Getting to Page 17

John Whittington ’01 on screenwriting, persistence, and the work behind the story 

BY MELISSA ULSAKER MAAS ’76

The First Draft

Growing up, John was drawn to stories. Movies, TV shows, and video games were a big part of his world, but he didn’t yet see storytelling as something he would pursue. In his later years at St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes, that began to change when he discovered screenplays online and became fascinated with them. 

“I dove into screenwriting on my own as the truest kind of amateur and just started exploring,” John says. “Eventually it got into my bloodstream and made me want to pursue it seriously in college and beyond professionally.”

In Dr. Judy Brent’s AP English class, that growing interest took on a new dimension. “We read David Mamet’s ‘Glengarry Glen Ross’ in class, and I’d seen the movie,” John recalls. “It was really eye-opening to read the original play and see how similar—but also how different—it was from the movie. The contrast was really cool and something that didn’t feel like homework.”

 Although a self-confessed terrible actor, John thoroughly enjoyed Jim Marvin’s drama class. “I loved his enthusiasm and the way he supported us,” he continues. “We had to write a short scene as a class, and I think that’s where the itch started.” John began writing original screenplays on his own. “I thought they were high-minded, but they were just kind of cliche teen angst kind of ideas,” he laughs.

After graduating, John headed to New York City, first attending City College to “build enough credibility to transfer to NYU.” He arrived just two weeks before 9/11, an experience that intensified his focus and pushed him deeper into film and television. “New York was a big change from Northern Virginia, exiting the secure bubble and slamming into a brave new world that quickly became very scary.”

NYU was a “full-blown art school,” where he began to explore his own creativity in ways he hadn’t before. He also reconnected with his Middle School math teacher and basketball coach, Chris Mahoney, who was living in New York at the time. As John began making short films, Chris became both a source of support and friendship, even offering up his apartment as a set.

“We’d take our cameras out into the city, shooting on real film we later edited on razor blade and tape kind of cutting boards,” John says with a smile. “There were cameras that were loaned to the military during World War II, some of which had been hit by bullets. It was exciting to think that Martin Scorsese might have held that camera at some point. The whole experience was really free and fun and exciting.”

The Long Road

John had found his passion. “It can be all-consuming and I was happy to let it consume me in that way,” John says. “You learn quickly whether or not it’s truly for you. If it hadn’t been, I would have fallen out of love very fast.” In time, he did fall out of love with some elements of filmmaking, which only deepened his commitment to writing.

He graduated in 2005 and immediately moved to Los Angeles. Breaking in wasn’t easy. He took on whatever work he could, learning the rhythms of the industry while carving out time to write. His first job was as an agency reader.

“For four years I faced a mountain of scripts all day, every day as the first person to read them,” John explains. “Then I wrote coverage, basically a book report on what the script is about, who the characters are, and ultimately, a paid opinion on whether or not it’s good enough for someone more senior to read.”

John read two or three a day. Most were forgettable, but some were written by the great screenwriters of the time. “I kept a lot of them and still have them on my shelf. Occasionally, I crack one open for some inspiration when I need it.”

When he left that job, it was to write screenplays full time. It required a leap of faith—and it only got harder. For the next six years, he wrote original material and worked to land a studio rewrite or sell a pitch. All of his projects had gone nowhere.

“After a decade in LA, I was part of the union with proof that I was a professional writer, but otherwise there was nothing that bore my name and nothing of any real significance.”

Despite never being made, there were a few scripts over the years that opened the door bit by bit. “The one that was a real breakthrough for me is called ‘True Fan,’” John says. Based on the story of a Chicago Cubs fan who became the target of public outrage after interfering with a foul ball during a crucial 2003 game, it explored the fallout of a single, unintended moment—and the human cost that followed. “I wrote the script in 2015 and it remains my dream project to this day.”

Then it happened. He landed a rewrite with screenwriter and director Jared Stern, a friend and mentor—his first produced credit, “The LEGO Batman Movie.” “I remember very clearly sitting with Jared in his office and hearing him ask if I would be interested in working with him on the movie,” John recalls. “It was the fastest ‘yes’ of my career!” 

The Breakthrough

From there, everything—his work, and in many ways his life—began to shift. The first decade in Los Angeles had felt like 100 years; the next seemed to pass in a blur. The work that followed, especially in family and animated films, opened doors, but just as importantly, it brought a sense of steadiness that had long felt out of reach. He finally felt like a working writer.

That change extended beyond the professional. With regular work came the freedom to think about a future outside of it. He proposed to his wife, Rhana, and began building a life that had once felt too uncertain to imagine. By the time “The LEGO Batman Movie” premiered, his wife was pregnant with their daughter, Sophia.

“This last 10 years has been a great, really fortunate ride to see the dream come true in a lot of ways. I’m so grateful for everything that’s been made possible after the long slog of the first decade.”

Following that breakthrough, John has built a career writing for some of the most recognizable characters in film, from Batman to Sonic the Hedgehog. But for him, the spectacle is never the point. “For me, it all comes down to relationships,” he says. “The primary relationship in a movie—that’s really what it’s about.” Whether John’s working within an established franchise or creating something new, he is drawn to the dynamic between characters—the thread that gives the story weight and makes it resonate with audiences.

That focus comes with its own challenges. Writing for characters audiences already know and love brings both opportunity and pressure. For John, that tension is part of the appeal. “It takes a lot of responsibility because people care so much and they come with a pre-investment in the characters,” he says. “It requires a balance between honoring what exists and finding something new within it.”

In recent years, John’s work has taken on increasing scope and recognition. As a staff writer on Netflix’s “Green Eggs and Ham,” he earned a nomination at the 47th Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards for Outstanding Writing for an Animated Program, a milestone that marked both critical recognition and a turning point in his career.

From there, his role continued to expand. He went on to co-create and serve as executive producer of “Knuckles,” a spin-off in the “Sonic the Hedgehog” franchise, stepping into a leadership position while continuing to write. He has remained closely involved in shaping stories within that world, contributing to the “Sonic” films and helping define the voice of a character beloved across generations. “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” was the 10th highest grossing film of 2024 globally.

Last year, John took on a very different kind of project when producer Bryan Unkeless brought him the galleys of “Remarkably Bright Creatures” by Shelby Van Pelt before the book was published. His adaptation moves away from animation into a quieter, more intimate story—though one that does have a talking octopus. Translating the book’s reflective, character-driven narrative to the screen required a shift in approach, finding a way to bring its emotional depth to life in a new way.

The project took on even greater significance with the casting of Sally Field in the lead role. “To his credit, Bryan sent me the book, thinking somebody like Sally Field would be great in the role,” John says. “So, I got to read the whole book thinking of Sally Field.” John came up with a pitch for the movie. “Not long after that, I was having breakfast with the legend herself, pitching her what I thought we should do for the movie. And thankfully, she was on board because she’s the greatest possible actress to play Tova.” 

“The Ninja Turtles were my first love, going back to my earliest waking memories,” he says.

A lifelong fan, John grew up collecting the action figures, playing the games, and watching the cartoons. Now, he finds himself helping to shape its next chapter—another dream come true.