Will Staples

Will Staples
Alma materPrinceton University
OccupationScreenwriter
Years active2003–present

Will Staples is an American screenwriter, producer,[1] and novelist. He is best known for his work on the video game Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3, the films Without Remorse and Sweet Girl, the television series The Right Stuff, and his novel, Animals.

Career

In 2011, Staples and screenwriter Paul Haggis wrote the script for the video game, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3,[2] which was the largest entertainment release in history at the time.[3]

On October 25, 2013, Deadline announced that Ben Affleck and Warner Bros had hired Staples to write a geopolitical thriller about a team of mercenaries in Eastern Congo for Affleck to star in and direct.[4] The following year, Warner announced that Staples had been hired to write a movie set in the world of illicit animal trafficking for Leonardo DiCaprio, Tom Hardy, and Tobey Maguire to produce and star in.[5]

In May 2014, Staples was hired to rewrite Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation.[6]

In 2017, National Geographic announced that Staples would be creating The Right Stuff television series based on Tom Wolfe’s 1979 book The Right Stuff, with Leonardo DiCaprio executive producing.[7] The series moved to Disney+ in 2020.[8]

Will's first novel, Animals, a thriller about global animal trafficking, organized crime and a deadly pandemic, was released on March 30, 2021.[9]

Two of his screenplays have appeared on The Black List, an annual list compiled by Hollywood executives of their favorite unproduced screenplays – once for his adaptation of the book King of Heists by J. North Conway, and again for Landslide, an adaptation of the book How to Break a Terrorist, co-written with Tony Camerino.[10][11]

Filmography

Film

Writer

Television

Writer

Year Title Notes
2017 Shooter Episode "Remember the Alamo"
2020 The Right Stuff Episode "Sierra Hotel" (Also executive producer)

Consulting producer

Video game

Writer

Special thanks

References

  1. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 25, 2017). "Nat Geo Teams With Leonardo DiCaprio To Adapt 'The Right Stuff' As Scripted Series". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved February 11, 2019.
  2. ^ "Ben Affleck Aims For Post-Batman Oscar With His Next Directing Project". CINEMABLEND. October 28, 2013.
  3. ^ Reisinger, Don. "Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 makes $1 billion—in 16 days". CNET. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  4. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2013-10-25). "Ben Affleck Plans Geopolitical Africa-Set Warner Bros Thriller; Will Staples Scripting". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  5. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (2014-08-14). "Will Staples Takes On WB Animal Poaching Pic For Tobey Maguire, Leo DiCaprio And Tom Hardy". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  6. ^ "'Mission: Impossible 5' Taps New Writer (Exclusive)". Hollywood Reporter. 9 May 2014. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  7. ^ Holloway, Daniel (2017-07-25). "Leonardo DiCaprio Developing 'The Right Stuff' as National Geographic Scripted Series". Variety. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  8. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (2020-05-05). "'The Right Stuff': Nat Geo's Mercury 7 Drama Series Moves To Disney+ For Fall Premiere". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  9. ^ "Animals by Will Staples | Blackstone Publishing".
  10. ^ Hipes, Patrick (2015-12-14). "Black List 2015 Scripts Announced With 'Bubbles' King Of The Jungle – Full List". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  11. ^ "The 2012 Black List: The Year's Hottest Unproduced Screenplays". /Film. 2012-12-17. Retrieved 2020-08-19.
  12. ^ Petski, Denise (2021-06-07). "Eddie Gallagher Limited Series In Works By Will Staples, Working Title & The New York Times". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-09-28.