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]
Career
editAs a screenwriter, he is notable for his collaborations with director Martin Scorsese, particularly The Age of Innocence[2] and Gangs of New York[3] — a screenplay he started working on in 1976 — as well as Kathryn Bigelow's Strange Days.[4] 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.[5]
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.[6] De Palma and Cocks did however contribute to the writing of the narrative crawl that opens the 1977 film Star Wars.[7]
Personal life
editCocks married actress Verna Bloom in 1972. Bloom, with Cocks, had a son, Sam, born in 1981. Bloom died in 2019.[8]
Filmography
edit| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1988 | The Last Temptation of Christ | Martin Scorsese | Uncredited[9] |
| 1990 | Made in Milan | Documentary Short | |
| 1993 | The Age of Innocence | ||
| 1995 | Strange Days | Kathryn Bigelow | |
| 2002 | Gangs of New York | Martin Scorsese | |
| 2004 | De-Lovely | Irwin Winkler | |
| 2016 | Silence | Martin Scorsese | |
| 2024 | A Complete Unknown | James Mangold |
Unproduced projects
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (1969) – Script for Martin Scorsese[5]
- "Shooting Script" (1973) – Unproduced Columbo teleplay (under the pseudonym Joseph P. Gillis)[6]
- Night Life (1978) – Script for Martin Scorsese
- Untitled satirical comedy (1980) – Script for Brian De Palma[10]
- The Company of Angels (1994) – Script for Kathryn Bigelow[11]
- Ambrose Chapel (1998) – Script for Brian De Palma[12]
- Nazi Gold (1998) – Script for Brian De Palma[13]
- Brownsville Girl (2010) – Script for Scott Cooper[14]
- The Last of the Savages (2023) – Adaptation of the novel[15]
Awards and nominations
edit| Year | Award | Category | Title | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1993 | Academy Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | The Age of Innocence | Nominated |
| 2002 | Best Original Screenplay | Gangs of New York | Nominated | |
| BAFTA Awards | Best Original Screenplay | Nominated | ||
| Writers Guild of America | Best Original Screenplay | Nominated | ||
| 2016 | National Board of Review | Best Adapted Screenplay | Silence | Won |
| Chicago Film Critics Association | Best Adapted Screenplay | Nominated |
References
edit- ^ a b Some Notable Alumni Archived 2013-06-14 at the Wayback Machine, kenyon.edu; accessed August 28, 2015.
- ^ Vincent Canby (1993-09-17). "Review/Film: The Age of Innocence; Grand Passions and Good Manners". The New York Times. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
- ^ A.O. Scott (2002-12-20). "Gangs of New York - FILM REVIEW; To Feel A City Seethe". Movies.nytimes.com. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
- ^ "Jay Cocks' filmography". Movies & TV Dept. The New York Times. 2013. Archived from the original on 2013-10-08. Retrieved 2012-05-18.
- ^ a b Schulman, Michael (14 September 2017). "The Battle for Blade Runner". Vanity Fair. Vanity Fair. Retrieved 15 September 2017.
- ^ 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.
- ^ "The Origin of the Crawl". Force Material. December 12, 2016. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
- ^ Sandomir, Richard (January 11, 2019). "Verna Bloom, 80, Amorous Dean's Wife in 'Animal House,' Dies". The New York Times.
- ^ "Ageing bulls return". The Guardian. October 31, 1999. Retrieved September 11, 2023.
- ^ Dudar, Helen (July 27, 1980). "The Master Of Mayhem". The Washington Post. Retrieved October 26, 2023.
- ^ Brennan, Judy (May 1, 1994). "What a Concept: Joel Silver Meets Joan of Arc". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ Madigan, Nick (May 7, 1998). "MGM, DePalma in suspense". Variety. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ Madigan, Nick (May 11, 1998). "De Palma, MGM mine 'Gold'". Variety. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
- ^ 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.
- ^ 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.