John C. "Jay" Cocks Jr. (born January 12, 1944) is an American film critic and screenwriter. He is a graduate of Kenyon College.[1] He was a critic for Time, Newsweek, and Rolling Stone, among other magazines, before shifting to screenplay writing.[1] He was married to actress Verna Bloom from 1972 until her death in 2019.[2] They had a son, Sam, born in 1981.

As a screenwriter, he is notable for his collaborations with director Martin Scorsese, particularly The Age of Innocence[3] and Gangs of New York[4] — a screenplay he started working on in 1976 — as well as Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days.[5] He did an uncredited rewrite of James Cameron's screenplay for Titanic and was, with Scorsese, the co-screenwriter of Silence. Cocks and Scorsese approached author Philip K. Dick in 1969 for an adaptation of his 1968 novel Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? Though the duo never optioned the book, it was later developed into the movie Blade Runner by screenwriter Hampton Fancher and director Ridley Scott.[6]

Under the pseudonym "Joseph P. Gillis", Cocks and filmmaker Brian De Palma wrote a spec script for the crime drama television series Columbo in 1973; their teleplay, titled "Shooting Script", was never filmed.[7] De Palma and Cocks did however contribute to the writing of the narrative crawl that opens the 1977 film Star Wars.[8]

Filmography edit

Year Title Director Notes
1990 Made in Milan Martin Scorsese Documentary Short
1993 The Age of Innocence Nominated - Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
1995 Strange Days Kathryn Bigelow Nominated - Saturn Award for Best Writing
2002 Gangs of New York Martin Scorsese Nominated - Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated - BAFTA Award for Best Original Screenplay
Nominated - Writers Guild of America Award for Best Original Screenplay
2004 De-Lovely Irwin Winkler
2016 Silence Martin Scorsese National Board of Review Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
Nominated - Chicago Film Critics Association Award for Best Adapted Screenplay
TBA A Complete Unknown James Mangold

Unproduced projects

  • Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1969) – Script for Martin Scorsese[6]
  • "Shooting Script" (1973) – Unproduced Columbo teleplay (under the pseudonym Joseph P. Gillis)[7]
  • Night Life (1978) – Script for Martin Scorsese
  • Untitled satirical comedy (1980) – Script for Brian De Palma[9]
  • The Company of Angels (1994) – Script for Kathryn Bigelow[10]
  • Ambrose Chapel (1998) – Script for Brian De Palma[11]
  • Nazi Gold (1998) – Script for Brian De Palma[12]
  • Brownsville Girl (2010) – Script for Scott Cooper[13]
  • The Last of the Savages (2023) – Adaptation of the novel[14]

References edit

  1. ^ a b Some Notable Alumni Archived 2013-06-14 at the Wayback Machine, kenyon.edu; accessed August 28, 2015.
  2. ^ Sandomir, Richard (January 11, 2019). "Verna Bloom, 80, Amorous Dean's Wife in 'Animal House,' Dies". The New York Times.
  3. ^ Vincent Canby (1993-09-17). "Review/Film: The Age of Innocence; Grand Passions and Good Manners". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
  4. ^ A.O. Scott (2002-12-20). "Gangs of New York - FILM REVIEW; To Feel A City Seethe". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
  5. ^ "Jay Cocks' filmography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-10-08. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
  6. ^ a b Schulman, Michael (14 September 2017). "The Battle for Blade Runner". Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
  7. ^ a b "Brian De Palma's lost Columbo, and the Lieutenant's unfilmed final case". The Columbophile Blog. August 20, 2017. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  8. ^ "The Origin of the Crawl". Force Material. December 12, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  9. ^ Dudar, Helen (July 27, 1980). "The Master Of Mayhem". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
  10. ^ Brennan, Judy (May 1, 1994). "What a Concept: Joel Silver Meets Joan of Arc". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  11. ^ Madigan, Nick (May 7, 1998). "MGM, DePalma in suspense". Variety. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  12. ^ Madigan, Nick (May 11, 1998). "De Palma, MGM mine 'Gold'". Variety. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  13. ^ Jagernauth, Kevin (August 27, 2010). "Brad Pitt & Scott Cooper Linked To 'Brownsville Girl' Based On The Song By Bob Dylan, Adapted By Jay Cocks". ThePlaylist.net. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  14. ^ Yossman, K. J. (February 10, 2023). "'The Last of the Savages' Adaptation Greenlit as APX Group Inks First-Option Deal With XIIIthirteen Co (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved September 3, 2023.

External links edit