Bryan Fuller

American screenwriter and television producer (born 1969)

Bryan Fuller

Fuller at the 2016 Comic-Con

Born|  (1969-07-27) July 27, 1969 (age 55)
Lewiston, Idaho, U.S.
Occupation|

* Screenwriter
* television producer

Education| Lewis-Clark State College
University of Southern California
Period| 1997–present
Genre|

* Horror
* Macabre
* Drama
* Science fiction
* Fantasy
* Comedy

Partner| Scott Roberts (2006–present)

Bryan Fuller (born July 27, 1969) is an American writer and producer, best known for creating the television series Pushing Daisies (2007–2009) and Hannibal (2013–2015). Fuller is also known for his work as a writer on the Star Trek television series Voyager (1997–2001) and Deep Space Nine (1997); he is also the co-creator of Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2024) and Star Trek: Short Treks (2018–2020).[1]

## Early life

[edit]

Fuller was born in Lewiston, Idaho,[2] and raised in Clarkston, Washington.[3] He was brought up Roman Catholic.[4] After graduating from Clarkston High School, Fuller attended Lewis–Clark State College in Lewiston. He later transferred to the USC School of Cinematic Arts, but dropped out and began working as an office temp.[5]

## Career

[edit]

As a contributing writer, Fuller's work has been featured on several shows, including Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, earning twenty-two episode writing credits for the Star Trek franchise. Fuller is himself a fan of science fiction, and in an interview said that his favorite Star Trek series were the 1960s original, followed by Deep Space Nine, The Next Generation and Voyager. Fuller has called DS9 his favorite spin-off, stating: "There were lots of new and innovative things going on during Deep Space Nine and that's why it's my favorite of the new series. It was much more character-based".[6] Fuller worked on the 1997 DS9 episodes "The Darkness and the Light" and "Empok Nor".

Fuller wrote the teleplay for the 2002 adaptation of Carrie, based on the 1974 novel of the same name by Stephen King. Next, he created Dead Like Me which ran on Showtime for two seasons from 2003 to 2004, although Fuller left early into the first season. He then co-created Wonderfalls with Todd Holland, which ran on Fox in 2004, with only four episodes being aired and the rest premiering on DVD. Near the end of 2004, Fuller got a pilot commitment from NBC for The Assistants,[7] although the show never got past the script stage. In 2005, Fuller wrote the pilot to the animated comedy The Amazing Screw-On Head for the Sci Fi Channel, which aired in 2006 but was not picked up for a series. He next worked on NBC series Heroes, where he joined as a consulting producer after the pilot and became a co-executive producer for the first season. He also wrote a couple episodes for Heroes, including "Company Man" which TV Guide named one of the 100 greatest episodes in television history.

Chi McBride and Bryan Fuller

Next he created Pushing Daisies, about a pie-maker (Lee Pace) who can bring dead things back to life temporarily, which debuted on ABC on October 3, 2007. On July 17, 2008, the show was nominated for twelve Emmy Awards from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences, including one for Fuller for Outstanding Writing of a Comedy Series. It ultimately won seven Emmy Awards: for Best Supporting Actress (Kristin Chenoweth), Best Art Direction, Best Costume, Best Music, Best Make-Up, Best Editing, and Best Direction of a Comedy Series (Barry Sonnenfeld). The second season of Pushing Daisies began October 1, 2008, on ABC. In mid-November, ABC announced that it would not order new episodes for season two after the 13th.[8] The series' final episode aired on June 13, 2009.[9]

With the cancellation of Pushing Daisies, Fuller signed a seven-figure, two-year deal with Universal Media Studios. He rejoined the writing staff of Heroes for the 20th episode of the third season, and again became a consulting producer, playing a "key role" on the writing staff.[10] After working on some of the story arcs for the next season of Heroes, Fuller announced he was moving on to other projects.[11] His next projects, both a result of the Universal deal and developed for NBC, were Sellevision, developed with Bryan Singer and based on the book of the same name by Augusten Burroughs, and No Kill, Fuller's first sitcom.[12] Neither project got past the scripting stage. Fuller's next project, again for NBC, was Mockingbird Lane, a revival of the classic sitcom The Munsters. A pilot was produced, but the show did not receive a series order, and the pilot aired as a Halloween special. Fuller next worked on Mind Fields with Lisa Joy for USA Network,[13] which was not picked up.

Fuller's next project was the Hannibal Lecter series Hannibal, which premiered on NBC in 2013, and renewed for a second season in 2014.[14] Fuller had developed High Moon for Syfy, based on the book The Lotus Caves, which filmed a pilot in late 2013, but was not given a series order.[15]

By July 2014, Starz had acquired the airing rights to Neil Gaiman's 2001 novel American Gods, and that Fuller, with producer Michael Green, would develop the novel into a television series. The show premiered April 30, 2017. The show was renewed for a second season, but Fuller and Green left the show due to budgetary issues during the writing stage of the second season.[16] In early 2018, Fuller was working on a television adaptation of The Vampire Chronicles novel series by Anne Rice. He dropped out of the project in July of the same year.[17][18] After leaving American Gods and Discovery, Fuller began work on his first feature film in 2021, writing a new adaptation of the 1983 Stephen King novel Christine for Sony Pictures and Blumhouse Productions, planning to make his directorial debut.[19] In October 2022, it was announced Fuller would write a Friday the 13th prequel television series entitled Crystal Lake [20] He dropped out of the project in May, 2024, citing creative differences as the cause.

With development on Christine stalled, Fuller turned to an original screenplay to be his feature directorial debut, Dust Bunny starring Hannibal lead actor Mads Mikkelsen.[21]

## Fullerverse

[edit]

Nicknamed the "Fullerverse" by Fuller's fans, all of Fuller's series are implied to take place in the same universe.

Marianne Marie Beetle (played by actress Beth Grant) first appears in the Wonderfalls episode "Muffin Buffalo", and has subsequently appeared in the Pushing Daisies episode "Comfort Food"[22] and in the pilot of Mockingbird Lane.[23]

Similarly, Gretchen Speck-Horowitz (played by Chelan Simmons) first appears in the Wonderfalls episode "Pink Flamingos" and subsequently appeared in the Hannibal episode "Amuse-Bouche", reverting to her maiden name after her divorce.[24]

Meanwhile, in the Pushing Daisies episode "Bzzzzzzzzz!", Ned mentions that he works for Happy Time Temp Agency when trying to go undercover, the same place where Georgia "George" Lass works in Dead Like Me.[25]

Also, the fictional brand "Lil' Ivey's" first appeared in the Wonderfalls episode "Cocktail Bunny" on a box of cocktail cherries and later appeared in the Pushing Daisies episode "Kerplunk", this time on a bag of macaroni.[26]

Fuller has reinterpreted a few of his characters in later series.[27] Georgia "George" Lass (played by Ellen Muth), having first appeared in Dead Like Me, was reinterpreted as Georgia Madchen (also played by Muth) in the Hannibal episodes "Buffet Froid" and "Relevés". This similarity is furthered by their last names: "lass" is an English (or Scots) synonym for girl while "Mädchen" is a German word meaning the same. In another nod to Georgia Lass being a reaper (therefore both dead and alive) in Dead Like Me, in Hannibal Georgia Madchen is a killer who suffers from numerous medical conditions including Cotard's syndrome, a delusion disorder that has her convinced she is actually dead.[28][29]

In a similar manner, Reggie Lass from Dead Like Me (played by Britt McKillip) was reinterpreted as Miriam Lass (played by Anna Chlumsky), who first appears in the Hannibal episode "Entrée".[30] Similarly, in the Hannibal episode "Takiawase", an acupuncturist (played by Amanda Plummer) who is under investigation for lobotomizing patients is named Katherine Pimms, which is also the cover name used by Charlotte "Chuck" Charles (played by Anna Friel) in multiple episodes of Pushing Daisies.[31]

A visual nod to Wonderfalls was given in the Heroes first-season episode "Better Halves" when the smoosh-faced wax lion central to Wonderfalls was seen on a bedside table.[32]

## Personal life

[edit]

Fuller is in a long-term relationship with interior designer Scott Roberts.[33][34]

In a 2007 interview, he stated that his favorite film was the 2001 French film Amélie, which was one of the inspirations for Pushing Daisies: "All the things I love are represented in that movie. It's a movie that will make me cry based on kindness as opposed to sadness."[35]

### Sexual harassment allegations

[edit]

On October 5, 2023, Fuller was accused of and sued for sexual harassment by Sam Wineman, a producer of Queer for Fear, charges Fuller denies. Claiming the lawsuit was a retaliatory attempt to extort Fuller after Wineman left the project, Fuller's attorney Bryan Freedman released the following statement: "Make no mistake, Sam Wineman will be sued for defamation based on what are 100 percent provably false statements," Freedman told Deadline Hollywood. "There is documented evidence which completely disproves the allegations against Bryan Fuller. Wineman created this fictitious story long after his gross incompetence necessitated his removal in an effort to extort AMC, Shudder, Steakhaus and Bryan Fuller."[36][37][38] A month later, 14 individuals, 9 of whom had been on the set of Queer for Fear at the time of the supposed incident, came forward in Fuller's defense, disavowing Sam Wineman's story. Some even went so far as to condemn Wineman for unprofessional behavior.[39][40]

## Filmography

[edit]

Film

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Producer

|
|
|
|

TBA  | Dust Bunny | Yes  | Yes  | Yes

Television

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Executive
Producer  | Creator  | Developer  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|
|

1997  | Star Trek: Deep Space Nine | No  | Yes  | No  | No  | No  | Episodes "The Darkness and the Light"
and "Empok Nor"
1997–2001  | Star Trek: Voyager | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | 81 episodes;
Also story editor (season 4–5),
executive story editor (season 6)
and co-producer (season 7)
2002  | Carrie | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | No  | TV movie
2003–2004  | Dead Like Me | No  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | 29 episodes;
Also consulting producer
2004  | Wonderfalls | No  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | 13 episodes
2006  | The Amazing Screw-On Head | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Yes  | Animated pilot
2006–2009  | Heroes | No  | Yes  | Co-executive  | No  | No  | 33 episodes;
Also consulting producer (season 3–4)
2007–2009  | Pushing Daisies | No  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | 22 episodes
2012  | Mockingbird Lane | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Yes  | Pilot
2013–2015  | Hannibal | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Yes  | 39 episodes
2014  | High Moon | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Yes  | Pilot
2017–2021  | American Gods | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Yes  | 26 episodes
2017–2024  | Star Trek: Discovery | No  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | 65 episodes;
Also executive consultant (season 2–3)
2018–2020  | Star Trek: Short Treks | No  | No  | No  | Yes  | No  |
2022  | Queer for Fear:
The History of Queer Horror | Yes  | No  | Yes  | No  | No  | Directed 2 episodes

## Award and nominations

[edit]

Year  | Award  | Category  | Work  | Result

|
|
|
|

2005  | Writers Guild of America Award | Episodic Comedy | Wonderfalls | Nominated
2007  | Writers Guild of America Award  | New Series | Heroes | Nominated
2007  | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Drama Series | Heroes | Nominated
2008  | Writers Guild of America Award  | New Series  | Pushing Daisies | Nominated
2008  | Writers Guild of America Award  | Episodic Comedy  | Pushing Daisies | Nominated
2008  | Edgar Award | Best Television Episode Teleplay  | Pushing Daisies | Nominated
2008  | Hugo Award | Best Dramatic Presentation – Long Form | Heroes | Nominated
2008  | Primetime Emmy Award  | Outstanding Writing for a Comedy Series | Pushing Daisies | Nominated
2014  | The Dan Curtis Legacy Award | Won

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Lincoln, Ross (December 2, 2016). "Bryan Fuller Confirms No Further Involvement With 'Star Trek Discovery'". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved June 6, 2017.
2. ^ "Bryan Fuller". TV Guide. Archived from the original on November 18, 2019.
3. ^ Lewiston Tribune Staff (February 27, 2014). "Fuller's 'Hannibal' back for seconds (seasons, that is)". The Lewiston Tribune. Lewiston, Idaho. Archived from the original on November 18, 2019.
4. ^ Whitney, Erin (December 8, 2015). "Bryan Fuller on 'Hannibal' Season 3, A 'Silence of the Lambs' Reboot and 'American Gods'". ScreenCrush.com. "...what I love about working with Michael Green is that we were both raised from a religious backgrounds. He was raised Jewish and I was raised Catholic."
5. ^ Wood, Jennifer M. (March 19, 2015). "Bryan Fuller on Pushing Daisies, Dead Like Me, and Being Cancelled". Esquire. Archived from the original on February 4, 2018.
6. ^ Taylor, Robert (2006-10-26). "Reflections: Talking with Bryan Fuller". Comic Book Resources.com. Archived from the original on 2008-02-13. Retrieved 2007-03-21.
7. ^ "Wonderfalls cocreator Bryan Fuller sells pilot to NBC". November 12, 2004. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
8. ^ "ABC cancels "Pushing Daisies," "Eli Stone"". Sliceofscifi.com. 2008-11-21. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
9. ^ Lowe, Al (2009-06-13). "Pushing Daisies". Televisionwithoutpity.com. Archived from the original on 2011-08-10. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
10. ^ "UMS Deal". The Hollywood Reporter. 2008-12-03. Archived from the original on December 19, 2008. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
11. ^ "Ain't It Cool News". Aintitcool.com. Retrieved 2011-08-26.
12. ^ Schneider, Michael (September 9, 2009). "Fuller, Singer sell NBC on Burroughs". Variety. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
13. ^ Levine, Stuart (May 17, 2012). "USA casts broad development net". Variety. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
14. ^ "'Hannibal' Renewed For Season 2: NBC Picks Up Bryan Fuller Series for a Second Helping". Huffingtonpost.com. 2013-05-30. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
15. ^ "'High Moon': Bryan Fuller's Syfy pilot adds 'Heroes' and 'Black Donnellys' alums". Zap2it. August 22, 2013. Archived from the original on February 15, 2014. Retrieved 2014-04-01.
16. ^ Holloway, Daniel (November 29, 2017). "'American Gods' Showrunners Bryan Fuller, Michael Green Exit (Exclusive)".
17. ^ Brockington, Ariana (January 12, 2018). "Bryan Fuller Joins 'The Vampire Chronicles' TV Series". Variety.
18. ^ Petski, Denise (July 17, 2018). "Anne Rice's 'The Vampire Chronicles' In The Works At Hulu". Deadline. Retrieved July 17, 2018.
19. ^ Vary, Adam B. (2021-06-08). "Stephen King's 'Christine' Getting Big-Screen Reboot With Bryan Fuller Directing for Sony Pictures and Blumhouse". Variety. Penske Media Corporation.
20. ^ Otterson, Joe (October 31, 2022). "'Friday the 13th' Prequel Series 'Crystal Lake' From Bryan Fuller Ordered at Peacock". Variety. Retrieved October 31, 2022.
21. ^ Hamman, Cody (2023-06-22). "Dust Bunny: Mads Mikkelsen and Hannibal creator Bryan Fuller are in production on horror film". JoBlo. Archived from the original on July 20, 2023. Retrieved 2023-07-19.
22. ^ "Marianne Marie Beattle (Character) : from "Pushing Daisies" (2007)". IMDb.com. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
23. ^ [1] Archived November 4, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
24. ^ Roots, Kimberly (2012-09-27). "Hannibal Casts Chelan Simmons – Season 1". TVLine. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
25. ^ "Pushing Daisies Season Premiere Review: "Bzzzzzzz!"". Tor.com. 2008-10-02. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
26. ^ "Endings, as it is known, are where we begin". Fuckyeahbryanfuller.tumblr.com. 2009-06-22. Archived from the original on 2013-11-06. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
27. ^ Roots, Kimberly (2013-01-31). "Hannibal Season 1 Cast – Ellen Muth". TVLine. Archived from the original on 2013-10-13. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
28. ^ Eric Goldman (May 30, 2013). "Hannibal: "Buffet Froid" Review". IGN. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
29. ^ "Bryan Fuller interview: Pushing Daisies, High Moon, Star Trek, Dead Like Me & more..." Den of Geek. 2013-05-02. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
30. ^ "Twitter / BryanFuller: .@AnnaChlumsky on #HANNIBAL". Twitter.com. Retrieved 2013-11-03.
31. ^ Emily VanDerWerff (22 March 2014). "Hannibal's Bryan Fuller on that terrifying cliffhanger · The Walkthrough · The A.V. Club". Avclub.com. Retrieved 2015-11-12.
32. ^ "Behind The Eclipse: Heroes Episode 8". cbr.com. November 13, 2006. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
33. ^ Keeps, David A. (2007-10-11). "Producer Fuller rights his boathouse". Denver Post.
34. ^ "Bryan Fuller Biography, Celebrity Facts and Awards". TV Guide. Retrieved May 9, 2017.
35. ^ Carter, Bill (5 July 2007). "A Touching Romance, if They Just Don't Touch". The New York Times.
36. ^ Cho, Winston (2023-10-05). "Bryan Fuller Accused of Sexual Harassment on Set of AMC Networks' 'Queer for Fear'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
37. ^ Maddaus, Gene (2023-10-05). "Bryan Fuller Accused of Sexual Harassment on Set of Queer Horror Docuseries". Variety. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
38. ^ Patten, Dominic (2023-10-05). "AMC, Bryan Fuller & Shudder Hit With Sexual Harassment Suit By 'Queer For Fear' Producer; Plaintiff "Will Be Sued For Defamation," Defense Lawyer Declares". Deadline. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
39. ^ "Bryan Fuller Defended Against Sexual Misconduct Allegations". www.out.com. Retrieved 2023-11-22.
40. ^ Siegel, Tatiana (2023-11-02). "Inside the 'Queer for Fear' Hostile Workplace Lawsuit — and Why Multiple People Are Defending Embattled Producer Bryan Fuller". Variety. Retrieved 2023-11-22.

## External links

[edit]

Bryan Fuller at Wikipedia's sister projects

* Media from Commons
* Data from Wikidata

* Bryan Fuller at IMDb
* Bryan Fuller on Twitter
* Bryan Fuller on Instagram

* v
* t
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Bryan Fuller

TV series created|

* Dead Like Me (2003–04)
* Wonderfalls (2004)
* Pushing Daisies (2007–2009)
* Hannibal (2013–2015)
* American Gods (2017–2021)
* Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2024)
* Star Trek: Short Treks (2018–2020)

TV pilots created|

* The Amazing Screw-On Head (2006)
* Mockingbird Lane (2012)

Films written|

* Carrie (2002)
* Dust Bunny (TBA, also directed)

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

* Germany
* United States
* France
* BnF data
* Japan
* Czech Republic
* Spain
* Netherlands
* Poland

Other|

* IdRef

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