Jeff Nathanson

American screenwriter

Jeff Nathanson

Born|

Jeffrey D. Nathanson

(1965-10-12) October 12, 1965 (age 59)

Los Angeles County, California, U.S.

Alma mater| University of California, Santa Barbara
AFI Conservatory
Occupations|

* Screenwriter
* director
* producer

Years active| 1993–present

Jeffrey D. Nathanson (born October 12, 1965) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for writing two films of the Rush Hour series, as well as the Steven Spielberg films Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, and Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull.

## Early life and education

[edit]

Nathanson was born in Los Angeles County, California.[1] He attended the University of California, Santa Barbara as an English major from 1983 to 1985.[2][3] While at UC Santa Barbara, he worked on the school's newspaper, the Daily Nexus, and has stated that the courses he took at UC Santa Barbara led him to want to become a screenwriter.[2][4] He later enrolled in the screenwriting program at the AFI Conservatory for one year.[3][5]

## Career

[edit]

He is best known for his work on the Rush Hour sequels Rush Hour 2 and Rush Hour 3, Catch Me If You Can, The Terminal, and The Last Shot. He co-wrote a story draft for the film Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008) with George Lucas; the film was directed by Steven Spielberg. He wrote the screenplay for Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales (2017), on which he also received a story by co-credit, the latter with Terry Rossio.[6][7] He wrote the script for the 2019 live-action remake of The Lion King for Disney, directed by Jon Favreau.[8] He also wrote its 2024 prequel, Mufasa: The Lion King, directed by Barry Jenkins.[9]

On October 3, 2017, it was reported that Nathanson would be penning a script for a biographical film directed by Brett Ratner based on the life of the Playboy founder Hugh Hefner, who will be portrayed by Academy Award winner Jared Leto.[10] However the film was put indefinitely on hold and was confirmed that Leto would not portray the Playboy founder following emergence of sexual harassment allegations against Ratner that November.[11]

## Awards and honors

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Nathanson was nominated for a Best Original Screenplay British Academy of Film and Television Arts Award for his work on Catch Me If You Can.[12]

## Film writer credits

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director  | Notes

|
|
|

1995  | For Better or Worse | Jason Alexander | Also executive producer
1997  | Speed 2: Cruise Control | Jan de Bont |
2001  | Rush Hour 2 | Brett Ratner |
2002  | Catch Me If You Can | Steven Spielberg |
2004  | The Terminal |
The Last Shot | Himself  |
2007  | Rush Hour 3 | Brett Ratner  |
2008  | Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull | Steven Spielberg  | Story only, co-written with George Lucas and David Koepp
New York, I Love You | Brett Ratner  | Segment #5
2011  | Tower Heist |
2017  | Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales | Joachim Rønning
Espen Sandberg |
2019  | The Lion King | Jon Favreau |
2024  | Young Woman and the Sea | Joachim Rønning  | Also producer
Mufasa: The Lion King | Barry Jenkins |

Uncredited

* Men in Black 3[13] (2012)
* Wonka[14] (2023)
* Haunted Mansion (2023)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Gertrude Penner". Funeralinnovations.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
2. ^ a b Quiambao, Carissa (October 31, 2011). "Former Gaucho Unveils New Film". Daily Nexus. Santa Barbara, California. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
3. ^ a b Neumer, Chris. "Jeff Nathanson Interview". Stumpedmagazine.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
4. ^ Quiambao, Carissa (October 27, 2011). "Renowned Director To Visit Campus". Daily Nexus. Santa Barbara, California. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
5. ^ "AFI ALUMNI". Afi.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
6. ^ Trumbore, Dave (January 11, 2013). "Disney Enlists Screenwriter Jeff Nathanson for PIRATES OF THE CARIBBEAN 5". Collider. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
7. ^ Kroll, Justin (January 11, 2013). "Disney hires writer for 'Pirates of the Caribbean 5'". Variety. Los Angeles. Retrieved September 1, 2015.
8. ^ McCabe, Adam (October 13, 2016). "Disney's Live-Action 'Lion King' hires Jeff Nathanson to pen script". Inside the Magic.
9. ^ Rubin, Rebecca; Lang, Brent (September 29, 2020). "'The Lion King' Follow-Up in the Works With Director Barry Jenkins". Variety. Archived from the original on September 29, 2020. Retrieved February 12, 2023.
10. ^ "Jared Leto to star in Hugh Hefner biopic". BBC News. October 3, 2017.
11. ^ "Brett Ratner's Hugh Hefner Biopic is Dead in the Water". Screen rant. November 2, 2017.
12. ^ "TAKING A LOOK AT CONFIRMED PANELIST JEFF NATHANSON". Austinfilmfestival.com. Retrieved September 1, 2015.[dead link]
13. ^ "Jeff Nathanson Doing 'Men in Black 3D' Rewrite/Polish; Production Split into Two Segments". 17 November 2010.
14. ^ https://directories.wga.org/member/jeffreydnathanson/

## External links

[edit]

* Jeff Nathanson at IMDb

Authority control databases

International|

* ISNI
* VIAF
* WorldCat

National|

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

Artists|

* MusicBrainz

Other|

* IdRef
* Yale LUX