Biography:From "Armageddon," to "Alien vs. Predator" to "Breakdown" to "Shaft" Shane Salerno has co-written or rewritten four #1 action films in the past seven years making him the "dependable go-to guy for event films" according to a July, 2004 cover story in Creative Screenwriting magazine. Just 32, a recent ShowbizData.com analysis listed the average domestic gross from one of Shane's action adventure scripts at $117,394,118.
In 1998, at the age of 25, Variety selected Salerno as one of the "hottest new creatives on the film scene." Fade In Magazine selected Salerno as on of the "100 people you need to know in Hollywood" in the 2001 issue and Detour Magazine voted him one of "Hollywood's true shapers of pop culture" in their annual "hot thirty under thirty" edition.
By the age of eighteen Salerno had written, produced and directed the award winning documentary short film "Sundown: The Future of Children and Drugs" The film was released internationally, showcased on every major talk show in the country and won several " best documentary of the year" honors. By the age of 22 he was consistently writing the highest rated episodes of the hit FOX TV series "New York Undercover." By the age of 26, Salerno had co-written two number one summer blockbusters 1998's #1 "Armageddon," (worldwide theatrical gross over $600 million) and 2000's Samuel Jackson starrer "Shaft" and done the production rewrite on a third, the Kurt Russell action thriller "Breakdown." At 28, Shane co-created executive produced and served as showrunner, head writer, and music supervisor for the NBC television series "UC: Undercover." which won and was nominated for awards in acting, cinematography and sound. At 30, Salerno rewrote "Alien vs. Predator" during pre-production, through production in Prague and post (over 15 months) without receiving credit.
Additionally, Salerno has authored or co-authored screenplays for Steven Spielberg, Michael Mann, Ron Howard, William Friedkin, John Singleton, Jan De Bont and two projects for Michael Bay.
Salerno has written or re-written star vehicles for Oscar winners Michael Douglas and Nicolas Cage as well as Bruce Willis, George Clooney, Ben Affleck, Samuel L. Jackson, James Woods, Christian Bale, Jeffrey Wright, Liv Tyler, Ving Rhames, Eva Mendes, Wes Bentley, Billy Bob Thorton, Treat Williams, Kurt Russell among many others.
In addition to the blockbuster summer action films for which he has become primarily associated with, Salerno has also adapted a handful of non-fiction books. These include:
--a World War II submarine thriller for Steven Spielberg and Walter Parkes based on the book "Thunder Below" written by Admiral Gene Fluckey
-- the epic story of the recruitment, training, fighting and rescue of the soldiers who fought at the Bay of Pigs for Ron Howard and Brian Grazer based on the book by Grayson Lynch
--a haunting exploration of the Zodiac serial killer case based on the classic bestseller by Robert Graysmith which has now become a David Fincher directing vehicle.
--and the tragic story of heavyweight boxing champion Sonny Liston for William Friedkin and star Ving Rhames adapted from an award winning Sports Illustrated magazine article by William Nack.
Salerno's ongoing fascination with the work of undercover agents, the result of one of his closest friends being one of the finest agents working for the DEA, led him to co-create, executive produce and run the NBC TV series "UC: Undercover." Salerno's writing lured a number of feature actors to guest star as villains on the weekly series. For his unforgettable role as Quito Real, Ving Rhames won incredible reviews and a Best Actor nomination from the NAACP Image Awards.
Salerno remains a gigantic believer of music to enhance, compliment and serve as counterpoint to the narrative spine of his projects. In addition to his executive producing and writing duties, he served as music supervisor on "UC: Undercover" where he recruited Grammy wining film composer David Arnold, known for his brilliant scores for "Independence Day," and the last three James Bond films, to score the series title theme. Seeking a new sound for the weekly score, Salerno brought aboard and worked closely with the Dust Brothers (David Fincher's "Fight Club") to compose their first television series.
Salerno's work continues to make him a much sought-after writer whose unique style draws in actors, directors and studios that are eager to work with him.
Salerno's upcoming films include "Ghost Rider" at Marvel/Sony (Summer, 2006) which stars Nicolas Cage; "MEG" based on the international bestseller by Steve Alten directed by Jan De Bont for New Line (Summer, 2006) and the Michael Douglas post 9-11 spy thriller "The Mechanic" at Sony (winter, 2006)…Expand
