John Lee Hancock (born December 15, 1956) is an American screenwriter, film director, producer, and attorney. He directed the sports drama films The Rookie (2002) and The Blind Side (2009), and the historical drama films Saving Mr. Banks (2013), The Founder (2016), The Alamo (2004), and The Highwaymen (2019). He most recently wrote and directed the neo-noir crime thriller, The Little Things (2021).
He debuted as both a screenwriter and director with 1991’s Hard Time Romance, and another screenplay he wrote in 1991 was noticed by Clint Eastwood and went on to become A Perfect World directed by Eastwood and starring Eastwood and Kevin Costner.
He went on to produce the critically acclaimed My Dog Skip before finding widespread recognition as director of The Rookie, which won an ESPY in 2002 for “Best Sports Movie” and was both critically and commercially successful. He also wrote the screenplay for Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and directed The Alamo, a remake of the 1960 film. It starred Dennis Quaid, Billy Bob Thornton, Jason Patrick and Patrick Wilson.
After a five-year absence from directing spent honing his screenwriting skills, Hancock returned to both his football and Christian roots with 2009’s The Blind Side, a biographical sports drama film starring Quinton Aaron as Michael Oher, a homeless, 350-pound African-American teenager who ended up becoming the Baltimore Ravens’ first-round pick in this year’s NFL draft, and Sandra Bullock as Leigh Anne Tuohy, a well-off Memphis woman who makes room in her life for Oher. With a budget of $29 million, the film grossed over $309 million, becoming Hancock’s highest-grossing film to date, and received two Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Actress, with Bullock winning the latter award. Bullock also won Screen Actors Guild and Golden Globe awards for her portrayal of Tuohy.
In 2013 Hancock directed Saving Mr. Banks, a film about the life of P. L. Travers and her difficult negotiations with Walt Disney over adapting her novel Mary Poppins into a feature film. He also directed The Founder (2016), about the McDonald’s fast food chain, and co-wrote the upcoming musical film The Goree Girls. In 2019 he directed his first Netflix movie The Highwaymen.
His latest film is The Little Things, a 2021 neo-noir crime thriller written, directed and produced by Hancock and Mark Johnson. The plot follows two police officers (Denzel Washington and Rami Malek) who try to catch a serial killer in 1990s Los Angeles; the film also stars Jared Leto as their top suspect and Natalie Morales as another detective.
I also had the pleasure to talk to the legend himself. Please enjoy my conversation with John Lee Hancock.
Below are all the screenplays written by John Lee Hancock available online. If you find any of his missing screenplays please leave the link in the comment section.
When you are done reading take a listen to Apple and Spotify’s #1 Screenwriting Podcast The Bulletproof Screenwriting Podcast, with guest like Oscar® Winner Eric Roth, James V. Hart, David Chase, John August, Oliver Stone and more.
(NOTE: For educational and research purposes only).
MR. HARRIGAN’S PHONE (2022)
Screenplay and Directed by John Lee Hancock – WILL POST AS SOON AS IT’S AVAILABLE
THE LITTLE THINGS (2021)
Screenplay and Directed by John Lee Hancock – Read the screenplay!
THE FOUNDER (2016)
Directed by John Lee Hancock – Read the screenplay!
SAVING MR. BANKS (2013)
Directed by John Lee Hancock – Read the screenplay!
SNOW WHITE AND THE HUNTSMAN (2012)
Screenplay by John Lee Hancock – Read the screenplay!
THE BLIND SIDE (2009)
Screenplay and Directed by John Lee Hancock – Read the screenplay!
THE ROOKIE (2002)
Directed by John Lee Hancock – Read the screenplay!
A PERFECT WORLD (1993)
Screenplay by John Lee Hancock – Read the screenplay!