// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs Tony Gayton a good writer? Gayton chance he is.
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Tony Gayton is an American movie producer and screenwriter.[1][2]
Early life
[edit]Gayton graduated from Merritt Island High School in 1977 in Merritt Island, Florida. Gayton is also a graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts, where he received the Jack Nicholson Writing Scholarship.
Career
[edit]After graduating, he worked as a production assistant for John Milius. Gayton has been a professional screenwriter for over ten years, working both by himself and with his brother, Joe Gayton (Uncommon Valor, Shout).
Gayton also directed the critically acclaimed documentary film Athens, GA: Inside/Out, which featured the bands R.E.M. and the B-52's as well as the eccentric folk artist Reverend Howard Finster.
Gayton produced the 2010 action-drama Faster, co-written with his brother Joe, and starring Dwayne Johnson and Billy Bob Thornton.
In 2011, he and brother Joe teamed up again to create a dramatic television series for the cable channel AMC, titled Hell On Wheels, which premiered on November 6. Set in 1865, the series centers on the settlement and its people that accompanied the construction of the first transcontinental railroad, referred to as "Hell on Wheels."
Filmography
[edit]Films
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | Uncommon Valor | Assistant: John Milius |
| 1987 | Athens, GA: Inside/Out | Director, screenwriter |
| 1995 | Riders in the Storm | Based on an idea (uncredited)[3] |
| 2002 | Murder By Numbers | Screenwriter |
| The Salton Sea | Screenwriter | |
| 2005 | Cursed | Screenwriter (uncredited)[4] |
| 2006 | Two Headed Cow | Director, screenwriter |
| 2010 | Faster | Co-screenwriter, producer |
| 2024 | Absolution | Screenwriter |
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Southern Comfort | Screenwriter, TV movie |
| 2011-2016 | Hell on Wheels | Creator, Writer, Executive Producer, Executive Consultant |
| 2014 | The Novice | Screenwriter, Executive Producer, TV Movie |
Unrealized projects
[edit]| Title and Description | Ref. |
|---|---|
| Airtight, co-written with Joe Gayton, a caper pic set in contemporary Florida that would’ve been directed by Neil Burger. | [5] |
| All the Men in the Sea: The Untold Story of One of the Greatest Rescues in History, an adaption of the nonfiction book by Michael Krieger that tells the story of the divers and seamen of a cargo ship caught in the path of Hurricane Roxanne, with John Moore attached as director. | [6] |
| An untitled suspense thriller that centered on a man’s journey to clear his name as a suspect in a 20-year-old unsolved murder that would've been produced by Harry Colomby for Castle Rock Entertainment. | [7] |
| Con Game, An action heist script about four convicts who pull off a big heist with a perfect alibi. | [8] |
| The Dime, An adaptation of the Kathleen Kent novel of the same name that would’ve been produced by Matt Reeves. | [9] |
| Thicker Than Water, a comedy about two brothers in Las Vegas, that would’ve been produced by Jim Kouf and Lynn Bigelow. | [10] |
| Zero Hour, An adaption of the Joseph Finder novel of the same name. | [11] |
References
[edit]- ↑ Holden, Stephen (26 April 2002). "The Salton Sea (2002) FILM REVIEW; Speeding to Hit Bottom, and About to Get There Fast". The New York Times. Retrieved 7 February 2011.
- ↑ "Long Path to Overnight Success". The Los Angeles Times. 2002-04-24. Retrieved 2026-05-05.
- ↑ "Riders in the Storm". Variety. 1995-06-26. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
- ↑ "Wes Craven's 'Cursed' Werewolf Movie: A History". www.loudandclearreviews.com. 2025-05-28. Retrieved 2026-07-30.
- ↑ "Double Burger feeds Lobell, Warner Bros". Variety. 2002-12-12. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
- ↑ "Fox dives into 'Sea' pic". Variety. 2005-03-02. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
- ↑ "Castle Rock hands Gayton pair of pens". Variety. 2000-07-07. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
- ↑ "Elston Gunn's Weekly Recap". www.aintitcool.com. 2000-10-13. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
- ↑ "'The Batman' Writer-Director Matt Reeves to Produce Cop Drama From 'Hell on Wheels' Creators at Fox". Variety. 2017-10-03. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
- ↑ "Kouf/Bigelow Expands Slate". Variety. 1991-02-10. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
- ↑ "Schindler tapped to top Shoelace". Variety. 2000-08-18. Retrieved 2026-07-28.
