Leigh Brackett

Leigh Brackett was born on December 7, 1915 in Los Angeles, California. She began her career writing science fiction novels that led to her being the first woman shortlisted for the Hugo Awards, which recognize the best works of Science Fiction and Fantasy. She was at times a mentor and collaborator with Ray Bradbury , and early in her career, because of her tomboyish name and her profession, fans of hers believed she was a man.

The early years of his career were the most productive. She wrote several novels and stories that were published in different specialized magazines in the genre. Many of her stories contained themes of social relevance. His novels became more and more ambitious; it marked the beginning of a new style in which science fiction was mixed with detective stories and film noir.

In the mid-1940s, director Howard Hawks decided to hire Leigh, after reading one of his novels, to help William Faulkner write the screenplay for The Big Sleep , which starred Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall . The film ended up being a benchmark for film noir. In these same years she married Edmond Hamilton, also a science fiction novelist, and temporarily moved away from scripts.

When she returns to film and television, Howard Hawks trusts her again and chooses her to co-write several films starring John Wayne such as Rio Bravo (1959), Hatari! (1962), El Dorado (1966) and Rio Lobo (1970). In addition, thanks to her work on The Big Sleep , she writes the script for A Long Goodbye , an adaptation of another Raymond Chandler novel , where she reprises the character of detective Philip Marlowe.

During an interview in 1974, the author spoke about her work as a screenwriter: “Screenwriting is still a challenge for me. It’s more technical than creative. You have to be a good plumber and put the right parts together. So if you can still inject a little of something worthwhile, you’ve done as much as can be hoped for.”

For Star Wars fans , this screenwriter is known for having written the first version of The Empire Strikes Back . Without a doubt, it is a perfect job for the author specializing in westerns and science fiction, Star Wars being a mixture of both genres known as “space western”. George Lucas asked Leigh Brackett to write a first script based on the director’s own writings on the first sequel to the famous galaxy saga. However, after writing and submitting the script, Leigh dies of cancer on May 18, 1978. The first version of the script was revised by George Lucas and then a third time by Lawrence Kasdan .. Although Leigh’s original script has never been published, it is known that it was heavily modified and virtually nothing of it was left in the film, although George Lucas did put her over the end credits alongside Kasdan. Many fans of the author believe that, despite the great changes that the script has undergone, Leigh Brackett’s style is still present in many of the situations and dialogues in the film.