W. D. Richter Explained

W. D. Richter
Birth Name:	Walter Duch Richter
Birth Date:	7 December 1945
Birth Place:	New Britain, Connecticut, United States
Alma Mater:	Dartmouth College
Occupation:	Film director, producer, screenwriter

Walter Duch Richter (born December 7, 1945) is an American screenwriter, film director and film producer.^[1] He is best known for adapting Invasion of the Body Snatchers, directing The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension^[2] and co-writing Big Trouble in Little China.

Biography

Richter graduated from Dartmouth College and attended USC Film School. He began script writing for Hollywood in the 1970s. He wrote the comedy Slither (1973), followed by two similarly styled comedies, Peeper (1975) and Nickelodeon (1976). He branched into other genres starting with the 1970s remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

He wrote scripts throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In the early 1980s, Richter formed his own production company (with producer Neil Canton), Canton/Richter, and directed The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. The film did poorly at the box office, and the company ended.

In 1981, he wrote a screenplay based on Eric Van Lustbader's novel The Ninja for Irvin Kershner to direct with Richard Zanuck and David Brown and 20th Century Fox to produce, which ultimately never got made. Richter continued to write screenplays however, and has since written Home for the Holidays and Stealth.

Filmography

Year	Title	width=65	Director	width=65	Writer	width=65	Producer	Notes
1973	Slither
1975	Peeper
1976	Nickelodeon
1978	Invasion of the Body Snatchers
1979	Dracula
1980	Brubaker				Nominated—Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay
1981	All Night Long
1982	Hard Feelings
1984	The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension
1986	Big Trouble in Little China
1991	Late for Dinner
1993	Needful Things
1995	Home for the Holidays
2005	Stealth

Notes and References

Web site: W D Richter: Full Biography . https://web.archive.org/web/20121103024209/http://movies.nytimes.com/person/108233/W-D-Richter/biography. dead. November 3, 2012. Movies & TV Dept.. The New York Times. Baseline & All Movie Guide. Rose of Sharon Winter. 2012. March 29, 2012.
Web site: The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension! (1984) FILM: SCI-FI FARCE, 'BUCKAROO BONZAI'. The New York Times. March 29, 2012. October 5, 1984. Vincent Canby. Vincent Canby.