Patrick Melton
Patrick Melton (born June 18, 1975) is an American screenwriter, producer and novelist. Background. Melton was born in Champaign, Illinois, but grew up mostly in Evanston, Illinois. He attended Evanston Township High School, and graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor's Degree in Communication Studies. He also attended Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he received a MFA in screenwriting. He is the writing partner of college friend Marcus Dunstan. Film career. In 2004, Melton won Project Greenlight Season 3 along with Marcus Dunstan and John Gulager. The TV show premiered on Bravo and  resulted in the horror/comedy film "Feast". Based on its success, two sequels followed, "" and "". However, it was Melton's involvement with "Saw", the most successful horror franchise of all-time, that brought him worldwide recognition and international box office success. He wrote "Saw IV", "Saw V", "Saw VI", and "Saw 3D" for a worldwide take of nearly $500,000,000. Additionally, Melton wrote the home invasion thriller "The Collector", which was directed by his longtime writing partner, Marcus Dunstan. Melton and Dunstan adapted the acclaimed graphic novel Smoke and Guns by Kirsten Baldock and Fabio Moon. In the fall of  2006, Dimension Films preemptively acquired a dark and edgy horror/thriller spec script from Melton and Dunstan titled The Neighbor for a six-figures. Additionally, the writing team of Melton & Dunstan have performed writing duties on Lionsgate's "My Bloody Valentine 3D", "Piranha 3D" by Alexandre Aja, a remake of Clive Barker's Hellraiser, a remake of William Castle's classic horror film "The Tingler" at Columbia Pictures for producer Neal Moritz, a remake of "Scanners" by David Cronenberg, a film adaptation of the classic sci-fi TV anthology "The Outer Limits" for MGM, and the action/adventure tentpole "Pacific  Rim" by Guillermo del Toro for Legendary Pictures and Warner Bros. On February 8, 2010, Melton told the film website Latino Review that "Saw 3D" was most likely the last entry in the "Saw" franchise. The sequel to Melton and Dunstan's horror film "The Collector", named "The Collection" and again directed by Dunstan, started filming in Atlanta, GA during the spring of 2011. It was theatrically released in 2012. In November 2011, it was announced that Melton's debut horror/thriller novel, "Black Light", would be adapted into a film with "The Social Network"'s producer Michael De Luca . In December 2011, Melton sold a sci-fi pitch titled "Rise" to Warner Bros. along with his writing partner Marcus Dunstan. David Karlak was attached to direct and Roy Lee, producer of "The Ring", was attached to produce. Melton and Dunstan performed writing work on the religious-themed horror/thriller film titled "The Occult" to be directed by Christian E. Christiansen and starring Rufus Sewell and Anne Heche, which is filming in 2012 with a theatrical release slated for 2013. In July 2012, "The Hollywood Reporter" reported that Melton and Dunstan were hired to adapt the "God of War" film . In September 2012, "Deadline Hollywood" reported that Melton and Dunstan were hired to rewrite the fantasy project "Waterproof" for Legendary Pictures. In June 2013, Melton sold a sci-fi pitch titled "Outliers" to 20th Century Fox along with his writing partner Marcus Dunstan. David Karlak is attached to direct and Peter Chernin, producer of "Rise of the Planet of the Apes", is attached to produce. In 2015 they co-wrote a screenplay for the 11th "Halloween" installment, which was originally planned with a release in 2015 under the direction of Dunstan. In October 2016, Melton, along with partner Dunstan, were  selected to write for the adaptation of Brandon Sanderson's "The Way of Kings". Television. With success in film, Melton and Dunstan set their sights on television and sold several ideas to FOX, CBS, and ABC. In October 2006, the duo sold their first television idea to FOX titled The Vineyard. It was a raunchy half-hour horror/comedy with Family Guy show runner Chris Sheridan attached as Executive Producer. In 2008, Melton and Dunstan sold an hourlong drama to CBS titled The Good Neighbor. Melton and Dunstan collaborated with Clive Barker in 2009 and sold an hourlong drama titled  Clive Barker's Hotel to ABC. McG was attached to produce. Novels. On October 5, 2011, Melton's debut novel, Black Light, co-written with Marcus Dunstan and Stephen Romano, was released by Mulholland Books, an imprint of Little, Brown and Company, and in the UK by Mulholland Books, an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton. It is currently being adapted into a film for producer Michael De Luca.