Allison Burnett
Allison Burnett is an American screenwriter, film director, and novelist.
Early life and education
Allison Burnett was born in Ithaca, New York. He graduated from Northwestern University in 1979. He then had a resident fellowship at the Juilliard School for playwriting in 1981.Film
1990s
Burnett's first screenplay to be produced was the kick-boxing prison drama, Bloodfist III: Forced to Fight, which he co-wrote with Charles Mattera. He also wrote Gregory Hines' directorial debut, Bleeding Hearts, and the film Red Meat, which he directed, starring John Slattery, Jennifer Grey, and Lara Flynn Boyle.2000s
Burnett's next film was Autumn in [New York (film)|Autumn in New York], starring Richard Gere and Winona Ryder. This was followed by the Lifetime Original Movie Perfect Romance, Feast of Love based on the book by Charles Baxter and starring Morgan Freeman and Greg Kinnear, and Resurrecting the Champ, written with Michael Bortman and starring Samuel L. Jackson and Josh Hartnett. In 2008, Burnett wrote, with Robert Fyvolent and Mark Brinker, the crime thriller Untraceable starring Diane Lane. The following year, Burnett wrote the remake of Fame.2010s
Burnett had two films released in 2012. The first was Underworld Awakening, co-written with Len Wiseman, John Hlavin, and J. Michael Straczynski, the fourth film in the Underworld series starring Kate Beckinsale. The following month, Gone was released, starring Amanda Seyfried.In 2013, Burnett directed his second film, Ask Me Anything based on his novel Undiscovered Gyrl. The film stars Britt Robertson, Justin Long, Christian Slater, Robert Patrick, and Martin Sheen.
In 2019, Burnett directed the sequel to Ask Me Anything, Another Girl, starring Sammi Hanratty and Peter Gadiot, based on his 2015 novella of the same name.
2020s
In 2023, Burnett wrote the biopic of Jeff Bezos, Bezos: The Beginning, co-written with Tashena Ebanks and R.V. Romero, and directed by Khoa Lee. The film stars Armando Gutierrez and Kevin Sorbo.In 2025, Netflix released My Oxford Year, inspired by the novel of the same name by Julia Whelan, which was in turn based on Burnett's original screenplay. My Oxford Year was written by Allison Burnett and Melissa Osborne, and directed by Iain Morris. The film stars Sofia Carson, Corey Mylchreest, and Dougray Scott.
Fiction
Burnett's first novel, Christopher: A Tale of Seduction was published in 2003 by Broadway Books. It was a finalist for the 2004 Pen Center Literary Award.In 2006, Burnett wrote a sequel to Christopher titled The House Beautiful, published by Carroll & Graf, followed in 2009 by the novel Undiscovered Gyrl, published by Vintage Books.
In 2011, Burnett wrote the second sequel to his novel Christopher, titled Death By Sunshine, published by Writers Tribe Books.
Burnett released his fifth novel, The Escape of Malcolm Poe, in 2014. He released a sequel novella to Undiscovered Gyrl, titled Another Girl, in 2015.
In 2020 Allison released his sixth novel, The Ghosts of Normal, followed by his seventh novel, the second sequel to Undiscovered Gyrl, The Last Girl Podcast in 2023.
Filmography
| Year | Title | Notes |
| 1992 | Bloodfist III: Forced to Fight | With Charles Mattera |
| 1994 | Bleeding Hearts | Directorial debut of Gregory Hines |
| 1997 | Red Meat | Also director |
| 2000 | Autumn in New York | |
| 2004 | Perfect Romance | TV movie |
| 2007 | Feast of Love | Based on the novel by Charles Baxter |
| 2007 | Resurrecting the Champ | With Michael Bortman Based on the LA Times article by J.R. Moehringer |
| 2008 | Untraceable | With Robert Fyvolent and Mark Brinker |
| 2009 | Fame | Remake of Fame (1980) |
| 2012 | Underworld Awakening | With Len Wiseman, John Hlavin, and J. Michael Straczynski Fourth installment in Underworld series |
| 2012 | Gone | - |
| 2012 | Step One | Short film |
| 2014 | Ask Me Anything | Also director, based on his novel Undiscovered Gyrl |
| 2019 | Off the Record | With Claude Hurwicz and James Quill |
| 2021 | Another Girl | Also director, based on his novella of the same name, sequel to Ask Me Anything |
| 2023 | Bezos | With Tashena Ebanks and R.V. Romero |
| 2025 | My Oxford Year | With Melissa Osborne |
Novels
| Year | Title | Publisher | Notes |
| 2003 | Christopher: A Tale of Seduction | Broadway Books | Finalist in Fiction, 2004 Pen Center USA Award |
| 2006 | The House Beautiful | Carroll & Graf | Sequel to Christopher: A Tale of Seduction |
| 2009 | Undiscovered Gyrl | Vintage Books | Adapted into film, directed by the author |
| 2011 | Death by Sunshine | Writers Tribe Books | Second sequel to Christopher: A Tale of Seduction |
| 2014 | The Escape of Malcolm Poe | Writers Tribe Books | - |
| 2015 | Another Girl | Allison Burnett | Sequel novella to Undiscovered Gyrl |
| 2020 | The Ghosts of Normal | Allison Burnett | - |
| 2023 | The Last Girl Podcast | Allison Burnett | Second sequel to Undiscovered Gyrl |