W. D. Richter

• Name — W. D. Richter • Birth Name — Walter Duch Richter • Born — 7 December 1945 • Birthplace — New Britain, Connecticut, United States • Education — Dartmouth College • Occupation — Film director, producer, screenwriter

Richter graduated from Dartmouth College and attended USC Film School. He began script writing for Hollywood in the 1970s. He wrote the comedy Slither (1973), followed by two similarly styled comedies, Peeper (1975) and Nickelodeon (1976). He branched into other genres starting with the 1970s remake of Invasion of the Body Snatchers. He wrote scripts throughout the 1980s and 1990s. In the early 1980s, Richter formed his own production company (with producer Neil Canton), Canton/Richter, and directed The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension. The film did poorly at the box office, and the company ended. In 1981, he wrote a screenplay based on Eric Van Lustbader's novel The Ninja for Irvin Kershner to direct with Richard Zanuck and David Brown and 20th Century Fox to produce, which ultimately never got made. Richter continued to write screenplays however, and has since written Home for the Holidays and Stealth.

• Year — Title — Director — Writer — Producer — Notes • 1973 — Slither • 1975 — Peeper • 1976 — Nickelodeon • 1978 — Invasion of the Body Snatchers • 1979 — Dracula • 1980 — Brubaker — Nominated—Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay • 1981 — All Night Long • 1982 — Hard Feelings • 1984 — The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension • 1986 — Big Trouble in Little China • 1991 — Late for Dinner • 1993 — Needful Things • 1995 — Home for the Holidays • 2005 — Stealth