien'' (1979). The final script was heavily re-written by producers

Walter Hill Walter Hill (born January 10, 1942) is an American film director, screenwriter and producer known for his action films and revival of the Western (genre), Western genre. He has directed such films as ''The Driver'', ''The Warriors (film), The ...

and

David Giler David Kevin Giler (July 23, 1943 – December 19, 2020) was an American filmmaker who had been active in the film industry since the early 1960s. Career Television Giler's father Bernie (1908–1967) was a writer. Giler began his career collabor ...

, but in the end Dan O'Bannon received sole screenwriting credit, while O'Bannon and Shusett shared story credit. Off the success of ''Alien'', Shusett wrote or co-wrote the horror films ''

Phobia A phobia is an anxiety disorder, defined by an irrational, unrealistic, persistent and excessive fear of an object or situation. Phobias typically result in a rapid onset of fear and are usually present for more than six months. Those affected ...

'' (1980), '' Dead & Buried'' (1981), and '' The Final Terror'' (1983). During the decade, he formed a new writing partnership with

Steven Pressfield Steven Pressfield (born September 1, 1943) is an American author of historical fiction, nonfiction, and screenplays, including his 1995 novel '' The Legend of Bagger Vance'' and 2002 nonfiction book '' The War of Art''. Early life Pressfield ...

. Together they wrote the monster adventure film ''

King Kong Lives ''King Kong Lives'' (released as ''King Kong 2'' in some countries) is a 1986 American monster adventure film directed by John Guillermin. Produced by the De Laurentiis Entertainment Group and featuring special effects by Carlo Rambaldi, the f ...

'' (1986), the

Steven Seagal Steven Frederic Seagal ( ; born April 10, 1952) is an American actor, producer, screenwriter, martial artist, and musician. A 7th-Dan (rank), dan Black belt (martial arts), black belt in aikido, he began his adult life as a martial arts instru ...

film '' Above the Law'' (1988), and the sci-fi action film '' Freejack'' (1992). They were uncredited script doctors on Seagal's next film '' Hard to Kill'' (1990). Shusett (with Dan O'Bannon) was the writer and producer of the 1990

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

film '' Total Recall'', a project he had begun 16 years prior. He began writing a sequel film, based on Philip K. Dick's short story "

The Minority Report "The Minority Report" is a 1956 science fiction novelette by American writer Philip K. Dick, first published in ''Fantastic Universe''. In a future society, three mutants foresee all crime before it occurs. Plugged into a great machine, these ...

," which would eventually become the standalone 2002 film ''Minority Report''. Shusett received an executive-producer credit. Shusett and O'Bannon received story credits for ''Alien vs. Predator'', as the film incorporated unused elements from their original 1979 screenplay. He likewise received a story credit for the 2012 remake of ''Total Recall''.

Death

Shusett died on August 29, 2024, at age 89.

Filmography

References

External links

* 1935 births 2024 deaths 20th-century American screenwriters 21st-century American screenwriters American male screenwriters American science fiction writers Film producers from Pennsylvania Writers from Pittsburgh Hugo Award–winning writers Screenwriters from Pennsylvania 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers {{US-screen-writer-1930s-stub