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W. Peter Iliff. Writer: Point Break. W. Peter Iliff was born on 19 November 1957 in Dallas, Texas, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Point Break (2015), Under Suspicion (2000) and Point Break (1991).
- January 1, 1
- 1.93 m
- Dallas, Texas, USA
W. Peter Iliff was born on November 19, 1957 in Dallas, Texas, USA. He is a writer and producer, known for Point Break (2015) , Under Suspicion (2000) and Point Break (1991) . Self-verified on IMDbPro
- November 19, 1957
Point Break is a 1991 American action film directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by W. Peter Iliff.. It stars Patrick Swayze, Keanu Reeves, Lori Petty and Gary Busey.The film's title refers to the surfing term "point break", where a wave breaks as it hits a point of land jutting out from the coastline.
- The Story Was Conceived in An Appropriate place.
- Writing The Script Wasn’T The Screenwriter’s only Job.
- The Movie Went Through Several titles.
- Keanu Reeves Wasn’T The First Choice to Play Johnny Utah.
- Utah’s Name Was Based on A Football Icon.
- Bodhi and Johnny Had A history.
- The Production Took years.
- The Ex-Presidents Were Real Surfers.
- The Foot Chase Between Bodhi and Utah Was Technically Complex.
- Swayze Missed Out on Shooting The Foot Chase.
Co-producer Rick King (who also has a “Story by” credit on the movie) first came up with the idea for the movie while lounging on the beach. He had been given an LA Weeklyarticle about Los Angeles being the robbery capital of America and dreamed up a movie about an FBI agent infiltrating a surf gang that robs banks to fuel their fun.
King recruited screenwriter W. Peter Iliff to pen the script for only $6000. Since the pay was paltry, Iliff had to wait tables at a restaurant during the day before going home to write the script for Point Breakat night.
The movie was originally supposed to be titled “Johnny Utah,” the name of the character eventually played by Keanu Reeves. It was renamed “Riders on the Storm” during the first half of production, but was changed to Point Break—a surfing term for a wave that hits a piece of land extended from the coastline—before production wrapped.
The producers of the movie wanted Charlie Sheen or Johnny Depp for the role, but director Kathryn Bigelow demanded that Reeves be given the part. In fact, Patrick Swayze originally auditioned for the part of Utah before eventually landing the role of Bodhi.
Though Johnny never made it past being a quarterback at Ohio State in the movie, screenwriter W. Peter Iliff based the character’s name on NFL quarterback Joe Montana.
Point Break isn’t the first time Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves worked together. They previously starred in the 1986 hockey drama Youngblood, which was Reeves’ first studio movie appearance.
The movie was originally set up to go into production in 1987 with Ridley Scott at the helm before the producers backed out after losing the film rights. It was picked up again and completed four years later when James Cameron and his then-wife Bigelow were looking for projects for Bigelow to direct.
Instead of getting actors who could surf, Bigelow cast surfers who could act to be in the gang of “Ex-Presidents.” Bojesse Christopher (who plays Grommet) and John Philbin (who plays Nathaniel) were pro surfers who acted on the side.
To get a sense of frenetic energy for the scene, Bigelow and her crew shot the sequence with what they dubbed the “pogo-cam,” which was a rig that mounted a gyro-stabilized camera on a body-length pole that could be led by the cameraman shooting the actors in front or behind him.
Swayze is not the one wearing the Reagan mask during the foot chase sequence. Instead, his stunt double, Scott Wilder, performed the scene because Swayze was in Europe doing press for Ghost.
Jun 20, 2022 · W. Peter Iliff, Script Apart podcast, 11/16/21 ‘Point Break’ was a love story for Keanu Reeves, not only with Lori Petty Point Break was an early bromance, as Johnny was torn between his love ...
In an in-depth interview with Empire Magazine’s Chris Hewitt, Peter Iliff took some time to speak frankly about his career path, philosophy for writing and the movies he has written sharing his experiences and insight into the industry. The discussion today opens up with the t-shirt Peter is wearing from ‘Point Break Live’, for those of ...
W. Peter Iliff is known as an Screenplay, Writer, Story, Director, Original Film Writer, Executive Producer, and Actor. Some of his work includes Point Break, Point Break, Patriot Games, Tales from the Crypt, Under Suspicion, Varsity Blues, The Enforcer, and Rites of Passage.
