The Neverending Story Wiki
Register
Advertisement


Wolfgang Petersen (14 March 1941 – 12 August 2022) was a German film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was nominated for two Academy Awards for the World War II submarine warfare film Das Boot (1981). His other films include The NeverEnding Story (1984), Enemy Mine (1985), In the Line of Fire (1993), Outbreak (1995), Air Force One (1997), The Perfect Storm (2000), Troy (2004), and Poseidon (2006). Petersen co-wrote the script for The NeverEnding Story alongside Herman Weigel.[1]

Although Michael Ende initially had a role in co-writing the screenplay with Peterson, their visions clashed over time. The script deviated from the book, and Ende was crushed knowing his story would be changed in a number of ways. He called the film a "gigantic melodrama of kitsch, commerce, plush and plastic," and was unhappy with it to the point that he sued the movie studio — but he didn't win the case.[2]

Advertisement