{{short description|American screenwriter and film director}} {{Infobox person | name = Duane Adler | image = <!-- filename only, no "File:" or "Image:" prefix, and no enclosing brackets --> | alt = <!-- descriptive text for use by speech synthesis (text-to-speech) software --> | caption = | birth_name = <!-- only use if different from name --> | birth_date = {{Birth based on age as of date|45|2014|April|17}}<ref name="kaltenbach" /> | birth_place = North Carolina | death_date = <!-- {{Death date and age|YYYY|MM|DD|YYYY|MM|DD}} (DEATH date then BIRTH date) --> | death_place = | other_names = | occupation = Screenwriter, film director | years_active = 2001–present | known_for = | notable_works = }} '''Duane Adler''' (born {{Birth based on age as of date|45|2014|April|17|noage=1}}) is an American screenwriter and film director best known for writing numerous dance films, including ''Save the Last Dance'' (2001) and ''Step Up'' (2006). The films grossed over $250 million each, which ''BroadwayWorld'' noted as being in the top ten all-time box office for dance films.<ref name="broadwayworld">{{cite news | author=Staff | url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/bwwtv/article/STEP-UP-Screenwriter-Duane-Adler-Makes-Directorial-Debut-With-MAKE-YOUR-MOVE-Out-418-20140228 | title=''Step Up'' Screenwriter Duane Adler Makes Directorial Debut With ''Make Your Move'', Out 4/18 | work=BroadwayWorld | date=February 28, 2014 | accessdate=March 25, 2020 }}</ref> ''The Baltimore Sun'' reported in 2014, "Adler established himself as one of the go-to screenwriters for 21st-century dance movies."<ref name="kaltenbach" />
''Step Up'' became a franchise, and sequel films based on his characters grossed over $651 million worldwide.<ref name="andreeva">{{cite news | last=Andreeva | first=Nellie | url=https://deadline.com/2017/10/fox-buys-shine-dance-drama-duane-adler-marc-platt-penalty-1202183724/ | title=Fox Developing 'Shine' Dance Drama From Marc Platt & 'Step Up's Duane Adler | work=Deadline Hollywood | date=October 6, 2017 | accessdate=March 25, 2020 }}</ref> Adler's directorial debut was the 2006 film ''God's Waiting List'', written by Blaze Lovejoy. Adler's first film as writer-director was the 2013 film ''Make Your Move''.
==Background==
Duane Adler was born in the US state of North Carolina around {{Birth based on age as of date|45|2014|April|17|noage=1}}. He grew up in the suburbs of Washington, DC and in Odenton, Maryland. He went to college at the University of Maryland, College Park.<ref name="kaltenbach">{{cite news | last=Kaltenbach | first=Chris | url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/entertainment/bs-ae-adler-live-20140417-story.html | title=Maryland native Duane Adler's first film as writer-director is multicultural | work=The Baltimore Sun | date=April 17, 2014 | accessdate=March 25, 2020 }}</ref>
==Career==
Duane Adler wrote the original screenplay for the 2001 film ''Save the Last Dance''. Paramount Pictures hired Cheryl Edwards to rewrite the screenplay, and she worked on it in the course of nine months. Paramount tentatively gave both writers their first screenplay credits, and Adler requested arbitration to claim sole screenplay credit based on his primary contribution. The first arbitration case was inconclusive due to a factual error, and a second arbitration case led to Adler receiving story credit, with both Adler and Edwards receiving screenplay credit.<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Friend | first=Tad | url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2003/10/20/credit-grab | title=Credit Grab: How Many Writers Does It Take to Make a Movie? | magazine=The New Yorker | date=October 20, 2003 | accessdate=March 25, 2020 }}</ref>
Adler also wrote the film's 2006 sequel ''Save the Last Dance 2'' and co-wrote the 2006 film ''Step Up'' with Melissa Rosenberg. In 2008, he began writing ''Venice Beach'', a "music-driven romance" starring singer Ne-Yo, who had appeared in ''Save the Last Dance 2''. The film did not reach production.<ref name="simmons">{{cite magazine | last=Simmons | first=Leslie | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/speedway-venice-beach-121307 | title=On speedway to 'Venice Beach' | magazine=The Hollywood Reporter | date=October 17, 2018 | accessdate=March 25, 2020 }}</ref> In 2009, Adler was hired to rewrite a script for the teen dance drama ''Jump Around'', which revolved around a team in a Double Dutch jump rope competition with the intent to direct, though the film was never produced.<ref name="fernandez">{{cite magazine | last=Fernandez | first=Jay A. | url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/step-writer-boards-jump-92202 | title='Step Up' writer boards 'Jump Around' | magazine=The Hollywood Reporter | date=December 9, 2009 | accessdate=March 25, 2020 }}</ref>
Adler's first effort as writer-director came with the 2013 film ''Make Your Move'', which he had tried to make for over seven years. He initially sought to work with Savion Glover to make a film revolving around tap dance, but his pitch did not achieve results. He had another idea of a collaboration between an American boy and an Asian girl who were both musicians, and he sought to merge that with tap dance. After some difficulty, he was inspired by a New York-based Japanese trope named COBU that used ''taiko'' drums. Film producer Robert W. Cort supported Adler's project, and Adler wrote and directed ''Make Your Move''.<ref name="kaltenbach" />
Adler then directed the 2017 film ''Heartbeats'', which featured an American family going to a wedding in India and shows both American and Indian styles of dancing.<ref name="minow">{{cite news | last=Minow | first=Nell | url=https://www.motionpictures.org/2018/03/master-movement-dance-loving-director-duane-adler-new-film-heartbeats/ | title=Master of Movement: Dance Loving Director Duane Adler on his new Film ''Heartbeats'' | work=The Credits: Profiles Below the Line | publisher=Motion Picture Association | date=March 20, 2018 | accessdate=March 25, 2020 }} *{{cite news | last=Banan | first=Aastha Atray | url=https://www.mid-day.com/articles/director-duane-adler-talks-about-his-upcoming-dance-film-heartbeats/16933199 | title=Director Duane Adler Talks About His Upcoming Dance Film Heartbeats | work=Mid-Day | date=February 14, 2016 | accessdate=March 25, 2020 }}</ref> Following ''Heartbeats'', the television network Fox committed to the script of ''Shine'', a television film that involved Adler as writer and executive producer. The film was not produced.<ref name="andreeva" /> In 2019, Adler and the studio Entertainment One received a pilot commitment from the TV network ABC to produce ''House of the Rising Sun'', featuring two feuding families with the backdrop being a New Orleans nightclub.<ref>{{cite news | last=Andreeva | first=Nellie | url=https://deadline.com/2019/09/house-of-the-rising-sun-new-orleans-music-driven-drama-abc-duane-adler-eone-raphael-saadiq-1202713204/ | title='House Of the Rising Sun' New Orleans Music-Driven Drama In Works At ABC From Duane Adler & eOne | work=Deadline Hollywood | date=September 5, 2019 | accessdate=March 25, 2020 }}</ref> He also developed a multi-generational dance series for Fox.<ref name="grobar">{{cite news | last=Grobar | first=Matt | url=https://deadline.com/2021/08/step-up-duane-adler-signs-with-buchwald-1234809890/ | title='Step Up's Duane Adler Inks With Buchwald | work=Deadline Hollywood | date=August 5, 2021 | accessdate=April 26, 2024 }}</ref>
Adler wrote ''Talent Show'', about an unsuccessful songwriter who goes back to Chicago to guide a group of vulnerable young people in their yearly talent show. By 2019, Lena Waithe wrote a new version of the script, which started development under Gandja Monteiro. The film did not advance past the development stage.<ref>{{cite magazine | last=Kroll | first=Justin | url=https://variety.com/2019/film/news/gandja-monteiro-talent-show-vida-the-hate-u-give-1203261501/ | title='Vida' Director Joins Universal's 'Talent Show' From 'The Hate U Give' Producers (exclusive) | magazine=Variety | date=July 8, 2019 | accessdate=April 26, 2024 }}</ref> By 2021, Adler also wrote ''Good Vibes'' for New Line Cinema.<ref name="grobar" />
==Credits== {| class="wikitable sortable" |+ Adler's credits |- style="background:#ccc; text-align:center;" ! scope="col" | Year ! scope="col" | Film ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | Notes ! scope="col" class="unsortable" | {{Abbr|Ref.|References}} |- | 2001 | ''Save the Last Dance'' | Story credit; screenplay credit shared with Cheryl Edwards | style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="afi">{{cite web | url=https://catalog.afi.com/Person/275939-Duane-Adler?sid=d4a37e9d-17fc-4687-ac9b-bd0c82f6d48f&sr=11.2536335&cp=1&pos=0&isMiscCredit=false | title=Duane Adler | work=catalog.afi.com | publisher=American Film Institute | accessdate=March 25, 2020 }}</ref> |- | 2001 | ''{{sortname|The|Way She Moves|dab=film}}'' | Wrote screenplay; also known as ''When the Music Stops'' | style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="bfi">{{cite web | url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bc51285e7 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200325135710/https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2bc51285e7 | url-status=dead | archive-date=March 25, 2020 | title=Duane Adler | work=bfi.org.uk | publisher=British Film Institute | accessdate=March 25, 2020 }}</ref> |- | 2006 | ''Step Up'' | Wrote story; wrote screenplay with Melissa Rosenberg | style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="afi" /> |- | 2006 | ''Save the Last Dance 2'' | Wrote screenplay | style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="simmons" /> |- | 2006 | ''God's Waiting List'' | Directed; written by Blaze Lovejoy | style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="grobar" /> |- | 2008 | ''Step Up 2: The Streets'' | Based on characters by Duane Adler | style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="bfi" /> |- | 2008 | ''Make It Happen'' | Wrote story; wrote screenplay with Nicole Avril; also co-producer | style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="bfi" /> |- | 2010 | ''Step Up 3D'' | Based on characters by Duane Adler | style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="bfi" /> |- | 2012 | ''Step Up Revolution'' | Based on characters by Duane Adler | style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="bfi" /> |- | 2013 | ''Make Your Move'' | Wrote and directed | style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="afi" /> |- | 2014 | ''Step Up: All In'' | Based on characters by Duane Adler | style="text-align:center;" | <ref>{{cite magazine | last=Debruge | first=Peter | url=https://variety.com/2014/film/reviews/film-review-step-up-all-in-1201263343/ | title=Film Review: 'Step Up All In' | magazine=Variety | date=July 16, 2014 | accessdate=March 25, 2020 }}</ref> |- | 2017 | ''Heartbeats'' | Wrote and directed | style="text-align:center;" | <ref name="minow" /> |}
==References== {{Reflist}}
==External links== *{{IMDb name|0012137}}
{{authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Adler, Duane}} Category:Living people Category:American male screenwriters Category:Film directors from North Carolina Category:Year of birth missing (living people) Category:1960s births