Stuart Beattie

Prolific screenwriter and director Stuart Beattie penned such blockbusters as "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003), and "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra" (2009), showcasing his knack for finding human, relatable stories in special-effects-driven films. Beattie even launched a one man campaign to try and get a big screen adaption of the popular "Halo" video game to the big screen; while his attempt wasn't successful, his efforts were evidence for his passion for gaming. Beattie was born in 1972 in Australia. Beattie's father David was a solicitor, and his mother Sandra was a prep school teacher at Knox Grammar. Beattie's first credits came in the films "Joey" (1997), and "The Protector" (1998), but his biggest break came with his work on the script for "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003). The film, starring Johnny Depp as the charming rogue Captain Jack Sparrow, was a surprise smash for Disney and quickly became a major franchise. Beattie's characters went on to become the basis for the sequels "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest" (2006), "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End" (2007), and "Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides" (2011). Beattie's next hit was the stylish thriller "Collateral" (2004), starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx, directed by Michael Mann. Beattie also did some script work on the Baz Luhrmann film "Australia" (2008), an epic story of love during war-time in the writer and director's native land. Flush with Hollywood success, Beattie tried to single-handedly resurrect the movie adaptation of the pioneering first-person-shooter video game "Halo," which had just been cancelled at Universal. Beattie wrote a script and held meetings without rights to the property, but like many others he couldn't get it off the ground. Moving into directing, Beattie released "Tomorrow, When the War Began" (2010), a major hit in his native Australia. His next film as both writer and director was "I, Frankenstein" (2014), starring Aaron Eckhart, a reworking of the familiar horror tale.