How ‘Papillon’ & ‘Goldfinger’ Bonded ‘Finestkind’ Helmer Brian Helgeland To Storyteller’s Life: The Film That Lit My Fuse

New England-raised Brian Helgeland has come full circle on Finestkind, the film he wrote and directed that premiered this weekend on Paramount +. The drama stars Tommy Lee Jones, Ben Foster, Toby Wallace and Jenna Ortega, and takes place in the world of commercial fishing. That’s exactly where Helgeland got his first taste of hard work, toiling on his dad’s scalloping boat in all kinds of weather.

Helgeland found his way into film through becoming an accomplished screenwriter with credits that include L.A. Confidential and Mystic River, as well as Payback and A Knight’s Tale, the film that first showed the leading man potential of Heath Ledger. Helgeland then moved behind the camera, writing and directing 42, the film that featured Chadwick Boseman in the role of color barrier-breaking baseball star Jackie Robinson. He served double duty again on Legend, the drama that showcased the talents of Tom Hardy, who played both British gangsters Reggie and Ron Kray. Here, Helgeland explains the films that widened his horizons from a fishing boat to a Hollywood career and the steps along the way like the time the spec he cowrote, The Ticking Man, prompted calls to the bomb squad when it was sent to buyers in a box with an audibly ticking clock. It led to his first million dollar spec payday, which he split with co-writer Manny Coto.