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Mark Heyman
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Mark Heyman (born 1979) is an American screenwriter and film producer who is best known for co-writing Black Swan (2010), The Skeleton Twins (2014), and The Boogeyman (2023). Heyman began his career as a director of development. He co-produced the film The Wrestler (2008) and then turned his hand to scriptwriting. He wrote Black Swan, which received five nominations at the 83rd Academy Awards. He co-wrote the film The Skeleton Twins (2014) which won the Waldo Salt screenwriting award at the Sundance Film Festival. Heyman went on to create and executive produce the streaming television series Strange Angel and write the final shooting script for The Boogeyman (2023).
Early life
[edit]Mark Heyman grew up in New Mexico. He attended Brown University, where he majored in modern culture and media. After graduating from Brown in 2002, he enrolled in New York University's film program as a graduate student.[1][2]
Career
[edit]After graduating from NYU, Heyman became a director of development for Prøtøzøa Pictures, the production company of filmmaker Darren Aronofsky. He was a co-producer on Aronofsky's 2008 film The Wrestler about an aging wrestler. After working on The Wrestler, Heyman moved away from producing films in favor of writing them.[1]
He went on to write Black Swan, a psychological thriller set in the world of ballet, which was directed by Aronofsky and released in 2010, based on a script called The Understudy by Andres Heinz. [3] Black Swan was well received by critics and audiences, earning 5 Oscar nominations and winning a Best Actress Academy Award for Natalie Portman. Heyman received nominations for a BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay and a Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay.[4]
Heyman co-wrote The Skeleton Twins, a 2014 film starring Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader as estranged twins, with Craig Johnson, who also directed the film.[5] The film premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Waldo Salt screenwriting award.
Heyman went on to create and executive produce the streaming television series Strange Angel, which was produced by Scott Free and originally developed for AMC before being put into turnaround and picked up by CBS All-Access (which later became Paramount+), as the streamer's first original series. The series ran for two seasons and starred Jack Reynor, Bella Heathcote and Rupert Friend.
Most recently, Heyman wrote the final shooting script for The Boogeyman,[6] based on the short story by Stephen King of the same name and starring Sophie Thatcher and Chris Messina. The film was produced by 21Laps for 20th Century Studios and released in theaters on June 2, 2023 to mixed reviews.
References
[edit]- ^ a b Schoenbrun, Dan (March 28, 2011). "A Conversation with Mark Heyman, Writer of Black Swan". Independent Filmmaker Project. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
- ^ Weinstein, Michael (April 15, 2013). "Exclusive: Q&A with 'Black Swan' screenwriter Mark Heyman '02". The Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
- ^ Zeitchik, Steven (September 13, 2010). "Darren Aronofsky's dances with 'Swan'". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
- ^ Zeitchik, Steven (June 24, 2011). "'Black Swan,' but with Facebook?". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
- ^ Sneider, Jeff (November 7, 2012). "Kristen Wiig joins Bill Hader in 'Skeleton Twins'". Variety. Retrieved September 20, 2015.
- ^ Grobar, Matt (February 22, 2022). "The Boogeyman: David Dastmalchian, Marin Ireland, Vivien Lyra Blair & Madison Hu Board 20th Century Studios' Stephen King Adaptation". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved February 22, 2022.
External links
[edit]- Mark Heyman at IMDb
Mark Heyman
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Early life and education
Upbringing
Mark Heyman was born on November 26, 1979, in Santa Fe, New Mexico.[7] He is of Ashkenazi Jewish descent on his father's side and English and Scottish ancestry on his mother's side. He grew up in the culturally vibrant city of Santa Fe, known for its rich blend of Native American, Hispanic, and Anglo influences, as well as its thriving arts scene that includes galleries, festivals, and performance spaces fostering creative expression.[8] Heyman's family environment further shaped his early years, with his parents involved in a new-age religious community that he has described as "cult-ish," though not a full-blown cult.[9] His mother, in particular, was part of this new-age group in New Mexico, an experience that exposed him to unconventional narratives and group dynamics from a young age.[10] These formative encounters with alternative spiritual and communal structures sparked an enduring fascination with the stories of fringe religious movements, laying the groundwork for his later explorations in screenwriting.[9] This upbringing in New Mexico's eclectic milieu transitioned into his formal education, leading him to attend Brown University.[3]Academic background
Mark Heyman graduated from Brown University in 2002 with a bachelor's degree in modern culture and media, a program that emphasized interdisciplinary studies in film, media theory, and cultural analysis.[11] In the MCM program, Heyman took fiction classes and focused on critical writing, which he later credited with aiding his screenwriting career.[11] Following his undergraduate studies, Heyman enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts program in film at New York University's Tisch School of the Arts, specifically the Kanbar Institute of Graduate Film, following his graduation from Brown, where he focused on screenwriting and film production.[12] The program's curriculum involved intensive workshops in script development, directing, and producing, culminating in a thesis project that required students to create original works demonstrating professional-level skills in narrative filmmaking. A pivotal experience during his final year at NYU came when director Darren Aronofsky served as a guest lecturer, leading to Heyman's initial meeting with him and the start of a mentorship that influenced his approach to dramatic storytelling.[13] For his thesis, Heyman co-developed the feature-length project SarahN_12 with fellow student Sasie Sealy, about a cyber terrorist whose second life becomes her real life; the script earned the 2007 Sloan Foundation Feature Film Production Fund Award for its innovative blend of technology and psychological tension.[12] This project highlighted Heyman's emerging strengths in crafting character-driven narratives with high-stakes production elements, directly informing his later screenwriting pursuits.Career
Entry into the film industry
After graduating from New York University's graduate film program, where he had connected with director Darren Aronofsky through a guest lecture that led to an initial meeting, Mark Heyman began his professional career in the film industry as an unpaid personal assistant to Aronofsky.[4][14] This entry-level role immersed him in the day-to-day operations of independent filmmaking, starting around the mid-2000s in New York City's indie scene, where Protozoa Pictures—Aronofsky's production company—was based.[15][16] Heyman supported Aronofsky on the 2006 film The Fountain, handling assistant duties that provided hands-on learning in production logistics and creative development.[17][18] Heyman soon advanced to director of development at Protozoa Pictures, a position that involved scouting scripts, fostering project ideas, and contributing to the company's pipeline in New York's competitive independent film environment.[15][19] In this role, he navigated the challenges of entry-level positions in the industry, including starting without compensation and building networks through persistent involvement in low-profile tasks, which are common hurdles for aspiring screenwriters transitioning to professional roles.[14] These experiences honed his understanding of script evaluation and production support, emphasizing the value of mentorship and incremental advancement in a field where initial opportunities often demand unpaid labor and long hours.[20] His first credited role came as co-producer on Aronofsky's 2008 film The Wrestler, where he assisted with key responsibilities such as conducting research trips to wrestling events and supporting overall script and production development.[21][1][22] This involvement marked a pivotal step from assistant work to credited contributions, allowing Heyman to apply his development expertise while learning the intricacies of bringing a screenplay to the screen amid the constraints of independent budgeting and scheduling.[23][24]Collaboration with Darren Aronofsky
Mark Heyman's most prominent collaboration with director Darren Aronofsky came through their work on the 2010 psychological thriller Black Swan, where Heyman served as a key co-writer. The screenplay originated from Andres Heinz's spec script titled The Understudy, which Aronofsky and producer Scott Franklin had acquired approximately a decade earlier; Heyman, then serving as Aronofsky's director of development at Protozoa Pictures, was tasked with revising it alongside John McLaughlin.[25][14][3] The adaptation process transformed the original theater-centric story into a ballet-world narrative, emphasizing themes of perfectionism and the duality of the self as the protagonist grapples with artistic obsession and psychological unraveling. Heyman collaborated closely with Aronofsky to refine the script, drawing influences such as Fyodor Dostoevsky's The Double to heighten the tension between control and self-loss, while ensuring the story captured the intense pressures of the ballet community.[25][14][3] In production, Aronofsky directed the film, which starred Natalie Portman in the lead role of Nina Sayers, a ballerina descending into madness; Portman underwent a year of intensive ballet training and performed most of her own dance sequences under the guidance of choreographer Benjamin Millepied. The project wrapped after a 42-day shoot and was released by Fox Searchlight Pictures on December 3, 2010.[25][3] Black Swan achieved significant critical and commercial success, earning five Academy Award nominations, including for Best Picture, and grossing over $106 million at the domestic box office against a $13 million budget. This breakthrough project marked a pivotal elevation in Heyman's Hollywood profile, transitioning him from behind-the-scenes development roles to credited screenwriter and producer on high-profile features.[26][27][14]Independent screenwriting projects
Following the critical acclaim of Black Swan, which elevated his profile in Hollywood, Mark Heyman pursued independent screenwriting opportunities that allowed greater creative autonomy.[3] Heyman's first major independent project was co-writing The Skeleton Twins (2014) with director Craig Johnson, adapting Johnson's earlier short film into a feature-length dramedy.[28] The screenplay explores themes of family reconciliation and mental health through the story of estranged twins Milo and Maggie, who reunite after personal crises and confront their shared history of dysfunction.[28] The collaboration began over a decade earlier during film school, evolving through multiple drafts that shifted from an initial romance concept to a character-focused narrative emphasizing emotional depth and humor amid tragedy.[28] The film premiered at the 2014 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the Waldo Salt Screenwriting Award for its poignant scripting.[29] Roadside Attractions acquired U.S. distribution rights shortly after the premiere, leading to a limited theatrical release starring Bill Hader as Milo and Kristen Wiig as Maggie.[30] In 2023, Heyman contributed the final shooting script for The Boogeyman, an adaptation of Stephen King's 1973 short story, working alongside initial writers Scott Beck and Bryan Woods.[31] Directed by Rob Savage, the supernatural horror film centers on a family's encounter with a malevolent entity preying on grief-stricken children, expanding the story's claustrophobic dread into a broader exploration of loss and parental fear.[31] Produced by 20th Century Studios, the project marked Heyman's entry into mainstream horror screenwriting, blending psychological tension with visceral scares.[32] Heyman is set to make his directorial debut with Pendulum, announced in 2024, where he also wrote the screenplay for this horror film.[33] The film stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Phoebe Dynevor, Norman Reedus, and Jacki Weaver, and follows a young couple who seek healing at a New Mexico retreat led by an enigmatic figure following a traumatic event, only to unravel the group's unconventional spiritual practices amid growing suspicion and terror.[33] Principal photography took place in New Mexico, beginning in March 2025 and wrapping later that year, highlighting Heyman's shift toward helming his own visions in the genre.[5][34] Across these projects, Heyman's screenwriting has evolved toward character-driven narratives that intertwine intimate emotional landscapes with elements of drama and horror, prioritizing psychological complexity over spectacle.[28][31][33]Television work
Mark Heyman transitioned to television by creating and executive producing the series Strange Angel, which premiered on CBS All Access (now Paramount+) in 2018.[35] The show, inspired by George Pendle's biography Strange Angel: The Otherworldly Life of Rocket Scientist John Whiteside Parsons, chronicles the life of Jack Parsons, a pioneering rocket engineer who became involved in occult practices, blending historical drama with themes of science, sex magic, and mysticism.[36] Heyman's prior experience in feature film screenwriting, such as on Black Swan, informed his approach to adapting the complex, character-driven narrative for episodic television.[37] The series ran for two seasons, each consisting of 10 episodes, and starred Jack Reynor as Parsons, with supporting performances by Bella Heathcote and Rupert Friend.[38] Set in 1940s Los Angeles, it explores Parsons' dual life as a self-taught scientist contributing to America's early rocketry efforts and a devotee of Aleister Crowley's Thelemic philosophy, incorporating elements of ritualistic occultism and interpersonal intrigue.[39] Heyman wrote six episodes across the run, including the pilot and season 2 premiere "The Fool," while overseeing the overall narrative arc to balance factual historical events with dramatic interpretations of Parsons' esoteric influences.[40] Production faced challenges inherent to the emerging streaming landscape, as the project originated in development at AMC in 2014—where Heyman assembled a writers' room and completed scripts for the first season—before moving to CBS All Access, which ordered it to series in 2017 and utilized the existing AMC scripts.[41] This network shift highlighted the fluid nature of premium cable-to-streaming transitions during that period.[35] The series was canceled in November 2019 after its second season concluded in July, amid CBS All Access' evolving originals strategy, preventing further exploration of Parsons' story.[42] Heyman's work on Strange Angel marked a significant expansion of his career, allowing him to delve into serialized storytelling and production oversight on a larger scale than his feature film projects, thereby diversifying his portfolio in the television medium.[43]Filmography and recognition
Feature films
Mark Heyman's contributions to feature films span producing and screenwriting roles, often in collaboration with notable directors and talent in drama, thriller, and horror genres. The Wrestler (2008)Heyman served as co-producer on this drama directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring Mickey Rourke as an aging professional wrestler struggling with personal decline and health issues while attempting a comeback.[21] The film explores themes of redemption and the physical toll of the sport, with key collaborators including producer Scott Franklin and actress Marisa Tomei.[44] Black Swan (2010)
Heyman co-wrote the screenplay (with Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin, based on Heinz's story) for this psychological thriller directed by Darren Aronofsky, featuring Natalie Portman as a ballerina descending into obsession and madness while preparing for the role of Swan Lake's Swan Queen. Key collaborators included producer Scott Franklin and co-star Mila Kunis, emphasizing the competitive world of ballet.[45] The Skeleton Twins (2014)
Heyman co-wrote the screenplay with director Craig Johnson for this comedy-drama starring Kristen Wiig and Bill Hader as estranged twins who reunite following personal crises, including suicide attempts, and confront their dysfunctional family history.[46] The film highlights emotional reconciliation, with producers Jennifer Lee and Melanie Mermel among key collaborators.[47] Zipper (2015)
Heyman served as producer on this erotic thriller directed by Mora Stephens, starring Patrick Wilson as a federal prosecutor whose extramarital affairs threaten his career and family.[48] The film explores themes of power, addiction, and moral compromise. mother! (2017)
Heyman served as executive producer on this psychological horror film written and directed by Darren Aronofsky, starring Jennifer Lawrence and Javier Bardem as a couple whose isolated life is disrupted by intruders, serving as an allegory for environmental and biblical themes.[49] Key collaborators included producers Scott Franklin and Ari Handel. The Boogeyman (2023)
Heyman contributed to the final draft of the screenplay (with Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, based on their story from Stephen King's short story) for this supernatural horror film directed by Rob Savage, centering on a grieving family terrorized by a malevolent entity after a tragic loss.[50] Starring Sophie Thatcher and Chris Messina, it involves producers Shawn Levy and Dan Levine.[51] Pendulum (upcoming)
Heyman is writing and directing this horror mystery thriller, produced by Darren Aronofsky, starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Phoebe Dynevor as a couple attending a new-age retreat in New Mexico to heal from trauma, only to uncover unsettling spiritual practices led by an enigmatic figure.[52] Additional key collaborators include actors Norman Reedus and Jacki Weaver, with production by Protozoa Pictures.[33] Principal photography wrapped in 2025.[34]