David Franzoni

Screenwriter David Franzoni's first produced script was "Jumpin' Jack Flash" (1986), but he really opened the industry's eyes with his screen adaptation of "Citizen Cohn" (HBO, 1992), a biopic of famed attorney Roy Cohn, earning CableACE, Peabody and PEN West Literary awards as well as an Emmy nomination. While working on the screenplay for Steven Spielberg's "Amistad" (1997), about a slave ship mutiny, Franzoni signed a first-look deal with DreamWorks involving three projects, two of which he would write and produce, and a third he would write, produce and direct. Before the release of "Amistad," however, the author found himself at the center of controversy when author Barbara Chase-Riboud filed a lawsuit seeking an injunction to block the film's release, claiming that her novel "Echo of Lions" was used as a source. A federal judge reject Chase-Riboud's motion and the film opened on schedule, earning respectful reviews.