Ronald Shusett is an American motion picture screenwriter and producer, usually in the science fiction genre.He wrote the original story for Alien (1979) with Dan O'Bannon.In 1974, he was the first to option the Philip K. Dick short story, "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale", that became the basis of the film Total Recall.Shusett is sometimes credited as Thilo T. Newman.
I've never written a screenplay by myself. And with good reason. There's one aspect of screenwriting I'm weak at -- character development. I always had a natural gift for the storytelling as well as the film's big moments -- whether it be suspense, action and high-powered imaginative scenes. But when it came to fleshing out the people, the more realistic, mundane aspects of a script that are critical to have you care about the people, I was always mediocre.
2
My loves are science fiction in every form, as well as the dark Jim Thompson/James M. Cain type of film noir. Most of my career I see alternating between suspense and SF. There will probably be very little I'll do outside of those genres, since I seem to gravitate so strongly toward them.
The story "Minority Report" by Philip K. Dick was originally adapted as a sequel to Total Recall (1990) by writers Ronald Shusett and Gary Goldman (later joined by Robert Goethals). The setting was changed to Mars with the Precogs being people mutated by the Martian atmosphere, as established in the first film. The main character was also changed to Douglas Quaid, the man played by Arnold Schwarzenegger. The project eventually fell apart but the writers, who still owned the rights to the original story, rewrote the script, removing the elements from Total Recall (1990). This script was eventually tossed out when novelist Jon Cohen was hired in 1997 to start the project over from scratch. The only original element from the early script which made it to the final Minority Report (2002) film is the sequence in the car factory, an idea that Spielberg loved.
3
The February 17, 1989 draft of the screenplay for Hard to Kill (1990) credits Steven Pressfield & Ronald Shusett & Steven Seagal as writers. Pressfield & Shusett are not credited in the final film and Seagal only received an acting credit.
4
He first optioned the short story, We Can Remember It For You Wholesale, in 1974. This short story was the basis for the movie Total Recall (1990).
Writer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Untitled Neill Blomkamp/Alien Project
characters announced
Total Recall
2012/I
based on the motion picture "Total Recall", screen story by / based on the motion picture "Total Recall", screenplay by / screen story by
Prometheus
2012/I
elements
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem
2007
"Alien" characters
AVP: Alien vs. Predator
2004
"Alien" characters / screen story
Batman: Dead End
2003
Short characters: Alien - uncredited
Alien: Resurrection
1997
characters
Bleeders
1997
written by
Alien vs. Predator
1994
Video Game character: Alien - uncredited
Alien vs. Predator
1993
Video Game characters
Alien³
1992
Video Game characters
Alien³
1992
characters
Freejack
1992
screen story / screenplay
Total Recall
1990
screen story / screenplay
Above the Law
1988
screenplay
King Kong Lives
1986
screenplay / story
Aliens
1986/I
characters
The Final Terror
1983
screenplay
Dead & Buried
1981
screenplay
Phobia
1980
story
Alien
1979
story
W
1974
story
Producer
Title
Year
Status
Character
Minority Report
2002
executive producer
Freejack
1992
producer
Total Recall
1990
producer
King Kong Lives
1986
executive producer
Dead & Buried
1981
producer
Alien
1979
executive producer
Miscellaneous
Title
Year
Status
Character
Prometheus
2012/I
based on elements created by
Thanks
Title
Year
Status
Character
Jodorowsky's Dune
2013
Documentary special thanks - as Ron Shusett
The 'Alien' Saga
2002
TV Movie documentary acknowledgment: still photographs courtesy of
Self
Title
Year
Status
Character
Tales from the Script
2009
Documentary
Himself
The Beast Within: The Making of 'Alien'
2003
Video documentary
Himself
Biography
2003
TV Series documentary
Himself - Total Recall
The 'Alien' Saga
2002
TV Movie documentary
Himself (uncredited)
Imagining 'Total Recall'
2001
Video documentary short
Himself (as Ron Shusett)
Alien Evolution
2001
TV Movie documentary
Himself
The Alien Legacy
1999
Video documentary
Himself - Executive Producer
Won Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
2003
DVDX Award
DVD Exclusive Awards
Best Audio Commentary (New for DVD)
Alien (1979)
1987
Hugo
Hugo Awards
Best Dramatic Presentation
Aliens (1986)
1980
Hugo
Hugo Awards
Best Dramatic Presentation
Alien (1979)
Nominated Awards
Year
Award
Ceremony
Nomination
Movie
1993
Hugo
Hugo Awards
Best Dramatic Presentation
Alien³ (1992)
1991
Saturn Award
Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, USA
$16 Million
