Walter Duch Richter (born December 7, 1945) is an American

screenwriter A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

film director A film director or filmmaker is a person who controls a film's artistic and dramatic aspects and visualizes the screenplay (or script) while guiding the film crew and actors in the fulfillment of that Goal, vision. The director has a key role ...

and film producer. He is best known for adapting ''

Invasion of the Body Snatchers ''Invasion of the Body Snatchers'' is a 1956 American science-fiction horror film produced by Walter Wanger, directed by Don Siegel, and starring Kevin McCarthy and Dana Wynter. The black-and-white film was shot in 2.00:1 Superscope and in t ...

'', directing ''

The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension ''The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension'', often shortened to ''Buckaroo Banzai'', is a 1984 American Adventure film, adventure Science fiction comedy, science fiction comedy film produced and directed by W. D. Richter and w ...

'' and co-writing ''

Big Trouble in Little China ''Big Trouble in Little China'' (also known as ''John Carpenter's Big Trouble in Little China'') is a 1986 American fantasy action-comedy film directed by John Carpenter, and starring Kurt Russell, Kim Cattrall, Dennis Dun and James Hong. The ...

''.

Biography

Richter graduated from

Dartmouth College Dartmouth College ( ) is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Hanover, New Hampshire, United States. Established in 1769 by Eleazar Wheelock, Dartmouth is one of the nine colonial colleges chartered before the America ...

and attended USC Film School. He began script writing for Hollywood in the 1970s. He wrote the comedy '' Slither'' (1973), followed by two similarly styled comedies, '' Peeper'' (1975) and ''

Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (nicknamed Nick) is an American pay television channel and the flagship property of the Nickelodeon Group, a sub-division of the Paramount Media Networks division of Paramount Global. Launched on April 1, 1979, as the first ca ...

'' (1976). He branched into other genres starting with the 1970s remake of ''Invasion of the Body Snatchers''. He wrote scripts throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In the early 1980s, Richter formed his own production company (with producer

Neil Canton Neil Canton (born 30 May 1948) is an American film producer from New York City best known for his work on the ''Back to the Future'' trilogy. Canton currently serves as an instructor and mentor at the American Film Institute Conservatory as a ...

), Canton/Richter, and directed ''

''. The film did poorly at the box office, and the company ended. In 1981, he wrote a screenplay based on

Eric Van Lustbader Eric Van Lustbader (born December 24, 1946) is an American author of thriller and fantasy novels. He has published as Eric Lustbader, Eric V. Lustbader, and Eric Van Lustbader. He is a graduate of New York's Stuyvesant High School and Columb ...

's novel '' The Ninja'' for

Irvin Kershner Irvin Kershner (born Isadore Kershner; April 29, 1923November 27, 2010) was an American director for film and television. Early in his career as a filmmaker he directed quirky, independent drama films, while working as a lecturer at the Univer ...

to direct with

Richard Zanuck Richard Darryl Zanuck (; December 13, 1934 – July 13, 2012) was an American film producer. His 1989 film ''Driving Miss Daisy'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture. He was also instrumental in launching the career of director Steven Spielber ...

and David Brown and

20th Century Fox 20th Century Studios, Inc., formerly 20th Century Fox, is an American film studio, film production and Film distributor, distribution company owned by the Walt Disney Studios (division), Walt Disney Studios, the film studios division of the ...

to produce, which ultimately never got made. Richter continued to write screenplays however, and has since written '' Home for the Holidays'' and ''

Stealth Stealth may refer to: Military *Stealth technology, technology used to conceal ships, aircraft, and missiles **Stealth aircraft, aircraft which use stealth technology ** Stealth ground vehicle, ground vehicles which use stealth technology ** Ste ...

''.

Filmography

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Richter, W. D. 1945 births Living people American male screenwriters Dartmouth College alumni Writers from New Britain, Connecticut Film directors from Connecticut Screenwriters from Connecticut Film producers from Connecticut