Paperback
Unlock Hollywood’s secret: Great scripts are driven by dramatic relationships.

Beyond the Hero

Relationship-Driven Screenwriting and the Secret to Hollywood's Greatest Scripts

$52.75

  • Paperback

    216 pages

  • Release Date

    5 November 2026

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Summary

Go Beyond the Hero’s Journey––and Unlock the Real Secret of Writing Successful Screenplays

Have you ever wondered what it takes to write a great movie script? Studied your favorite films to see what makes them so magical? Beyond the Hero: Relationship-Driven Screenwriting and the Secret to Hollywood’s Greatest Scripts is a how-to screenwriting guide built on the foundational idea that great movies—across all genres and styles—are driven by a core relationship…

Book Details

ISBN-13:9781621538806
ISBN-10:162153880X
Author:Michael Weiss
Publisher:Skyhorse Publishing
Imprint:Allworth Press,U.S.
Format:Paperback
Number of Pages:216
Release Date:5 November 2026
Weight:249g
Dimensions:15mm x 152mm x 229mm
Audience Age:0-99
A-Format
B-Format
Beyond the Hero by Michael Weiss - ISBN: 9781621538806
152 × 229 mm
C-Format
A4
mm / in
What They're Saying

Critics Review

“Michael Weiss is a highly experienced writer, a terrific teacher, and a wonderful guide to what makes a good script great. Freeing his readers of the too-familiar ‘hero’s journey,’ he challenges them to center their films on real, complex, immersive relationships––on the central bond that binds or breaks two people––just like life itself.”
––Stephen Galloway, dean of Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts; former Hollywood Reporter executive editor

“Every once in a while, someone shines a light on a subject with the wisdom and clarity to elevate and expand our thinking. Michael Weiss has done exactly that for screenwriting, reminding us that the core relationship is the key component of every story! Beyond the Hero is encouraging, specific and relatable, and in it, Weiss takes something daunting and makes it achievable through his very thoughtful process. This book is essential for anyone who works in the business of storytelling.”
––Nate Hopper, Senior Development Executive

About The Author

Michael Weiss

Michael Weiss is a WGA screenwriter with twenty-plus years of experience selling original material and being hired on assignment by a wide range of Hollywood studios. He has written over a dozen produced films, including Journey to the Center of the Earth starring Brendan Fraser. Some of his more unusual projects include crafting a story bible for a theme park in China and serving as co-lead writer for an action-adventure video game.

He has taught screenwriting at UCLA Extension Writers’ Program, where he received the Distinguished Instructor award, as well as at Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts. He is also a contributing writer to the screenwriting guide Cut to the Chase: Writing Feature Films with the Pros at UCLA Extension Writers’ Program.

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