Jonathan Hales

Jonathan Hales (born 10 May 1937) is an English playwright, theatre director, and screenwriter renowned for his collaborations with Lucasfilm, particularly scripting multiple episodes of the television series The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and co-writing the screenplay for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002).^[1][2] Hales began his professional career in the theatre, where he directed productions including The Knight of the Burning Pestle at the Marlowe Theatre in 1966, The Foursome at the Royal Court Theatre in 1971, and The Sea Anchor at the Royal Court Theatre in 1974.^[1] He also wrote original plays such as The Centaur and Brussels, both premiered at the Royal Court Theatre in 1972.^[1] Transitioning to screenwriting in the late 1970s, Hales contributed to notable films like the Agatha Christie adaptation The Mirror Crack'd (1980) and the adventure film High Road to China (1983), as well as teleplays including The Comic, Diane, and The Chelsea Murders.^[1][3] In 1990, Hales was recruited by George Lucas to join the writing team at Skywalker Ranch for The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, a historical adventure series chronicling the early life of Indiana Jones.^[2] There, he authored the premiere episode, titled "Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal", which was later re-edited as "My First Adventure" for Disney+, depicting young Indy's encounters in Egypt and Tangiers, Morocco, during his father's lecture tour.^[2] Hales contributed to outlining 14 episodes during intensive two-week sessions with other writers, emphasizing the series' diverse historical settings and educational focus.^[2] His Lucasfilm tenure culminated in co-writing Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones, directed by George Lucas, which advanced the prequel trilogy's storyline involving Anakin Skywalker's descent toward the dark side.^[2]

Early life

Birth and family

Jonathan Hales was born on 10 May 1937 in London, England.^[4] He is the son of James Alfred Hales and Dorothy May Hales (née Broadbent).^[1] Specific details about his family's experiences during World War II are not widely documented in public records. No siblings are noted in available biographical sources.

Education and early career aspirations

Hales pursued higher education at an unspecified university in England before transferring to the University of Texas in the United States, where he engaged in extensive travel across the country, broadening his perspectives on history and culture that would shape his creative interests.^[2] From an early age, Hales harbored aspirations in the arts, particularly theatre, drawn to writing and directing plays as a means of storytelling; his initial professional steps in this direction included acting and stage direction in the mid-1960s, beginning with the direction of The Knight of the Burning Pestle at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury in 1966.^[1][2] These early pursuits reflected a preference for theatre over other media, with subsequent roles such as associate director at Dublin's Abbey Theatre from 1975 to 1977 providing foundational training in dramatic production and narrative development before transitioning to screenwriting.^[2][5]

Professional career

Theatre and initial television work

Jonathan Hales began his professional career in theatre as a director in the mid-1960s, staging productions at regional venues in the United Kingdom. His earliest credited work included directing Francis Beaumont and John Fletcher's The Knight of the Burning Pestle at the Marlowe Theatre in Canterbury in 1966.^[1] That same year and into 1967, he helmed several other plays at the Marlowe and Phoenix Theatres in Leicester, such as Georg Büchner's Danton's Death, Bertolt Brecht's Galileo, and an adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' The Three Musketeers, which he also co-wrote.^[1] Throughout the 1970s, Hales continued directing at prominent London and regional theatres, often focusing on contemporary and experimental works. Notable productions included The Foursome and Marguerite Duras' The Lovers of Viorne at the Royal Court Theatre in 1971, his own plays The Centaur and Brussels in 1972 at the same venue, The Sea Anchor at the Royal Court Theatre in 1974, and E.A. Whitehead's Mecca at the Open Space Theatre in 1977.^[1] These efforts established him within the British theatre scene, where he balanced directing with playwriting, contributing to the era's vibrant fringe and subsidized theatre movements. His educational background in drama at the University of London had nurtured this interest in stage direction from an early age.^[1] Hales transitioned to television scripting in the early 1970s, marking his entry into screenwriting while maintaining his theatre commitments. He wrote five episodes of the British WWII drama series Manhunt, which aired on ITV in 1970, including "Intent to Steal" and "The Enemy You Know."^[6] These scripts explored themes of evasion and moral tension among Allied airmen escaping occupied France, aligning with the period's interest in historical intrigue on UK television.^[6] He also penned teleplays such as The Comic, Diane, and The Chelsea Murders (1981).^[1] This initial foray into TV writing provided a bridge from stage work to broader media, though Hales remained primarily active in theatre until later opportunities arose.^[1]

Collaboration with Lucasfilm

Jonathan Hales was recruited in 1990 by George Lucas and producer Rick McCallum in London to join the original team of screenwriters for The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, a television series envisioned as an educational exploration of 20th-century history through the adventures of a young Indiana Jones.^[2] Hales' extensive travel experiences and passion for history aligned well with the project's goals, leading to his selection among a diverse group of writers.^[2] The collaborative process involved intensive two-week writing sessions at Skywalker Ranch, where the team, including Hales, outlined 14 episodes under Lucas's guidance, emphasizing a balance between entertaining adventure narratives and historical accuracy.^[2] Lucas provided structural oversight, which Hales described as particularly effective: “George was very good at construction.”^[2] Hales wrote the premiere episode, originally titled "The Curse of the Jackal" (1992, later re-edited as "My First Adventure" and "Spring Break Adventure" for Disney+), the Paris-set "Winds of Change" (1993, re-edited in 2000), and the Ireland-set "Love's Sweet Song," among others such as "The Mystery of the Blues" (1993) and "The Scandal of 1920" (1993).^[2][7] These scripts drew on meticulous research supported by Lucasfilm's team of librarians, such as Debbie Fine, to ensure factual depth in depicting events like World War I and the Jazz Age.^[2] The series, which aired from 1992 to 1993 on ABC, was later re-edited and expanded by Lucasfilm into feature-length films under the title The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones, with releases from 1999 to 2001 compiling episodes like Hales' contributions into standalone narratives such as My First Adventure and Winds of Change.^[2][8] Hales visited filming locations including Morocco, North Carolina, and Czechoslovakia, gaining insights into the production's global scope and the challenges of blending young actors with historical reenactments.^[2] In a 2023 Lucasfilm interview, he reflected on the creative hurdles of crafting age-appropriate stories for Indy's early years while maintaining the franchise's adventurous spirit.^[2]

Major film contributions

Jonathan Hales' entry into feature film screenwriting began with his credited contribution to the 1980 Agatha Christie adaptation The Mirror Crack'd, directed by Guy Hamilton. Co-writing the screenplay with Barry Sandler, Hales adapted Christie's novel into a mystery centered on Miss Marple investigating a murder at a film star's party, incorporating elements of Hollywood glamour and village intrigue.^[9] The film starred Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple and featured a ensemble cast including Elizabeth Taylor and Rock Hudson, marking Hales' first major cinematic credit after years in television.^[10] He followed this with the adventure film High Road to China (1983), directed by Brian G. Hutton, where he contributed to the screenplay adapting H.F. de Lucy's novel about a biplane pilot (Tom Selleck) hired by a heiress (Bess Armstrong) to find her missing father in 1920s Asia.^[1] Hales transitioned to larger-scale productions in the early 2000s through his established Lucasfilm connections from television work, leading to story credits on high-profile action films. For The Scorpion King (2002), directed by Chuck Russell, Hales received story credit alongside Stephen Sommers, providing the foundational narrative for the prequel spin-off from The Mummy Returns. The script followed the Akkadian warrior Mathayus, played by Dwayne Johnson, on a quest for vengeance against an evil sorcerer, expanding the ancient Egyptian mythology into a standalone adventure.^[11] This collaboration highlighted Hales' ability to craft epic, character-driven tales suitable for blockbuster formats. His most prominent film contribution came as co-screenwriter on Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones (2002), partnering with George Lucas on the third draft that served as the shooting script. Hales joined the project in early 2000, refining Lucas's initial outline into a polished version completed by June 2000, just as principal photography commenced at Fox Studios in Sydney.^[12] The screenplay advanced the prequel saga by focusing on Anakin Skywalker's romantic entanglement with Padmé Amidala, the political rise of the Separatists, and the clone army's origins, while incorporating action sequences like the Geonosis arena battle. Production anecdotes reveal the intense pace, with Hales working closely at Skywalker Ranch to integrate Lucas's revisions, including enhancements to dialogue and character motivations amid the tight pre-production timeline.^[13] Hales later expressed pride in elements like the diner scene with Dexter Jettster but noted regrets over changes, such as depicting the Jedi archives without physical books.^[13]

Personal life

Marriages and family

He married actress and casting director Gillian Diamond in 1967, and the couple divorced at an undetermined later date. Diamond died in 2015.^[14][15] Hales and Diamond collaborated professionally early in their marriage, with Diamond joining him at the Phoenix Theatre in Leicester in 1967.^[15] The couple had two sons, Matthew and Toby, though further details about their family life or any influence on Hales' career relocations remain private and undocumented in public records.^[1]

Later years and residence

Following the completion of his screenplay contributions to Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones in 2002, Jonathan Hales retired from active screenwriting, with no subsequent credited projects in film or television.^[4] Hales has resided primarily in London, England, since his early career, including at an address in the NW6 postal area.^[1] Born on May 10, 1937, in London, he has maintained ties to the United Kingdom throughout his professional and personal life.^[4] As of 2025, Hales is 88 years old and lives a private life in retirement.^[16] In June 2023, he gave a rare interview to Lucasfilm, discussing his experiences writing for The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and collaborating with George Lucas on the series.^[2] This appearance marked one of his few public engagements in recent years, highlighting his historical interests that informed his earlier work.^[2]

Filmography and credits

Film writing credits

Jonathan Hales' writing contributions to feature films span adaptations of literary works and original stories within major franchises, beginning in the late 1970s and peaking with high-profile collaborations in the early 2000s.^[4] His first credited screenplay was for The Mirror Crack'd (1980), a mystery adaptation of Agatha Christie's novel, co-written with Barry Sandler under director Guy Hamilton, featuring Angela Lansbury as Miss Marple in a whodunit centered on a village murder. In 1981, Hales penned the screenplay for Loophole (also known as Break In), a British thriller based on Robert Pollock's novel, directing the narrative of a bank robbery scheme through London's sewer system, starring Albert Finney and Martin Sheen.^[1] Hales contributed to the screenplay for High Road to China (1983), based on a novel by Jon Cleary (uncredited).^[17] For The Scorpion King (2002), Hales received story credit alongside Stephen Sommers on this action-fantasy prequel to The Mummy series, directed by Chuck Russell and starring Dwayne Johnson as the Akkadian warrior Mathayus battling an evil sorcerer.^[11][18] Hales co-wrote the screenplay for Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002) with George Lucas, contributing to the prequel's plot of political intrigue, romance, and Jedi battles leading to the Clone Wars, directed by Lucas and starring Ewan McGregor and Hayden Christensen.^[19]

Television writing credits

Jonathan Hales began his television writing career in the early 1970s with contributions to British drama series, focusing on tense, character-driven narratives set against historical or thriller backdrops. His early work emphasized moral dilemmas and interpersonal conflicts, often in period settings.^[20][21] In 1970, Hales wrote multiple episodes for the World War II espionage series Manhunt, which depicted the perils faced by Allied fugitives in Nazi-occupied France. His episodes included "Intent to Steal" (directed by Robert Tronson), exploring theft and survival instincts under occupation; "The Enemy You Know" (directed by Bill Bain), delving into trust and betrayal among resistance fighters; "Open House," highlighting refuge and hidden dangers in safe houses; "A Different Kind of War," examining shifting alliances in guerrilla warfare; and "One Way Home," focusing on family separations and desperate escapes. These scripts contributed to the series' reputation for psychological depth in wartime drama.^[20][21][22]) In 1971, Hales wrote episodes for The Guardians: "The Nature of the Beast" and "The Killing Trade".^[4] In 1972, he wrote the episode "Smudger" for Villains.^[4] In 1973, Hales contributed to Centre Play with "Places Where They Sing" (co-written with Simon Raven), and to Armchair Theatre with "Brussels".^[4] In 1979, he wrote "Brenda" for Kids.^[4] Hales' television output continued in the 1980s with action-oriented scripts, including "The Chelsea Murders" for Armchair Thriller (1981). For the Anglo-American crime series Dempsey and Makepeace in 1985, he penned two episodes: "Given to Acts of Violence" (directed by William Brayne), which involved shadowing a criminal figure amid gang rivalries and violent confrontations; and "Hors de Combat" (directed by Christian Marnham), centering on high-stakes chases and physical confrontations between the titular detectives. These installments blended buddy-cop dynamics with themes of transatlantic law enforcement clashes. In 1983, he wrote three episodes for Partners in Crime: "The House of Lurking Death," "The Sunningdale Mystery," and "The Case of the Missing Lady".^[23][24][4] In 1988, Hales contributed to the long-running American soap opera Dallas, writing the episode "The Call of the Wild" (directed by Michael Preece). This installment advanced the Ewing family saga through plotlines involving drought-induced tensions, personal vendettas, and romantic entanglements, maintaining the series' format of serialized family drama and business intrigue.^[25] Hales' 1991 work included the teleplay for "Doctor Hoffmann's Children" in the British-Dutch detective series Van der Valk (directed by Anthony Simmons), adapted from Nicolas Freeling's novels. The episode investigated psychological mysteries and ethical quandaries surrounding a doctor's controversial experiments, fitting the show's procedural style with Amsterdam locales and moral ambiguity.^[26] Hales also wrote the teleplay for the TV movie Northern Passage (1995).^[4] Hales' most extensive television contributions came through his collaboration with George Lucas on The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles (1992–1993), where he wrote or co-wrote several episodes and later compilations, blending adventure, history, and coming-of-age elements in an anthology format framed by bookend segments with an elderly Indiana Jones. His scripts often incorporated real historical figures and events to educate while entertaining. Key episodes include:

• "Paris, May 1919" (aired March 13, 1993; directed by René Manzor), featuring Indy's post-World War I encounters with poets and intellectuals amid the Paris Peace Conference, emphasizing themes of disillusionment and artistic rebellion.^[27]
• "My First Adventure" (original segments "Egypt, 1908" and "Morocco, 1908" aired September 1992; compilation 2000; directed by Jim O'Brien), depicting young Indy's initial archaeological escapades with his father, highlighting family bonds and early curiosity about ancient mysteries.^[8]
• "Ireland, April 1916" (aired July 17, 1993; directed by Robert Butler), set during the Easter Rising, where Indy witnesses revolutionary fervor and personal loss, exploring nationalism and youthful idealism.^[28]
• "Hollywood Follies" (part of "Hollywood, 1920" segments aired 1993; compilation as The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones: Hollywood Follies (1994); co-written with Matthew Jacobs; directed by Michael Schultz), portraying Indy's brief stint in silent film, satirizing early Hollywood excess and ambition.
• "Travels with Father" (compilation 1996 of "Russia, March 1918" and "Princeton, May 1919"; co-written with Frank Darabont and Matthew Jacobs; directed by Deepa Mehta and Michael Schultz), chronicling Indy's journeys with his father through revolutionary Russia and academic life, underscoring generational conflicts and historical upheaval.^[29]
• "Winds of Change" (compilation 2000 of "Princeton, February 1919" and "Paris, October 1919"; co-written with Matthew Jacobs; directed by David Hare and Michael Schultz), addressing Indy's university experiences and involvement in political movements, including interactions with T.E. Lawrence and early civil rights issues.^[30]

These Young Indiana Jones works, recompiled into feature-length chapters between 1994 and 2000, allowed Hales to infuse educational historical context into adventure narratives, with formats alternating between young Indy's exploits and reflective older-Indy vignettes. No additional confirmed television writing credits for Hales appear after 2000.^[2]

Recognition

Awards and nominations

Jonathan Hales' sole notable recognition came in the form of satirical awards for his screenplay contributions to Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones. In 2003, at the 23rd Golden Raspberry Awards, he shared the win for Worst Screenplay with George Lucas for the film.^[31] The Golden Raspberry Awards, or Razzies, are an annual ceremony that humorously honors the poorest elements of cinema, often contrasting with commercial hits; Attack of the Clones earned this despite grossing $653 million worldwide.^[32][33] Hales also received a nomination in 2002 for the Stinkers Bad Movie Awards in the category of Worst Screenplay for a Film Grossing Over $100 Million (Using Hollywood Math). No major positive awards or nominations are recorded for Hales' earlier theatre work or television contributions, such as episodes of The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, reflecting his career emphasis on collaborative credits rather than formal accolades.^[34]

Critical reception of key works

The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles received praise for its innovative blend of adventure and education, incorporating real historical figures and events such as Pancho Villa during the Mexican Revolution and a Vienna conference featuring Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, and Alfred Adler.^[35] Screenwriter Jonathan Hales contributed to several episodes, including the premiere ("The Curse of the Jackal," later re-edited as "My First Adventure" and "Spring Break Adventure") and the Paris-set "Winds of Change," which drew on his personal experiences with history and travel to enhance the series' educational depth.^[2] George Lucas emphasized the educational component, particularly in episodes featuring the younger Indiana Jones, making the show a groundbreaking primetime series that was ahead of its time in varied storytelling.^[2] The screenplay for Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones, co-written by Hales and George Lucas, garnered mixed reviews, with critics noting improvements in narrative clarity and economy over The Phantom Menace but faulting the dialogue as mundane and sometimes risible, especially in the central romance between Anakin Skywalker and Padmé Amidala.^[36] Roger Ebert described the dialogue as flat and utilitarian, likening characters to lawyers rather than romantic heroes, while highlighting clichéd lines that undermined emotional depth.^[37] However, the film's action sequences, including a thrilling nocturnal chase, arena combats, and lightsaber duels, were widely acclaimed as exciting and inventive, reinvigorating the franchise with epic spectacle.^[36][37] The Scorpion King, for which Hales received a story credit alongside William Osborne and Stephen Sommers, was received as a derivative sword-and-sandal action film inspired by Conan the Barbarian and classic epics, serving primarily as a prequel spin-off from The Mummy Returns.^[38] Critics consensus on Rotten Tomatoes noted its cheesiness but acknowledged Dwayne Johnson's charismatic presence turning it into popcorn entertainment, though the screenplay focused on straightforward adventure without the self-mockery of prior Mummy entries.^[39] Variety praised its lean runtime and solid stuntwork, viewing Hales' story contributions as setting up a traditional rebellion narrative in an ancient Middle Eastern setting, though it lacked the innovation to elevate beyond genre tropes.^[38] Hales' overall legacy lies in his contributions to Lucasfilm's expanded universes, particularly through educational historical adventures in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles that influenced blending fact with fiction in the adventure genre.^[2] In 2023 reflections, Hales described the series as a unique collaborative effort at Skywalker Ranch, crediting its diverse writing team for shaping Indy's formative years and paving the way for his later work on Attack of the Clones.^[2][40]