Nick Schenk

American screenwriter (born 1965)

For the film studio executive, see Nicholas Schenck.

Nick Schenk

Born|  (1965-11-12) November 12, 1965 (age 59)

Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.

Alma mater| Minneapolis College of Art and Design
Occupation| Screenwriter
Partner| Jena Ramsay

Nick Schenk (born November 12, 1965) is an American screenwriter known for writing the Clint Eastwood-directed feature film Gran Torino in 2008 for which he won Best Original Screenplay from the National Board of Review.[1] He continued his collaborations with Eastwood on The Mule (2018) and Cry Macho (2021).

## Early life

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Schenk was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and grew up in the neighboring city of Fridley.[2] He graduated from the Minneapolis College of Art and Design in 1989.

## Career

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During the mid-1990s, he played the character of Butch the Janitor on the television series, Let's Bowl, during its initial syndicated run. He went on to be a writer for the series during its run on Comedy Central from 2001-2002. He also made appearances in small roles during this time.

In 2007, Nick Schenk was a writer and producer for Bodog Fight (the mixed-martial arts competition television show) when his screenplay for Gran Torino was optioned by Jenette Kahn. When Clint Eastwood read it, he not only decided to direct and star in it but he also insisted that not a word be changed by the studio. Subsequently, the only script changes made were to tailor it to the location where it was shot (Michigan) as opposed to Minnesota where it was originally set.[3]

On February 26, 2021, Nick signed on with the representative company Management 360.[4]

In 2022, Schenk wrote and executive produced a sequel to the 1983 film A Christmas Story entitled A Christmas Story Christmas for Warner Bros. Pictures and HBO Max (now Max).[5]

## Filmography

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### Films

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Nick Schenk's film credits Year  | Title  | Credited as  | Director  | Ref(s)

|
|
|
|

2008  | Gran Torino | Story, screenplay  | Clint Eastwood | [6]
2014  | The Judge | Story, screenplay  | David Dobkin | [7]
2018  | The Mule | Screenplay  | Clint Eastwood | [8]
2021  | Cry Macho | Screenplay  | Clint Eastwood | [9]
2022  | A Christmas Story Christmas | Story, screenplay, executive producer  | Clay Kaytis | [10]

### Television

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Nick Schenk's television credits Year  | Title  | Notes  | Ref(s)

|
|
|

2015  | Narcos | "Written by" – 2 episodes  | [4]
2016  | Harley and the Davidsons | "Teleplay by" – 2 episodes; "Story by" – 1 episode  | [11]
2017; 2020  | Manhunt | "Story by" – 1 episode; "Written by" – 2 episodes  | [4]

## References

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1. ^ Awards: Best Original Screenplay Archived 2016-03-05 at the Wayback Machine. - National Board of Review of Motion Pictures.
2. ^ "'Gran Torino' a movie made in Minnesota, almost". 9 January 2009.
3. ^ Yuen, Laura. - "'Gran Torino' a movie made in Minnesota, almost". - Minnesota Public Radio. - January 8, 2009.
4. ^ a b c Kroll, Justin (February 26, 2021). "'Cry Macho' Screenwriter Nick Schenk Signs With Management 360". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
5. ^ Kroll, Justin (January 20, 2022). "'A Christmas Story' Sequel In The Works At Legendary And Warner Bros With Peter Billingsley Set To Reprise Ralphie Role". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved August 11, 2022.
6. ^ Baenen, Jeff (January 10, 2009). "Screenwriter floors it with Gran Torino". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
7. ^ McNary, Dave; Abrams, Rachel (March 23, 2011). "WB taps David Seidler for The Judge". Variety. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
8. ^ Sneider, Jeff (February 24, 2015). "The Judge Writer Nick Schenk to Adapt Elderly Drug Mule Tale for Zombieland Director (Exclusive)". TheWrap. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
9. ^ Kroll, Justin (October 2, 2020). "Clint Eastwood Finds His Next Film, Coming On To Star And Direct Cry Macho For Warner Bros". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved January 21, 2022.
10. ^ Grobar, Matt (February 17, 2022). "Stampede Ventures Acquires Nick Schenk's Action Spec Galahad, Eyes New Franchise". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 17, 2022.
11. ^ Fienberg, Daniel (September 1, 2016). "Harley and the Davidsons: TV Review". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved January 21, 2022.

## Further reading

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* Tapley, Kristopher. - PAGE TO SCREEN: "Gran Torino" by Nick Schenk. - InContention.com. - September 9, 2008.
* Covert, Colin. - "A Twin Cities writer's 'Gran' slam". - Star Tribune. - January 8, 2009.
* Schein, Louisa. - "Eastwood’s Next Film Features Hmong American Cast: Exclusive Interviews From the Set of 'Gran Torino'". - AsianWeek. - October 3, 2008.

## External links

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* Nick Schenk at IMDb
* Nick Schenk at Rotten Tomatoes
* Nick Schenk at Metacritic

* v
* t
* e

National Board of Review Award for Best Original Screenplay

* Charlie Kaufman (2002)
* Jim Sheridan, Kirsten Sheridan and Naomi Sheridan (2003)
* Charlie Kaufman (2004)
* Noah Baumbach (2005)
* Zach Helm (2006)
* Diablo Cody / Nancy Oliver (2007)
* Nick Schenk (2008)
* Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (2009)
* Chris Sparling (2010)
* Will Reiser (2011)
* Rian Johnson (2012)
* Joel Coen and Ethan Coen (2013)
* Phil Lord and Christopher Miller (2014)
* Quentin Tarantino (2015)
* Kenneth Lonergan (2016)
* Paul Thomas Anderson (2017)
* Paul Schrader (2018)
* Ronald Bronstein, Josh Safdie and Benny Safdie (2019)
* Lee Isaac Chung (2020)
* Asghar Farhadi (2021)
* Martin McDonagh (2022)
* David Hemingson (2023)
* Mike Leigh (2024)

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