Screenwriter/director Rockne S. O'Bannon is one the top purveyors of
speculative fiction for film and television today. From the hit film
and television series FARSCAPE and ALIEN NATION, to the
internationally popular futuristic adventure series SEAQUEST DSV
created for Steven Spielberg and NBC-TV, he has pushed the limits of
imagination on both the big and small screen.
Born in Los Angeles, O'Bannon was an "industry" kid. His father was a
Lighting Gaffer for Warner Bros. from the silent days until the 1970's,
while his mother was a Contract Dancer/Choreographer at MGM during the
heyday of the big Busby Berkley-style musicals of the 1930's and '40s.
From the age of eight, O'Bannon knew he wanted to be a filmmaker.
While most kids were reading "The Hardy Boys" and comic books, he was
reading screenplays smuggled home by his father.
Among his favorite television shows as a boy was Rod Sterling's THE
TWILIGHT ZONE. So it was particularly fitting that his entrance into
the business was as Writer/Story Editor for CBS' 1985 revival of that
venerated series of chills and imagination. It was his work on this
series which brought him to the attention of Steven Spielberg who asked
him to write an episode of his NBC anthology series AMAZING STORIES.
In 1987 O'Bannon wrote the original screenplay ALIEN NATION, which was
produced by Gale Anne Hurd (TERMINATOR, ARMAGEDDON) for
Twentieth-Century-Fox. the worldwide success of the feature film,
starring James Cann and Mandy Patinkin, led to the FOX television
series, a series of FOX two-hour movies, and a continuing series of
ALIEN NATION novels.
O'Bannon followed ALIEN NATION with his directing debut, FEAR, a
thriller starring Ally Sheedy and Pruitt Taylor Vince for Showtime.
Soon after, he was approached by Steven Spielberg to collaborate on a
grand futuristic adventure series for NBC. The result was SEAQUEST DSV
starring Roy Scheider.
In 1994 O'Bannon co-wrote and directed the FOX television film DEADLY
INVASION, an ecological thriller starring Robert Hays and Ryan
Phillippe.
INVASION, a 4-hour mini-series for NBC written by O'Bannon, aired
during May 1997 sweeps. And for May 1998 sweeps, O'Bannon wrote
CREATURE, another 4-hour mini-series, this one for ABC, based on the
Peter Benchley best seller.
More Recently O'Bannon has been the Creator and Executive Producer of
FARSCAPE, as FARSCAPE: THE PEACEKEEPER WARS. He has currently in
production a 6 hour mini-series for Sci-Fi Channel, THE TRIANGLE as
Writer and Executive Producer (Producing with Bryan Singer and Dean
Devlin).
