James DeMonaco

James DeMonaco began writing screenplays and directing short films at age 11. After a very brief stint at NYU film school, DeMonaco wrote several feature films including The Negotiator, which starred Kevin Spacey and Samuel L. Jackson, and the remake of Assault on Precinct 13, which starred Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne. He has written and produced several television miniseries including Spike TV's critically acclaimed nine-hour thriller The Kill Point, which starred John Leguizamo.

In 2009, DeMonaco made his directorial debut with Staten Island, an independent film he wrote, which was produced by Luc Besson and Sébastien K. Lemercier and starred Hawke, Vincent D'Onofrio and Seymour Cassel. His sophomore directing effort, The Purge, was a huge box-office hit and reunited DeMonaco with both Lemercier and Hawke.

Universal Pictures