Lawrence Kasdan

The most accomplished University of Michigan alum in the motion picture industry, Lawrence Kasdan has written the screenplays for some of the most beloved action and adventure films of the 1980s (The Empire Strikes Back, The Return of the Jedi, Raiders of the Lost Ark). Following their success, he added director to his resume and built a reputation as a writer/director who valued character over plot.

Kasdan infused old Hollywood genres like film noir, westerns, and science fiction sagas with contemporary themes and perspectives, quick witted dialog, excellent performances, and steady but unflashy direction. Films such as Body Heat, The Big Chill, Silverado, The Accidental Tourist, Wyatt Earp, and Grand Canyon exemplify his character-driven, genre-reinvention approach to filmmaking.

He honed his craft while attending the University of Michigan in the late 1960s and early 70s, and credits winning multiple Hopwood Awards and his time with Cinema Guild, the legendary student-run film society, as two foundational markers of success, learning, and gaining confidence in writing.

His papers (which we're currently processing) include a range of documents generated at various stages of production: script drafts, character breakdowns, casting decisions, legal and business documents, production schedules, photographs, reviews, and interviews, among others. There is an assortment of audiovisual materials, including audio cassette tapes of conversations recorded before the scripts were written.