Joel McElvaney

Seattle, United States

Joel McElvaney is produced screenwriter specializing in taut thrillers and action comedies. Co-writer of Murder at the Writer’s Retreat (IMDB). Known for taking a workshop from William Goldman in college, then waiting 30 years to start his screenwriting career.

A former high school English teacher and screenwriting instructor, McElvaney has garnered accolades for his fantasy/comedy Dragons of the Gloaming, a Top 5 Finalist in the Save the Cat! Screenplay Challenge; his dystopian thriller Twisted Justice, a Semi-Finalist in the Atlanta Film Festival Screenplay Competition; and his risqué TV pilot The Pineapple Chronicles, a 2nd-rounder at the Austin Film Festival.

McElvaney is an active member of the screenwriting community in Seattle where he lives with his wife Kate.

Website: https://jdmcelvaney.wixsite.com/joel-mcelvaney

Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/screenwritermac.bsky.social

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/screenwritermac/

Member for 3 years 10 months

Followers: 19

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Scripts By Joel

Sent Away

Forced to stay with their ex-convict dad for a summer, two boys discover a dark family secret that lead them to runaway rather than return to their mom and abusive stepfather.

Feature Drama For sale 97pp

2 readers love this script

Twisted Justice

In a near-future dystopia, the granddaughter of a conservative Supreme Court justice, pregnant from a sexual assault, attempts to leave her forced-birth state to get an abortion, but is caught by a vigilante group.

Feature Drama For sale 95pp

1 reader loves this script

Internal Threat

When a bullied outcast seeks violent revenge on his longtime tormentor, his best friend must choose between helping the outcast or saving the bully.

Feature Crime, Drama, Thriller For sale 90pp

1 reader loves this script

Dragons of the Gloaming

Three nerdy friends and one reluctant sister get zapped into a role-playing game world and must discover a mystical castle and defeat a terrifying dragon in three days or be trapped in the game forever.

Feature Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy For sale 91pp

1 reader loves this script

Honeymoon Killer

When an intruder crashes a newlywed couple's secluded honeymoon claiming the new husband murdered his sister five years ago -- on her honeymoon -- the new wife is faced with an impossible choice.

Feature Thriller For sale 75pp

The Phrogger

While secretly living in strangers’ homes to evade capture by her ultra-religious parents, a frightened trans teen witnesses a crime she cannot ignore.

Feature Thriller For sale 92pp

Reasonable Suspicion

Ready to leave her corporate lawyer husband over suspicions of infidelity, a skeptical wife instead goes on the run with him when his millionaire client sends a hitman to kill them both.

Feature Comedy, Thriller For sale 98pp

The Pineapple Chronicles

An overworked, sexually-frustrated wife convinces her husband to explore the bizarre, often hilarious world of swinging in order to spice up their sex life and save their marriage.

TV Pilot Comedy, Drama, Romance For sale 36pp