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Stephany Folsom

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Stephany Folsom
BornColorado Springs, Colorado, U.S.
Occupation
  • Screenwriter
  • producer
Alma materLoyola Marymount University
Years active2013–present

Stephany Folsom is a screenwriter best known for her work on Toy Story 4 (2019) and Paper Girls.[1]

Early life

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Folsom was raised in Colorado Springs, Colorado. There, she developed an interest in filmmaking. She told her high school counselor that she wanted to enroll in film school, but was advised instead to study radio. After graduating from high school, Folsom moved to Los Angeles, California and enrolled in film school at Loyola Marymount University.[2] After graduating from Loyola, Folsom worked as a film development intern providing script coverage and notes.[3]

She left the position to focus on her personal writing, but soon left Los Angeles to assist a friend in filming a documentary short to support an AIDS clinic in India. Complications arose, in which Folsom later explained, "The clinic was never going to be built. It was near the Golden Triangle so there were all kinds of problems with drug trafficking. I didn't know any of this was going on there before I went ... We ended up being in lockdown and under curfew."[2] The project was never completed; nevertheless, Folsom later worked with various foundations to produce documentary shorts about human trafficking and AIDS. Meanwhile, she wrote for the YouTube series Ds2dio 360, while writing feature-length spec scripts.[3] After a few years, Folsom recalled feeling "completely burnt out on the travel and tough subject matter."[2]

Career

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Back in the United States, Folsom attended a NASA Social event and later toured a Stanley Kubrick exhibit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. There, she was reminded of the conspiracy theory that Stanley Kubrick had faked the Apollo 11 Moon landing.[4] Inspired by the idea, she began writing 1969: A Space Odyssey in January 2013.[5][6] That same year, her script was listed at number 56 on the 2013 Hit List, Launchpad's list of the best spec scripts of the year. It was also listed on the 2013 Black List.[7][8] A year later, 1969: A Space Odyssey was given a live reading at the first Black List Live! event as part of the LA Film Festival.[9] The reading featured Jared Harris as Stanley Kubrick and Kathryn Hahn as Barbara, a NASA employee.[10]

In May 2015, Folsom was hired to write The Princess of North Sudan for Walt Disney Pictures.[11] The project was based on the real-life story of Jeremiah Heaton, a man who claimed a piece of land between Egypt and Sudan to make his daughter a princess.[12] The project received immediate criticism from users on Twitter who claimed the project evoked colonization and "literal white entitlement." Folsom defended the project by responding, "There is no planting a flag in Sudan or making a white girl the princess of an African country. That's gross."[13]

In December 2015, Folsom was hired to polish the script for Thor: Ragnarok (2017).[14] Before the film's release, she was denied a writing credit by the Writers Guild of America (WGA). Folsom publicly lambasted the decision on Twitter, writing "Marvel gave me 'story by' credit on THOR RAGNAROK and the writers' guild denied me the credit due to guild regulations ... There's something very wrong when a major corporation is doing more to protect your interests than your own guild."[15] Folsom was later hired to write two episodes ("The High Tower" and "Secrets and Holograms") for Star Wars Resistance.[16] Folsom was the first female writer to work on the series.[17]

In January 2018, Folsom was hired to write a new screenplay for Toy Story 4 (2019) with Andrew Stanton.[18] The screenplay was a finalist for the 45th annual Humanitas Prize in the Family Feature Film Category.[19] In November 2018, it was announced that Folsom would write the screenplay for This is Jane, a film adaptation of The Story of Jane: The Legendary Underground Feminist Abortion Service by Laura Kaplan. The project was set to star Michelle Williams.[20]

In July 2019, Folsom was hired as the head writer and executive producer for the television adaptation of Brian K. Vaughan's comic book series, Paper Girls produced by Amazon Studios.[21][22] That same month, Folsom was hired as a consulting producer on Amazon Studios' The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, for which she served as an episode writer.[23] By July 2021, Folsom officially departed her position as co-showrunner for Paper Girls.[24]

In August 2022, Folsom was hired to write an upcoming television adaptation of King Kong for Disney+.[25]

Personal life

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Folsom lives in Altadena, California.[26]

Filmography

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Film

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Year Title Credit Notes
2013 1969: A Space Odyssey, or How Kubrick learned to Stop Worrying and Land on the Moon Written by Unproduced
2017 Thor: Ragnarok Story by Due to WGA regulations, Folsom was denied a writing credit.[15]
2019 Toy Story 4 Screenplay by Co-written with Andrew Stanton

Television

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Year Title Credit Notes
2018 Star Wars Resistance Writer Episodes: "The High Tower" and "Secrets and Holograms"
2022 The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power Writer / Consulting producer Episode: "The Great Wave"
2022 Paper Girls Showrunner / Writer / Executive producer Folsom left her position in July 2021

Awards and nominations

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Year Film Nomination/Win Award Category Notes
2020 Toy Story 4 Nomination Humanitas Prize Family Feature Film

References

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  1. ^ "Stephany Folsom's schedule for 2019 Austin Film Festival & Conference". Austin Film Festival. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  2. ^ a b c Myers, Scott (March 31, 2014). "Interview: Stephany Folsom (2013 Black List) — Part 1". Medium (Interview). Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  3. ^ a b Cirile, Jim (May 22, 2014). "An interview with Black List writer Stephany Folsom". Talentville (Interview). Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  4. ^ Myers, Scott (April 1, 2014). "Interview: Stephany Folsom (2013 Black List) — Part 2". Medium (Interview). Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  5. ^ Delin, Kevin (July 30, 2014). "The Wide Margin: Stephany Folsom – From Rule Breaker to the Black List". Script Magazine (Interview). Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  6. ^ Haglund, David (December 17, 2013). "A Movie About Kubrick Faking the Moon Landing? Yes, Please". Slate Magazine. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  7. ^ "The Black List 2013" (PDF).
  8. ^ "THE HIT LIST 2013 (FULL LIST)". The Tracking Board. December 13, 2013. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  9. ^ Barker, Andrew (June 16, 2014). "Review: Black List Screenplay Gets a Live Read With Clark Gregg, Kathryn Hahn". Variety. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  10. ^ Farber, Stephen (June 15, 2014). "LAFF: 'Mad Men,' 'Chozen' Actors Stage Live Reading of Black List Script '1969: A Space Odyssey'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  11. ^ Kit, Borys (May 13, 2015). "Disney's 'Princess of North Sudan' Nabs Black List Writer (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  12. ^ Hamid, Rushaa (May 15, 2015). "I can't believe Disney is making a film that echoes the horrors of colonialism". The Independent. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  13. ^ Rosen, Christopher (May 15, 2014). "Disney screenwriter responds to critics after colonialism controversy". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  14. ^ Kroll, Justin (December 11, 2015). "Cate Blanchett in talks for Marvel's 'Thor: Ragnarok'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  15. ^ a b Handel, Jonathan (September 13, 2017). "'Thor: Ragnarok' Writer Denied Credit by WGA, Cries Foul". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  16. ^ "Interview with Stephany Folsom: Writer on Star Wars Resistance, Toy Story 4, & Rings of Power" (Podcast). Friends of the Force. Apple Podcasts. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  17. ^ Brown, Ross (November 2, 2018). "Star Wars Resistance: "The High Tower" Review". FANgirl Blog. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  18. ^ Shanley, Patrick (January 18, 2018). "'Toy Story 4' Finds Its Writer". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
  19. ^ "Finalists Announced For The 45th annual Humanitas Prize™" (Press release). PRNewswire. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  20. ^ McNary, Dave (November 13, 2018). "Film News Roundup: 'Toy Story 4' Writer Boards Michelle Williams Drama 'This Is Jane'". Variety. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  21. ^ Goldberg, Matt (July 12, 2019). "Amazon to Adapt Brian K. Vaughan's 'Paper Girls' into a Series". Collider. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  22. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (July 12, 2019). "'Paper Girls' Graphic Novel Adaptation From Legendary TV & Plan B Gets Amazon Series Commitment". Deadline. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  23. ^ White, Peter (July 27, 2019). "Amazon Sets Creative Team For 'Lord Of The Rings' TV Series Including 'GoT' & 'Breaking Bad' Producers – TCA". Deadline. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
  24. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 1, 2021). "'Paper Girls': Co-Showrunner Stephany Folsom Exits Amazon Series". Deadline. Retrieved August 1, 2021.
  25. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 23, 2022). "'King Kong' Live-Action Series In Works At Disney+ From Stephany Folsom, James Wan's Atomic Monster & Disney Branded TV". Deadline. Retrieved August 24, 2022.
  26. ^ McClain, John (December 17, 2020). "'Toy Story 4' Writer Stephany Folsom Plots Her Way Into Altadena Midcentury". Yahoo!. Retrieved September 21, 2022.
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