David Benioff American novel writer, producer and screenwriter. This USA screenwriter has a lot of big projects behind him, but probably the most notable one is the work he did on Game of Thrones.
In today’s article, we are going to learn more about his life, career and net worth, so continue reading to find out more.
Early life
David Benioff was born on September 25th 1970 in New York in US. He is an American screenwriter, television producer, writer and novelist.
He spent two years writing his first published novel, “Fireman Down,” and completed the book as his thesis for his master’s degree in Irvine.
He was asked to adapt it to turn it into a script after Tobey Maguire read a preliminary commercial copy and became interested in making a film from the book.
Thus arose The last Hour (2002), starring Edward Norton and directed by Spike Lee.
Benioff wrote the script for the mythological epic Troy (2004), the psychological thriller the threshold (2005), the adaptation of Comets in the sky (2007) and the spin-off of the X-Men, X-Men origins: Wolverine (2009).
In 2006, he was interested in adapting the series of novels “Song of ice and fire” by George R.R. Martin and began working with D.B. Weiss in the proposal for the television series Game of Thrones.
Benioff and Weiss are executive producers, creators and writers of the program that began airing on HBO in 2011, and for which they have won five Emmys.
Career path
After several works, he wrote his first novel, which led to the cinema, which allowed him to be commissioned by the scripts of other films, which is why he is best known.
Working as a high school English teacher, he wrote his first novel, The Last Hour (The 25th Hour, 2001) that was taken to the cinema by Spike Lee in 2002, which allowed him to be commissioned by the scripts of other films, which is why Which is better known.
In 2008 his second novel City of Thieves was published, received with great enthusiasm by critics, will be published in 24 languages. His stories have appeared in Best New American Voices and The Best American No required Reading.
He also wrote a collection of Barefoot stories about clover and other stories (When the nines roll over (And other stories), 2004). His novel is of the fiction genre, and is characterized by its sagacity, depth and sense of humor.
In 2007 he began to develop, together with D. B. Weiss, the television series Game of Thrones, based on the homonymous novel by George R. R. Martin and released in 2011.
In addition to several novels, he has written scripts for films such as Troy (2004) and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009).
In 2006, he wrote, produced and directed the movie when the nines roll over and in 2007 he began to develop, together with DB Weiss, the television series Game of Thrones, based on the saga of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin and released in 2011.
In 2017, the official Han Solo trailer was released: a Star Wars story, the second spin off of the galactic saga. The film, whose plot revolves around the young smuggler Han Solo, starring actor Harrison Ford in the first films, and his partner Chewbacca. David Friedman, aka David Benioff, in New York City. Benioff is the name of his maternal grandfather.
David Benioff studied at Dartmouth College, where he graduated in 1992 and then at the University of California, Irvine.
He has published three books to date: “La 25ème heure (2002)” (2002), adapted by Spike LEE for cinema, scripted by himself, “When the Nines Roll Over (and Other Stories)” (2004), a collection of short stories from which he takes the new title to make it a short film which he directs and produces, and “La ville des Voleurs” (2008), which takes place in the siege of Leningrad.
His most prestigious work is undoubtedly his work on “Le Trone de Fer (2010)” of which he is the co-creator with D.B. WEISS and one of the executive producers. He will even make an episode (season 3, episode 3, “The Immaculate”).
He is married to actress Amanda PEET since 2006. They have three children (2 girls and a boy) He was a bouncer at a nightclub before becoming interested in cinema.
At 45, David Benioff is one of the men of the moment. The world already looks forward to the sixth season of Game of Thrones and, chapter after chapter, the eyes and comments of all fans will weigh on their backs and those of David B. Weiss, the co-creator of the successful HBO saga.
This American writer faces, year after year, the biggest challenge of his career. The burden of adapting the immense and intricate saga Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin to television language seemed from the outset a titanic task. But the success was resounding since chapter 1. And there are already 50.
The early morning of next Monday, the sixth season will begin to take its first steps and the challenge is intensified even more.
Everything that comes out of the minds of Benioff and Weiss will not have a literary base, since the adaptation has surpassed the novels and is on the impossible catwalk of the spoiler. Despite having become a different, differentiated and equal or more successful product, any novelty can become a vision of the future for the fantastic literary saga.
Despite his detractors HBO lives on the success of Benioff. This American writer, in addition to several novels, has written scripts for films such as Troy (2004) and X-Men Origins: Wolverine (2009).
In 2006 he became a multitasking man when he started writing, directing and producing When the Nines Roll Over. The international recognition did not come until 2011, when, together with Weiss and after 4 years of hard work, he developed Game of Thrones.
The first pilot of the series put everything at risk, as it had to be completely modified. Directed initially by Tom McCarthy, director of the scarred Spotlight, more than 90% of his piece had to be discarded.
The actresses who were going to play Catelyn Stark and Daenerys Targaryen (initially Jennifer Ehle and Tamzin Merchant) were replaced by Michelle Fairley and Emilia Clarke.
Personal life
The success of the series shows that they have been able to keep the audience in suspense for eight seasons and create a legacy, which will continue on television with the premiere of Bloodmoon in 2020, the first spin-off of the saga, which will narrate the origins of the White Walkers.
In addition, HBO has a total of five projects related to Game of Thrones.
In 1995, two young boys went to university to learn Irish literature. Both enjoyed writing and soon strengthened ties. He decided that school was the best place for him, so he opted for Dublin’s Trinity College to study Anglo-Irish literature. There he met David.
The new friends spent sleepless nights in the literature of these lands of rain and nature. While Weiss chose authors such as James Joyce and Finnegans Wake for his thesis, Benioff focused on Beckett.
“We were two American Jews in Dublin, without Irish roots, but obsessed with literature” in that region, explains D.B. Weiss Meanwhile, Benioff’s desire was to become a university professor.
However, the path he took was quite different. After finishing writing his thesis about Beckett, with which he killed myself working, he realized that only three people on this planet would read it, maybe, so he decided that the academic path was not going to work in his case. It frustrated him, so he thought that writing about dragons would be better for him.
After completing their university studies, the two screenwriters temporarily separated their paths, although not their goals. Both were trained in creative writing and then reunited to work together to adapt the Song of Ice and Fires.
Before that, Benioff wrote the scripts for films like Troy or the first Wolverine movie, in addition to signing the libretto of The Last Night, his own novel.
He is also the author of another novel, City of Thieves. Weiss, on the other hand, was not so mediatic and debuted with a novel focused on video games, Lucky Wander Boy.
They admitted that filming was like running a marathon; making television is like running to death. This blunt phrase, pronounced by D.B. Weiss, is also picked up by Vanity Fair.
Of course, bringing Game of Thrones to television was not a path of roses, rather the opposite, of stems and thorns.
The first thing they had to do was to convince HBO that a fantasy series could have a place in their series catalog. Also to George R.R. Martin, the author of the novels.
They ended up sending them a five-page letter. They explained why this would work: ‘This is what you do, whether in a police series, The Wire, or gangsters, like The Sopranos. You make them dirty and reinvent them. But nobody has made fantasy that way.
Therefore, being aware that “they did not like” was not an easy drink. The last scene in which Jaime and Cersei, brother and sister, are making love? They didn’t know they were brothers that was our fault.
Although the pilot did not convince, HBO commissioned them a full season of 10 episodes, with a budget of 50 million dollars.
Given the evolution of the series and the profitability of the product, the play has not gone wrong. Weiss and Benioff have managed to revolutionize television and build a series awarded with the great media awards.
In fact, the scriptwriters were made with several Emmy for the script of chapters such as The Battle of the Bastards and Mercy, in addition to supporting the statuette of Best Dramatic Series in the 2018 awards.
In February 2018, the official Star Wars website was updated with a statement announcing that David Benioff and D.B.
Weiss had been chosen to write and produce a new series of films based on the work of George Lucas.
Quick summary
Full name: David Benioff Friedman
Date of birth: September 25th 1970
Birthplace: New York, USA
Age: 49
Profession: Screenwriter, Producer, Writer and Novelist
Height: 1.88 m
Weight: 90 kg
Net Worth: 60$ million
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