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Dana Fox
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Dana Fox (born September 18, 1976) is an American screenwriter. She is best known as the writer of the films The Wedding Date (2005), What Happens in Vegas (2008) and Wicked (2024, co-written with Winnie Holzman), and the television comedy series Ben and Kate (2012–13).
Key Information
Career
[edit]Fox graduated from Stanford University in 1998 with a degree in English and art history,[1] and went on to attend the University of Southern California (USC), where she took part in the USC School of Cinematic Arts' Peter Stark Producing Program and graduated in 2000.[2] She had originally intended to become a film producer, but when assigned a homework task at USC to write a 30-page screenplay, she found that she enjoyed writing more and decided to become a screenwriter instead.[1] She became an assistant to writers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar while they were creating the Superman television series Smallville, and later worked for writer-director John August.[3]
While represented by Gough and Millar's agent, established screenwriter Jessica Bendinger sought after an unpublished writer who would work inexpensively on a screenplay. Fox had not yet written a sample screenplay, but Bendinger was so impressed with her ideas for the story that Fox was hired to write the script. The produced film was The Wedding Date, which ultimately was panned by critics but a financial success.[1] After The Wedding Date's release, she was attached to three separate writing projects.[1] Her next produced screenplay was What Happens in Vegas, which was bought by 20th Century Fox in a high six-figure deal for the script's first draft, and which stars Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher.[3] After What Happens in Vegas was bought, Fox performed rewrites on 27 Dresses (2008) and Knight and Day (2010), and was named one of Variety magazine's "10 Screenwriters to Watch" of 2007.[3]
In 2012, Fox developed a half hour comedy for FOX based loosely on her older brother. The show, Ben and Kate, premiered on September 25, 2012.
Fox is good friends with fellow writers Diablo Cody (Juno), Lorene Scafaria (Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist), and Liz Meriwether (No Strings Attached) with whom she collaborates in a writing group they call the "Fempire".[4] In 2012, Fox and the "Fempire" received the Athena Film Festival Award for Creativity and Sisterhood.[5]
Personal life
[edit]Fox was born in Brighton, New York, and lives in Los Angeles, California. Fox married Quinn Emmett on October 23, 2010 at Historic Jamestowne in Williamsburg, Virginia.
Filmography
[edit]Film
[edit]| Year | Title | Writer | Producer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Wedding Date | Yes | No |
| 2008 | What Happens in Vegas | Yes | No |
| 2009 | Couples Retreat | Yes | No |
| 2015 | Hot Pursuit | No | Yes |
| 2016 | How to Be Single | Yes | Yes |
| 2019 | Isn't It Romantic | Yes | No |
| 2021 | Cruella | Yes | No |
| 2022 | The Lost City | Yes | Yes |
| 2024 | Wicked | Yes | Executive |
| 2025 | Wicked: For Good | Yes | Executive |
Additional literary material
- Fly Me to the Moon[6] (2024)
- Back in Action[6] (2025)
- A Minecraft Movie[6] (2025)
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Writer | Creator | Executive Producer |
Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Children's Hospital | Yes | No | No | Episode "Show Me on Montana" |
| 2012–13 | Ben and Kate | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2020–21 | Home Before Dark | Yes | Yes | Yes |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Jesse Oxfeld (2005). "Screen Player". Stanford Magazine. Stanford University. Archived from the original on 2011-06-11. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
- ^ "Alum Dana Fox News". USC School of Cinematic Arts. May 30, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-11-27. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
- ^ a b c Sharon Swart (June 21, 2007). "10 Screenwriters to Watch: Dana Fox". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved 2008-12-19.
- ^ Kelly, Kevin (September 2008). "Lorene Scafaria Interview, Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist, Toronto 2008". Spout.com. Archived from the original on 2009-11-26. Retrieved 2008-10-06.
- ^ The Athena Film Festival: http://athenafilmfestival.com
- ^ a b c https://directories.wga.org/member/danafox/
External links
[edit]
Dana Fox
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Early life and education
Early life
Dana Fox was born on September 18, 1976, in Brighton, New York, a suburb near Rochester in upstate New York.[5] Raised in this close-knit community, she grew up in a family that nurtured her creative interests by exposing her to independent and foreign films, which broadened her worldview and sparked an early fascination with storytelling.[2] Fox's passion for theater emerged at age 12, when she demonstrated remarkable initiative by scouring the phone book for local theater contacts and cold-calling to inquire about auditions. This persistence paid off, leading to her casting in the Brighton Theater Guild's production of High Button Shoes, marking the beginning of her involvement in local performances. Throughout middle and high school, she continued to engage deeply with theater, appearing in various productions and even directing a play during her later high school years, though she later reflected on her directing efforts as "a terrible job." These experiences fostered a love for the collaborative spirit of theater and solidified her commitment to narrative arts.[2] Fox graduated from Brighton High School in 1994, after which she pursued higher education at Stanford University.[1]Education
Fox earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Art History from Stanford University in 1998.[1] At Stanford, lacking a dedicated film major, she immersed herself in available film courses while pursuing her double major, though she initially gravitated toward critical analysis of art and literature rather than creative expression.[6] This academic focus reflected her early self-doubt about venturing into screenwriting, as she feared the personal vulnerability required in original storytelling.[3] After graduating, Fox enrolled in the University of Southern California's Peter Stark Producing Program, earning a Master of Fine Arts (MFA) degree in Producing in 2000.[1][7] The two-year program emphasized practical skills in film production and business, aligning with her initial interest in a behind-the-scenes role in the industry.[3] However, a required assignment to write a 30-page screenplay during her USC studies proved transformative, reigniting her suppressed creative writing interests and shifting her aspirations toward screenwriting.[3] These experiences at Stanford and USC, bridging analytical academia with hands-on film training, ultimately equipped Fox with the confidence and tools to pursue a writing career, despite her initial reservations about direct creative entry into Hollywood.[3]Career
Early career
After graduating from the University of Southern California's Peter Stark Producing Program, Dana Fox moved to Hollywood to pursue a career in the entertainment industry, initially focusing on producing roles. She began as a writer's assistant to Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, the creators of the television series Smallville, where she contributed to the writers' room during the show's early seasons from 2001 to 2002. This position provided her with foundational experience in script development and production processes.[6][3][2] Fox's transition from assisting to screenwriting accelerated after her time on Smallville. She later worked with screenwriter and director John August, further honing her craft, before being approached by screenwriter Jessica Bendinger to develop a romantic comedy project. This led to Fox writing the screenplay for The Wedding Date (2005), her first major script sale, which was produced by Universal Pictures and marked her breakthrough as a feature writer. Additionally, she contributed uncredited script revisions to 27 Dresses (2008), aiding in the film's romantic comedy structure.[6][3][5] In 2007, Fox received early recognition for her comedic voice and potential, being named one of Variety's "10 Screenwriters to Watch." This accolade highlighted her rapid ascent from assistant roles to selling original spec scripts that translated directly to produced features, establishing her reputation in Hollywood's romantic comedy genre.[6][1]Film career
Fox's debut feature film as a screenwriter was The Wedding Date (2005), a romantic comedy she wrote, starring Debra Messing and Dermot Mulroney, which marked her entry into major studio filmmaking after adapting Elizabeth Young's novel Asking for Trouble.[6][3] She followed this with the screenplay for What Happens in Vegas (2008), a comedy directed by Tom Vaughan and starring Cameron Diaz and Ashton Kutcher, which explored themes of impulsive marriage and courtroom battles over winnings.[8] Fox then co-wrote Couples Retreat (2009) with Jon Favreau, a film produced by Vince Vaughn that satirized marital therapy retreats and grossed $172 million worldwide, highlighting her skill in ensemble comedies.[9][10][11] Building on these successes, Fox co-wrote and produced How to Be Single (2016), adapting Liz Tuccillo's novel with Abby Kohn and Marc Silverstein, focusing on female friendships and modern dating in New York City, starring Dakota Johnson and Rebel Wilson.[12] She contributed the story for Cruella (2021), a Disney origin tale directed by Craig Gillespie, where her narrative groundwork alongside Aline Brosh McKenna, Kelly Marcel, and Steve Zissis informed the screenplay by Fox and Tony McNamara, reimagining Cruella de Vil's rebellious youth in 1970s London.[13][14] Fox's most prominent recent project is co-writing the screenplay for Wicked (2024) with Winnie Holzman, adapting the Broadway musical's first act into a feature film directed by Jon M. Chu, emphasizing the friendship between Elphaba and Glinda while incorporating new dialogue to expand character arcs and fit cinematic pacing.[15] This collaboration stemmed from a creative pact Fox made with Chu after their work together on the television series Home Before Dark, ensuring a faithful yet fresh adaptation of Stephen Schwartz and Holzman's original book and score.[16] Fox also served as an executive producer on Wicked and its sequel Wicked: For Good (2025), overseeing the production of the two-part film that concludes the story.[17][18] As part of the informal screenwriting collective known as the "Fempire"—alongside Diablo Cody, Liz Meriwether, and Lorene Scafaria—Fox contributed to efforts promoting female voices in Hollywood, earning the group the Athena Film Festival Award for Creativity and Sisterhood in 2012 for their collaborative spirit and impactful work on films like Juno and New Girl.[19][20][21]Television career
Fox entered television production with the creation of the single-camera sitcom Ben and Kate, which she developed, wrote, and executive produced for Fox, airing from September 2012 to March 2013 across one season of 13 episodes.[22] The series, inspired by her relationship with her older brother, followed a free-spirited brother helping his single-mother sister raise her young son, earning praise for its authentic sibling dynamics and humor.[22] As showrunner, Fox oversaw the writers' room and shaped the show's tone, drawing from her feature film experience to blend comedy with heartfelt family elements. In 2020, Fox co-created and served as showrunner for the Apple TV+ mystery drama Home Before Dark, collaborating closely with director and executive producer Jon M. Chu on the 10-episode first season, which premiered in April and was renewed for a second season.[23] Co-created with Dara Resnik and inspired by the real-life reporting of young journalist Hilde Lysiak, the series centered on a nine-year-old girl uncovering family secrets in her coastal hometown, with Fox writing four episodes and emphasizing themes of truth-telling and resilience.[24] Her partnership with Chu on this project, which highlighted innovative storytelling for young audiences, later influenced her involvement in the musical adaptation Wicked, where she co-wrote the screenplay after expressing interest to Chu during production.[16] Earlier in her television career, Fox served as a staff writer on the Fox comedy New Girl from 2011 to 2018, advancing to producer from 2011 to 2012 and directing one episode in 2017, while also co-writing one episode of the Adult Swim series Childrens Hospital.[5] These roles honed her skills in ensemble comedy and episodic structure, complementing her later showrunning duties.[25] In 2025, Fox co-developed a scripted television adaptation of the board game Clue with Nicholas Stoller, which entered the market in October.[26]Personal life
Marriage and family
Dana Fox married screenwriter Quinn Emmett in October 2010.[5] The couple has three children.[27] Fox has publicly discussed the demands of balancing her career with family responsibilities, particularly during the early years of motherhood. In a 2016 interview, she revealed returning to work just three weeks after giving birth to her first child and continuing professional commitments while pregnant with subsequent children, including delivering her third child shortly before a project milestone.[27] She described her intense work ethic as a coping mechanism amid personal challenges, such as experiencing a miscarriage on the morning of a key pitch meeting for the television series Ben & Kate, emphasizing how immersing herself in writing helped navigate grief and uncertainty.[27] Fox and Emmett reside in Williamsburg, Virginia, where her mother also lives nearby.[2]Residence
Dana Fox relocated to Los Angeles, California, in the late 1990s to pursue her master's degree at the University of Southern California's Peter Stark Producing Program, establishing a long-term residence there that spanned over two decades.[2][7] This move positioned her at the heart of the entertainment industry, where Los Angeles functions as a vital hub for her screenwriting and producing work in film and television.[2][16] In recent years, Fox has shifted her primary residence to Williamsburg, Virginia, following a relocation during the COVID-19 pandemic while maintaining professional ties to Los Angeles.[2]Filmography
Films
Dana Fox's feature film credits are listed below in chronological order by release year.| Year | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The Wedding Date | Writer |
| 2008 | What Happens in Vegas | Screenwriter |
| 2009 | Couples Retreat | Screenwriter |
| 2015 | Hot Pursuit | Producer |
| 2016 | How to Be Single | Screenwriter, Producer |
| 2019 | Isn't It Romantic | Screenwriter |
| 2021 | Cruella | Screenwriter |
| 2022 | The Lost City | Screenwriter, Executive Producer |
| 2022 | Moonshot | Executive Producer |
| 2024 | Wicked | Screenwriter, Executive Producer |
| 2025 | Wicked: For Good | Screenwriter |