Dan Harris (screenwriter)

{{short description|American screenwriter and director (born 1979)}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Dan Harris

| image =

| caption =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1979|8|29}}

| birth_place = Kingston, Pennsylvania, United States

| death_date =

| death_place =

| alma_mater = Columbia University

| occupation = Screenwriter, director

}}

Dan Harris (born August 29, 1979) is an American screenwriter and director best known for working with Michael Dougherty and Bryan Singer, and whose writing credits include Superman Returns,{{cite web|work=The New York Times|title=It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's the Man of . . . Feelings!|author=Joseph, Michael|date=June 4, 2006|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2006/06/04/movies/04gros.html}} X2{{cite web|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2003/05/02/movies/film-review-good-vs-evil-with-marvelous-muscles.html|title=FILM REVIEW; Good vs. Evil, With Marvelous Muscles|author-link=A. O. Scott|author=Scott, A. O.|date=May 2, 2003}} and X-Men: Apocalypse.{{cite web|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/27/movies/x-men-apocalypse-review.html|title=Review: 'X-Men: Apocalypse,' a Sequel 5,000 Years in the Making|author-link=Glenn Kenny|author=Kenny, Glenn|date=May 26, 2016}}

Early life

Harris was raised in Kingston, Pennsylvania. He went to Wyoming Valley West Middle and High schools, and graduated from Wyoming Seminary. Before he received his bachelor's degree from Columbia University,{{Cite web|last=Lui|first=Claire|date=March 2005|title=Dan Harris '01 Begins an Amazing Career|url=https://www.college.columbia.edu/cct_archive/mar05/features1.html|access-date=August 10, 2020|website=Columbia College Today}} Harris's short film Urban Chaos Theory won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film at the NoDance Film Festival, and the following winter, his short film, "The Killing of Candice Klein", played at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival.

Career

Harris made his feature film directing debut with Imaginary Heroes, starring Sigourney Weaver, Jeff Daniels, Emile Hirsch and Michelle Williams.{{Cite book|last=Ebert|first=Roger|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-U3y_SgnQ6kC&q=dan+harris+imaginary+heroes&pg=PA309|title=Roger Ebert's Movie Yearbook 2009|date=2009-06-15|publisher=Andrews McMeel Publishing|isbn=978-0-7407-9216-8|language=en}} The film had its world premiere at the 29th Toronto International Film Festival and opened Winter 2005 after being given special recognition for excellence in filmmaking from the National Board of Review.{{Cite web|last1=Rooney|first1=David|date=2004-09-17|title=Imaginary Heroes|url=https://variety.com/2004/film/awards/imaginary-heroes-1200531016/|access-date=2020-08-11|website=Variety|language=en}}

In addition to Superman Returns, Harris and his writing partner Michael Dougherty have co-written many films, including Urban Legends: Bloody Mary and X2, which he wrote at the age of 22 for director Bryan Singer, an assignment offered to him after the director read the screenplay for Imaginary Heroes. In the same year, he was honored as one of Variety’s top 10 screenwriters to watch.{{Cite web|title=13 Feb 2005, 208 - The Boston Globe at Newspapers.com|url=http://www.newspapers.com/image/443531591/|access-date=2020-08-11|website=Newspapers.com|language=en}}

Harris directed I, Lucifer, a film based on the novel which he adapted with Michael Dougherty. Harris and Dougherty opted out of writing the upcoming Superman sequel.{{Cite web|date=2007-10-21|title=Michael Dougherty and Dan Harris Turn Their Back on 'Superman'|url=https://movieweb.com/michael-dougherty-and-dan-harris-turn-their-back-on-superman/|access-date=2020-08-11|website=Movieweb|language=en-US}}

Harris co-wrote X-Men: Apocalypse with Singer, Dougherty and Simon Kinberg.

Also with Dougherty and Singer, Harris wrote the Superman Returns prequel comic books for DC Comics.{{Cite web|date=2006-03-15|title="Superman Returns" Prequel Art Released|url=https://www.cbr.com/superman-returns-prequel-art-released/|access-date=2020-08-11|website=CBR|language=en-US}}

Harris' photography has twice been published by New York fashion and arts landmark Visionaire and he was part of Vanity Fair's "Hollywood Portfolio" in 2005.{{Cite web|title=VANITY FAIR'S 2005 HOLLYWOOD PORTFOLIO {{!}} Vanity Fair {{!}} March 2005|url=https://archive.vanityfair.com/article/2005/3/vanity-fairs-2005-hollywood-portfolio|access-date=2020-08-11|website=Vanity Fair {{!}} The Complete Archive|language=en-US}}

Filmography

class="wikitable"
Year	Film	Credit	Notes
1998 \|Celebrity \|Production assistant \|
rowspan="2"\|1999 \|Dancing with Agnes \|Director, written by, editor \|Short film, as Daniel P. Harris
Mickey Blue Eyes \|Production assistant \|Uncredited
rowspan="2"\|2000 \|Urban Chaos Theory \|Director, written by, executive producer \|rowspan="2"\|Short film, as Daniel P. Harris
The Unbreakable Likeness of Lincoln \|Director, executive producer
2002 \|The Killing of Candice Klein \|Director, written by \|Short film
2003 \|X2: X-Men United \|Screenplay by \|Co-wrote screenplay with Michael Dougherty and David Hayter, based on a story by Zak Penn and David Hayter & Bryan Singer
2004 \|Imaginary Heroes \|Director, written by \|
2005 \|Urban Legends: Bloody Mary \|Written by \|Co-wrote with Michael Dougherty
2006 \|Superman Returns \|Screenplay by, story by \|Co-wrote screenplay with Michael Dougherty, co-wrote story with Bryan Singer & Michael Dougherty
rowspan="3"\|2007 \|Until Death \|Written by \|Co-wrote with James Portolese
Rubberheart \|Special thanks \|
Trick 'r Treat \|Executive producer \|
2013 \|Imprints \|Producer \|Short film
2016 \|X-Men: Apocalypse \|Story by \|Co-wrote story with Bryan Singer & Simon Kinberg & Michael Dougherty
2017 \|Speech & Debate \|Director, executive producer \|

class="wikitable"

Year

Film

Credit

Notes

1998

|Celebrity

|Production assistant

rowspan="2"|1999

|Dancing with Agnes

|Director, written by, editor

|Short film, as Daniel P. Harris