Screenwriter / Director
EMMA
NEEDELL
THE LATEST
BIO
I am a screenwriter, producer, and director who champions original storytelling in a time when Hollywood has become obsessed with reboots, sequels, and IP-driven content. My break-out script, The Water Man, attracted the attention of David Oyelowo and Oprah Winfrey's Harpo films, who signed on to produce. After The Water Man was featured on the 2015 Blacklist, it spent a few years in development at Disney, until ShivHans (Trumbo, Captain Fantastic) came onboard to produce and finance the project. Production began soon after David Oyelowo signed on as director, and he cast Rosario Dawson, Alfred Molina, Maria Bello, Lonnie Chavis, and Amiah Miller. The film is currently in post-production. I am also an executive producer on the project.
My other work includes prison break musical Songs of the Damned, a collaboration with Danish director Adam Hashemi. Oscar and Grammy-winning artist Mark Ronson will be composing original music for it. In 2017, I sold an original fantasy-adventure pitch to Netflix, with Oscar-winning Patrick Osborne attached to direct. I've also directed numerous short films that have played at film festivals across America, and wrote a short graphic novel story for DC's Vertigo Comics.
I have also been tapped by Fox Studios, Apple, and Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Entertainment to consult in think tanks and on projects in development.