Beyond the Hero

Michael Weiss is a WGA screenwriter with twenty-plus years of experience selling original material and being hired on assignment by a wide range of Hollywood studios. He has written over a dozen produced films, including Journey to the Center of the Earth starring Brendan Fraser. Some of his more unusual projects include crafting a story bible for a theme park in China and serving as co-lead writer for an action-adventure video game. He has taught screenwriting at UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, where he received the Distinguished Instructor award, as well as at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. He is also a contributing writer to the screenwriting guide Cut to the Chase: Writing Feature Films with the Pros at UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.

“Michael Weiss is a highly experienced writer, a terrific teacher, and a wonderful guide to what makes a good script great. Freeing his readers of the too-familiar ‘hero’s journey,’ he challenges them to center their films on real, complex, immersive relationships––on the central bond that binds or breaks two people––just like life itself.”––Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts; former Hollywood Reporter executive editor“Every once in a while, someone shines a light on a subject with the wisdom and clarity to elevate and expand our thinking. Michael Weiss has done exactly that for screenwriting, reminding us that the core relationship is the key component of every story! Beyond the Hero is encouraging, specific and relatable, and in it, Weiss takes something daunting and makes it achievable through his very thoughtful process. This book is essential for anyone who works in the business of storytelling.”––Nate Hopper, Senior Development Executive