W. D. Richter

Walter Duch Richter (born December 7, 1945) is an American screenwriter, film director and film producer. He is best known for adapting Invasion of the Body Snatchers, directing The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Across the 8th Dimension and co-writing Big Trouble in Little China.

Biography 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.

Filmography 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 BanzaiAcross the 8th Dimension 1986 Big Trouble in Little China 1991 Late for Dinner 1993 Needful Things 1995 Home for the Holidays 2005 Stealth