Brian Yorkey

History

Brian Yorkey is an American playwright and lyricist. His works often explore dark and controversial subject matter such as mental illness, grief, the underbelly of suburbia, and ethics in both psychiatry and public education. Yorkey adapted Jay Asher's bestselling novel, 13 Reasons Why, for Netflix, Paramount Television, and Anonymous Content. It was released on Netflix in March 2017. He scripted Sluts for Lionsgate Films. His first feature film pitch, Time After Time, sold in a bidding war to Universal Pictures. It is now fast tracked at Lionsgate/Summit with Bradley Buecker directing. Yorkey is adapting Next to Normal's film adaptation for Anonymous Content and an untitled fashion musical for Paramount Pictures, Walter Parkes and Laurie MacDonald. Yorkey and Kitt are also developing Score!, a theatre camp musical for Robert Downey Jr. to star in for Warner Bros. More recently, he signed deals with Netflix to start the Echoes limited series, and adapt Neal Shusterman's book Game Changer into a series.

Movies

Next to Normal
Next to Normal
Lyricist
Diana Goodman, a suburban mom, comes to terms with her bipolar disorder and the effect her struggle has on her family. It is a gripping and honest portrayal of how one suburban family grapples with mental illness touching on issues such as grieving, suicide, drug abuse and ethics in modern psychiatry. This contemporary musical deals tenderly with how far two parents will go to keep their family’s world intact.
Next to Normal
Next to Normal
Book
Diana Goodman, a suburban mom, comes to terms with her bipolar disorder and the effect her struggle has on her family. It is a gripping and honest portrayal of how one suburban family grapples with mental illness touching on issues such as grieving, suicide, drug abuse and ethics in modern psychiatry. This contemporary musical deals tenderly with how far two parents will go to keep their family’s world intact.
Freaky Friday
Freaky Friday
Musical
When an overworked mother and her teenage daughter magically swap bodies, they have just one day to put things right again before mom’s big wedding.