James V. Hart


James V. Hart is an American screenwriter and author. He is best known for his literary adaptations, such as Dracula, Frankenstein and Hook.

Career

Hart wrote the screenplay to the Steven Spielberg feature film Hook which functioned as a sequel to J. M. Barrie's original story, with Peter as an adult in present times. Later, he wrote the 2005 children's novel Capt. Hook: The Adventures of a Notorious Youth, a prequel depicting Barrie's villain Captain Hook, the nemesis of Peter Pan, when Hook was a youngster. He would then write the Francis Ford Coppola-produced horror films Bram Stoker's Dracula and Mary Shelley's Frankenstein.
Hart would primarily focus on adventure and fantasy fare, such as Muppet Treasure Island, and Epic. He would also co-create the pirate television drama Crossbones, with Luther writer Neil Cross. It was based on Colin Woodard's book The Republic of Pirates. On July 24, 2014, NBC announced that Crossbones had been canceled after one series.

Unmade

He did the first draft screenplay of Atlas Shrugged, which was to be fully developed by director Randall Wallace. Hart didn't write any further drafts and Wallace didn't end up directing. Recently it has been announced that screenwriter James V. Hart wrote an adaptation of The Sirens of Titan, which Kurt Vonnegut approved of before he died.
Hart also wrote a screenplay adaptation for Crisis in the Hot Zone, but the movie never materialized. Neither did a DreamWorks adaptation of Anubis.

Personal life

Hart is the son of Albert Hart and Alice Hart. He has one brother, David. He studied film and graduated from Southern Methodist University in 1969. He lives in New York with his wife. Their two children are also writers.

Selected filmography