Ep646 - Peter Craig, Writer ‘Dope Thief,’ ‘The Batman’ & ‘Gladiator II’

Creative Principles

Peter Craig is behind some of the biggest box office successes of the past decade writing screenplays for such hits as THE TOWN, THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY (part 1 and 2), BAD BOYS FOR LIFE, THE BATMAN and TOP GUN: MAVERICK which earned Craig an Oscar and WGA nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay. Craig also wrote GLADIATOR II, which received a BAFTA nomination for Outstanding British Film of the Year. Craig’s films have generated over four billion dollars at the global box office. Most recently, Craig created, directed, and was the showrunner for the Apple TV+ series, DOPE THIEF, which follows long-time friends and delinquents who pose as DEA agents to rob a house in the countryside, but end up unintentionally revealing and unraveling the biggest hidden narcotics corridor on the Eastern seaboard. In this interview, we talk about his transition from novelist to screenwriter, the making of THE TOWN and the lessons he learned from working with Ben Affleck, the adaptation process for various projects like THE BATMAN and THE HUNGER GAMES, his new show DOPE THIEF, and much more. As a special note, this was part of our new LIVE interview series in partnership with Buzztown, a community for serious screenwriters, where students also participated in this interview. You can learn more or join the waitlist here: https://www.scriptmastermind.com/pr Want more? Steal my first book, INK BY THE BARREL - SECRETS FROM PROLIFIC WRITERS, right now for free. Simply head over to www.brockswinson.com to get your free digital download and audiobook. If you find value in the book, please share it with a friend as we’re giving away 100,000 copies this year. It’s based on over 400 interviews here at Creative Principles. Enjoy! If you enjoy the podcast, would you please consider leaving a short review on Apple Podcasts? It only takes about 60 seconds and it really helps convince some of the hard-to-get guests to sit down and have a chat (simply scroll to the bottom of your iTunes Podcast app and click “Write Review"). Enjoy the show!