J. Michael Straczynski

Writing

J. Michael Straczynski

Born 1954-07-17 · Paterson, New Jersey, USA

Joseph Michael Straczynski (/strəˈzɪnski/; born July 17, 1954) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is the founder of Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Studio JMS and is known as the creator of the science fiction television series Babylon 5 (1993–1998) and its spinoff Crusade (1999), as well as the series Jeremiah (2002–2004) and Sense8 (2015–2018). He is the executor of the estate of Harlan Ellison. Straczynski wrote the psychological drama film Changeling (2008) and was a co-writer on the martial arts thriller Ninja Assassin (2009); he was one of the key writers for (and had a cameo in) Marvel's Thor (2011), as well as the horror film Underworld: Awakening (2012) and the apocalyptic horror film World War Z (2013). From 2001 to 2007, Straczynski wrote Marvel Comics' The Amazing Spider-Man, followed by runs on Thor and Fantastic Four. He is the author of the Superman: Earth One trilogy of graphic novels, and he has written Superman, Wonder Woman, and Before Watchmen for DC Comics. Straczynski is the creator and writer of several original comic book series such as Rising Stars, Midnight Nation, Dream Police, and Ten Grand through Joe's Comics. A prolific writer across a variety of media and a former journalist, Straczynski is the author of the autobiography Becoming Superman (2019) for HarperVoyager, the novel Together We Will Go (2021) for Simon & Schuster, and Becoming a Writer, Staying a Writer (2021) for Benbella Books. In 2020 he was named Head of the Creative Council for the comics publishing company Artists, Writers, and Artisans. Straczynski is a long-time participant in Usenet and other early computer networks, interacting with fans through various online forums (including GEnie, CompuServe, and America Online) since 1984. He is credited as being the first TV producer to directly engage with fans on the Internet and to allow viewer viewpoints to influence the look and feel of his show (see Babylon 5's use of the Internet). Two prominent areas where he had a presence were GEnie and the newsgroup rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated. Description above from the Wikipedia article J. Michael Straczynski, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Acting credits

Behind the camera

Ninja Assassin poster
6.7

Ninja Assassin follows Raizo, one of the deadliest assassins in the world. Taken from the streets as a child, he was transformed into a trained killer by the Ozunu Clan, a secret society whose very existence is considered a myth. But haunted by the merciless execution of his friend by the Clan, Raizo breaks free from them and vanishes. Now he waits, preparing to exact his revenge.

Ninja Assassin

2009

Changeling poster
7.6

Los Angeles, 1928. When single mother Christine Collins leaves for work, her son vanishes without a trace. Five months later, the police reunite mother and son. But when Christine suspects that the boy returned to her isn't her child, her quest for truth exposes a world of corruption.

Changeling

2008

Underworld: Awakening poster
6.3

Having escaped years of imprisonment, vampire warrioress Selene finds herself in a changed world where humans have discovered the existence of both Vampire and Lycan clans and are conducting an all-out war to eradicate both immortal species. Now Selene must battle the humans and a frightening new breed of super Lycans to ensure the death dealers' survival.

Underworld: Awakening

2012

Babylon 5: The Road Home poster
7.1

Travel across the galaxy with John Sheridan as he unexpectedly finds himself transported through multiple timelines and alternate realities in a quest to find his way back home. Along the way he reunites with some familiar faces, while discovering cosmic new revelations about the history, purpose, and meaning of the Universe.

Babylon 5: The Road Home

2023

Babylon 5: In the Beginning poster
7.1

Londo Mollari, the Centauri Emperor, recounts the initial contact between the Humans and Minbari, which resulted in a major incident and subsequent war, for an eager pair of youngsters wanting a story about love and conflict.

Babylon 5: In the Beginning

1998

Babylon 5: Thirdspace poster
6.6

Susan Ivanova discovers a derelict spaceship in hyperspace. They tow it back to Babylon 5, then strange things start happening. People are being telepathically taken over by aliens from another (third)space.

Babylon 5: Thirdspace

1998

Babylon 5: A Call to Arms poster
6.9

Allies of the Shadows seek revenge against humanity. This movie sets up the series, "Crusade," the sequel to "Babylon 5."

Babylon 5: A Call to Arms

1999

Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers - To Live and Die in Starlight poster
6.0

After being punished for retreat from combat, Ranger David Martel is given command of the Liandra, a haunted 20-year old Minbari fighting ship. He's escorting ambassadors to a secret archaeological site, the oldest city on record and a clue to a dangerous ancient race.

Babylon 5: The Legend of the Rangers - To Live and Die in Starlight

2002

Babylon 5: The River of Souls poster
6.4

A group of Soul Hunters come to Babylon 5 demanding the return of something that was stolen from them.

Babylon 5: The River of Souls

1998

Babylon 5: The Gathering poster
6.4

The feature-length pilot for this Emmy award-winning show. Babylon 5 is the latest in a series of space stations built by humans. The Vorlon ambassador, Kosh, has been poisoned. It is the new commanding officer, Jeffrey Sinclair, who has the responsibility of finding the culprit. Otherwise, the space station will fail in its role of bringing many alien races together.

Babylon 5: The Gathering

1993

Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For poster
6.8

Jessica Fletcher, lecturing at a writers' conference, finds herself called on to solve the killing of a guest speaker, an arrogant Russian author who'd written a nonfiction, tell-all book about his tenure as head of the KGB.

Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For

2000

Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For poster
6.8

Jessica Fletcher, lecturing at a writers' conference, finds herself called on to solve the killing of a guest speaker, an arrogant Russian author who'd written a nonfiction, tell-all book about his tenure as head of the KGB.

Murder, She Wrote: A Story to Die For

2000

Babylon 5: The Lost Tales - Voices in the Dark poster
6.5

This instalment of Babylon 5 is in two parts: the first is about an entity that has possessed a worker. Colonel Lochley prevents a priest from performing an exorcism. The host is returned to Earth. The second has Galen trying to dupe President Sheridan into assassinating the future Centauri emperor to stop him from attacking Earth in around 30 years time.

Babylon 5: The Lost Tales - Voices in the Dark

2007

Babylon 5: The Lost Tales - Voices in the Dark poster
6.5

This instalment of Babylon 5 is in two parts: the first is about an entity that has possessed a worker. Colonel Lochley prevents a priest from performing an exorcism. The host is returned to Earth. The second has Galen trying to dupe President Sheridan into assassinating the future Centauri emperor to stop him from attacking Earth in around 30 years time.

Babylon 5: The Lost Tales - Voices in the Dark

2007

One Second After poster
NR

In a small North Carolina town, a former military officer must protect his family and community after an electromagnetic pulse disables all technology, plunging the world into chaos exposing the fragility of civilization.

One Second After

No artwork available
NR

A jazz musician finds himself possessed by an ancient spirit of vengeance that leads him into a new and unexplored world of voodoo and dead spirits. Based on the Valiant Comics character.

Shadowman

Happy F*cking New Year. poster
8.0

The journey continues as these eight singular hearts and minds weave in and out of each other's lives finding deeper connections, learning darker secrets about one another and struggling to identify with more than just oneself.

Happy F*cking New Year.

2016