David Franzoni
PMP Network Presents
David Franzoni is a screenwriter known for writing the film Gladiator. He discusses the success of the movie and his career in screenwriting, which began after college.
David Franzoni
Screenwriter, Gladiator
About David Franzoni
David Franzoni is an American screenwriter and producer born March 4, 1947. He co-wrote and co-produced Gladiator (2000), which won the Academy Award for Best Picture and earned him an Oscar nomination for Best Original Screenplay. His other credits include Amistad (1997), King Arthur (2004), and Jumpin' Jack Flash (1986). He wrote Citizen Cohn (1992), earning an Emmy nomination and multiple awards including a Peabody.
In this interview
- Discusses Gladiator's unexpected success and how it made Russell Crowe a star.
- Recalls writing Citizen Cohn for HBO, calling it a cool movie.
- Explains he started screenwriting after college, traveling the world on a motorcycle.
- Notes production rewrite work can pay six figures a week but lacks creative fulfillment.
“It was a heck of a movie and boy made a big star Russell Crowe.”— David Franzoni, in this interview
Since this interview
Franzoni served as producer on Gladiator II (2024), directed by Ridley Scott, continuing his association with the franchise. He also executive produced the documentary Black and White Stripes: The Juventus Story (2018) and has been working on a script based on the Rifts role-playing game.
