Tab Murphy is an American screenwriter, film producer, and film director.

Biography

Murphy's theatrical debut, ''

Gorillas in the Mist ''Gorillas in the Mist'' is a 1988 American biographical drama film directed by Michael Apted from a screenplay by Anna Hamilton Phelan and a story by Phelan and Tab Murphy. The film is based on a book of the same name by Dian Fossey and fr ...

'', was nominated for an

Academy Award The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence ...

for his writing. In 1995, Murphy made his

directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...

with ''

Last of the Dogmen ''Last of the Dogmen'' is a 1995 American Western film written and directed by Tab Murphy (in his feature directorial debut). It stars Tom Berenger, Barbara Hershey, Kurtwood Smith and Steve Reevis. Set in the mountains of northwest Montana, ...

'' and wrote the feature. Afterwards, Murphy has spent nearly ten years with

The Walt Disney Company The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was founded on October 16 ...

writing '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame'' in 1996, ''

Tarzan Tarzan (John Clayton, Viscount Greystoke) is a fictional character, a feral child raised in the African jungle by the Mangani great apes; he later experiences civilization, only to reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer. Creat ...

'' in 1999, '' Atlantis: The Lost Empire'' in 2001, and ''

Brother Bear ''Brother Bear'' is a 2003 American animated musical fantasy comedy-drama film produced by Walt Disney Feature Animation and released by Walt Disney Pictures. It was directed by Aaron Blaise and Robert Walker and produced by Chuck Williams, f ...

'' in 2003. During his time with Disney, he was hired by

TriStar Pictures TriStar Pictures, Inc. (spelled as Tri-Star until 1991) is an American film studio and production company that is part of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, which is part of the Japanese conglomerate Sony, Sony Group Corporation. The compan ...

to write a treatment to a planned sequel to the 1998 film ''

Godzilla is a fictional monster, or ''kaiju'', that debuted in the eponymous 1954 film, directed and co-written by Ishirō Honda. The character has since become an international pop culture icon, appearing in various media: 33 Japanese films p ...

''. But due to negative reviews from critics and audiences alike, the planned sequel was cancelled. After working with Disney for a few years, he then left the company in 2006 and went to work at

Warner Bros. Animation Warner Bros. Animation Inc. (abbreviated as WBA) is an American animation studio which is part of the Warner Bros. Television Group, a division of Warner Bros., which is a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery and serves as the animation divis ...

for a couple years. His work includes '' Superman/Batman: Apocalypse'' and '' Batman: Year One'', and he wrote several episodes for the 2011 ''Thundercats'' reboot, ''

Teen Titans Go! ''Teen Titans Go!'' is an American animated television series developed by Aaron Horvath and Michael Jelenic for Cartoon Network. It premiered on April 23, 2013, and is based on DC Comics' fictional superhero team the Teen Titans. The series ...

'' and '' Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!''. While at Warner Bros., Murphy wrote the

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strat ...

3D thriller film ''

Dark Country ''Dark Country'' is a 2009 American mystery thriller film directed by and starring Thomas Jane in his directorial debut. It also stars Lauren German and Ron Perlman. Plot Newlyweds Dick and Gina decide to head across the Nevada desert for the ...

'' for

Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...

and

Stage 6 Films Stage 6 Films, Inc. is an American film division of Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions that acquires and produces feature films to be released either theatrically, on demand, or through streaming services. Once a film is finished, Sony Picture ...

, based on a short story written by Murphy, and directed by

Thomas Jane Thomas Jane (born Thomas Elliott III; February 22, 1969) is an American actor. Born and raised in Maryland, Jane's film career started with the Telugu-language romantic comedy '' Padamati Sandhya Ragam'' (1987). His other early films included ...

. He was attached to write an animated feature directed by

Kirk Wise Kirk Wise is an American film director, animator and screenwriter best known for his work at Walt Disney Animation Studios. Wise has directed Disney animated films such as ''Beauty and the Beast'', '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame'', and '' Atlantis ...

called ''Galaxy Gas'', and a TV pilot that was sold to Legendary Pictures. Towards the end of the 2010s, Murphy became involved as a writer of two

crowdsourced Crowdsourcing involves a large group of dispersed participants contributing or producing goods or services—including ideas, votes, micro-tasks, and finances—for payment or as volunteers. Contemporary crowdsourcing often involves digit ...

short films: ''The Haunted Swordsman'' and ''The Passengers'', based on the

Stephen King Stephen Edwin King (born September 21, 1947) is an American author. Dubbed the "King of Horror", he is widely known for his horror novels and has also explored other genres, among them Thriller (genre), suspense, crime fiction, crime, scienc ...

short story ''

Rest Stop A rest area is a public facility located next to a large thoroughfare such as a motorway, Limited-access road, expressway, or highway, at which drivers and passengers can rest, eat, or refuel without exiting onto secondary roads. Other names ...

''. In June 2020, Murphy became attached to write a reimagining of the 1980 horror film '' The Changeling''.

Filmography

Unproduced Features

* '' Godzilla 2'' (1999) * '' Beijing Safari'' (2012) * Untitled China Project * ''Galaxy Gas''

Bibliography

Collaborators

: ''The Hunchback of Notre Dame,'' ''Tarzan,'' ''Atlantis: The Lost Empire,'' ''Brother Bear'' (writer) *

Warner Bros. Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (WBEI), commonly known as Warner Bros. (WB), is an American filmed entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California and the main namesake subsidiary of Warner Bro ...

: ''Gorillas in The Mist,'' ''Batman: Year One,'' ''Batman/Superman: Apocalypse,'' ''Thundercats,'' ''Teen Titans Go,'' ''Be Cool, Scooby-Doo!'' (writer)

Award nominations

* 1989

Academy Awards The Academy Awards, commonly known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit in film. They are presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) in the United States in recognition of excellence in ...

- Best Screenplay Based on Material From Another Medium for ''

'') * 1989 WGA Award - Best Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium (for ''Gorillas in the Mist'') * 1997

Golden Raspberry Award The Golden Raspberry Awards (also known as the Razzies and Razzie Awards) is a parody award show honoring the worst of cinematic failures. Co-founded by University of California, Los Angeles, UCLA film graduates and film industry veterans John ...

- Worst Written Film Grossing Over $100 Million (for '' The Hunchback of Notre Dame'') * 1999

Annie Awards The Annie Awards are accolades which the Los Angeles branch of the International Animated Film Association, ASIFA-Hollywood, has presented each year since 1972 to recognize excellence in animation shown in American cinema and television. Origi ...

- Outstanding Individual Achievement for Writing in an Animated Feature Production (for ''

'') * 2003 Annie Awards - Outstanding Writing in an Animated Feature Production (for ''

'')

References

External links

*
Official Facebook Page

An Interview Tab Murphy - ''Atlantis'' Screenwriter; by Rick West - June 14, 2001

Tab Murphy on Cake
{{DEFAULTSORT:Murphy, Tab American male screenwriters Animation screenwriters Living people Walt Disney Animation Studios people Year of birth missing (living people) Film directors from Washington (state) American animated film directors American film producers American animated film producers Warner Bros. Animation people