Derek Landy

Landy has written two screenplays that have been made into films, the IFTA award-winning Dead Bodies and the IFTA-nominated Boy Eats Girl starring Samantha Mumba. Landy himself was nominated for an IFTA for Best Script.{{citation needed|date=August 2021}}

Frustrated with the collaborative process of filmmaking, Landy moved on to writing the Skulduggery Pleasant series, starting with the novel of the same name.{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/entertainment/books-arts/plotting-a-great-escape-26801444.html|title=Plotting a great escape|last=Dwyer|first=Clara|work=Irish Independent|date=11 December 2011|access-date=14 November 2013}} The novel was published by HarperCollins, who paid £1.8 million for the publishing rights,{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/unsorted/features/skulduggery-thats-worth-a-cool-18m-26264486.html|title=Skulduggery that's worth a cool £1.8m!|last=Webb|first=Sarah|work=Irish Independent|date=24 February 2007|access-date=14 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141020113221/http://www.independent.ie/unsorted/features/skulduggery-thats-worth-a-cool-18m-26264486.html|archive-date=20 October 2014|url-status=live}} growing to comprise a nine-book series, a six-book sequel series, a spin-off, and a prequel, with a third (three-book) series in development.

In 2007, he signed a deal with Warner Bros. worth an estimated US$1.1 million for the rights to adapt his Skulduggery Pleasant series, which he intended to adapt himself.{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-skulduggery-idUSN2428733020070524|title=Warner Bros. scoops high-profile kids' book series|work=Reuters|date=24 May 2007|access-date=14 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222213437/http://www.reuters.com/article/2007/05/24/us-skulduggery-idUSN2428733020070524|archive-date=22 February 2014|url-status=live}} However, his script was constantly rewritten and Landy, unhappy with the results, bought back the rights. He sold the rights to another company which could not make it, then worked with another company that "petered out". As of 2020, he was working on an adaptation with an undisclosed film making company.{{Cite web |title=Derek's up to Skulduggery |url=https://www.independent.ie/regionals/fingalindependent/news/dereks-up-to-skulduggery-39196579.html |access-date=2022-05-15 |website=independent |date=15 May 2020 |language=en}}

Landy is a fan of Joss Whedon's works, notably Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as well as Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials series.{{cite news|url=http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/books/pointing-the-bone/story-e6frg8nf-1225838654579|title=Pointing the Bone|last=Rowbotham|first=Jill|work=The Australian|date=6 March 2010|access-date=14 November 2013}} He is also a fan of Gilmore Girls and Doctor Who.

Landy wrote a short story based on the Tenth Doctor from Doctor Who as part of a short story collection celebrating the show's 50th anniversary. The story was published by Puffin in 2013, titled "The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage". Landy was consequentially hired to write an episode for the second series of the Doctor Who spinoff Class, only for the series to be cancelled before the episode he wrote could be produced.{{cite web | url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/sci-fi/class-doctor-who-weeping-angels-newsupdate/ | title=Class writers tease scrapped Weeping Angel storylines for cancelled Doctor Who spin-off }}

Landy attended Drogheda Grammar School during his childhood years, and later studied animation at Ballyfermot College.{{cite news|url=http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/gardener-in-15m-book-deal-hailed-as-new-jk-rowling-26277463.html|title=Gardener in ?1.5m book deal hailed as new JK Rowling|last=Spain|first=John|work=Irish Independent|date=24 February 2007|access-date=14 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222122112/http://www.independent.ie/irish-news/gardener-in-15m-book-deal-hailed-as-new-jk-rowling-26277463.html|archive-date=22 February 2014}} He also has a black belt in kenpo karate. Prior to his contract with HarperCollins, he worked on his parents' vegetable farm. Since 2013, he has been dating Laura Jordan, a fellow writer from Sittingbourne, Kent, and they are now engaged. The couple lives in Dublin with their dog and seven cats.

In a review of his first book, Skulduggery Pleasant, Sarah Webb of the Irish Independent wrote that it "is taut, full of zippy dialogue and fantastical visuals".

In 2008, Landy won the Red House Children's Book Award.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/may/31/hayfestival2008.guardianhayfestival1|title=Hay festival: Derek Landy wins Red House prize|last=Pauli|first=Michelle|work=The Guardian|date=31 May 2008|access-date=14 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140810111953/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/may/31/hayfestival2008.guardianhayfestival1|archive-date=10 August 2014|url-status=live}} Playing with Fire, Mortal Coil and Last Stand of Dead Men each won the senior Irish Children's Book Award, in 2009, 2010 and 2013.{{cite web|url=http://www.irishbookawards.ie/the-specsavers-irish-childrens-book-of-the-year-senior/|title=List of winners|access-date=16 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518094206/http://www.irishbookawards.ie/the-specsavers-irish-childrens-book-of-the-year-senior/|archive-date=18 May 2015|url-status=live}} In addition in 2010 Skulduggery Pleasant (Sceptre of the Ancients) was voted as Irish book of the decade.{{cite web|url=http://www.bordgaisenergy.ie/sponsorship/reading/irish-book-awards/press-releases/winners.php|title=Homepage of Sponsor|access-date=16 May 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150518082422/http://www.bordgaisenergy.ie/sponsorship/reading/irish-book-awards/press-releases/winners.php|archive-date=18 May 2015|url-status=dead}}

• Skulduggery Pleasant (April 2007); US title Sceptre of the Ancients for distinction from the series name
• Playing With Fire (April 2008)
• The Faceless Ones (April 2009)
• Dark Days (April 2010)
• Mortal Coil (September 2010)
• Death Bringer (September 2011)
• Kingdom of the Wicked (August 2012)
• Last Stand of Dead Men (August 2013)
• The Dying of the Light (August 2014)

• Resurrection (June 2017)
• Midnight (June 2018)
• Bedlam (May 2019)
• Seasons of War (April 2020)
• Dead or Alive (April 2021)
• Until the End (April 2022)

• A Mind Full of Murder (March 2024)
• A Heart Full of Hatred (March 2025)

• Tanith Low in... The Maleficent Seven (March 2013)
• Hell Breaks Loose (March 2023)
• Bad Magic: A Skulduggery Pleasant Graphic Novel (September 2023)
• The Haunted House on Hollow Hill (September 2024)

• The Demon Road Trilogy: Demon Road (August 2015) (also titled The Demon Road Trilogy: Hell and Highway)
• The Demon Road Trilogy: Desolation (March 2016)
• The Demon Road Trilogy: American Monsters (August 2016) (also titled The Demon Road Trilogy: Infernal Finale)

; Stories

• Marvel Comics #1000: "Deadpool Locked" (August 2019)

; Comic series

• The Black Order: The Warmasters Of Thanos (November 2018–April 2019)
• The Falcon & the Winter Soldier: Cut Off One Head (February 2020–January 2021), tie-in
• Captain America/Iron Man: The Armor & The Shield (December 2021–May 2022)
• All-Out Avengers (September 2022–January 2023)
• Avengers: Beyond (March 2023–present)

• Doctor Who: "The Mystery of the Haunted Cottage" (2013), short story

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{{Portal|Children's literature |Speculative fiction |Ireland}}

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Category:1974 births

Category:American Kenpo practitioners

Category:Irish children's writers

Category:Irish fantasy writers

Category:Irish horror writers

Category:Irish male novelists

Category:Irish writers of young adult literature

Category:Living people

Category:People educated at Drogheda Grammar School

Category:People from Fingal

Category:Skulduggery Pleasant books