Michael Frost Beckner

Born with a knack for spinning tales, Michael Frost Beckner jumped out of USC’s writing program—mentored by the legendary T.C. Boyle, no less—straight into Hollywood’s shark tank. He cut his teeth as Barry Levinson’s right-hand man before cashing in three monster script sales in the ‘90s. Beckner’s the guy behind “Sniper” (yeah, that franchise just won’t quit—eight movies and counting), and he’s basically carved out his turf writing sharp, character-driven espionage and military thrillers. The dude made history with “Texas, Lead and Gold,” smashing screenplay sales records, then did it again—twice—with “Cutthroat Island” and a live-action “Hunchback of Notre Dame” for Disney. He’s written for, or been hired by, directors like John Hughes and Wolfgang Petersen, legends like Eddie Murphy and Harrison Ford, and even heavy-hitter authors like Tom Clancy and John Le Carre. If you saw “Cutthroat Island,” “Prince Valiant,” or even “Deep Blue Sea” (yep, he worked on that, though he didn’t get a credit), you’ve seen his work. “Spy Game” paired Redford and Pitt, launched at #1, and went international. Beckner even got tapped by Sydney Pollack to adapt “The Night Manager.” Then came “The Agency,” a CBS series that was so on the nose about terrorism it basically predicted 9/11 before it happened. His résumé’s packed: “CSI,” Discovery Channel docs, and a Civil War miniseries on the way. Overseas? He’s tackled stories like “The Forgotten Soldier” and “City of Lies.” He’s got new series in the works, a fresh movie (“Terminal Island”), and books spinning out from his “Spy Game” world. The guy’s even weighed in on espionage for CNN and HBO. Not your average Hollywood scribe.