Literature Grahame-Smith's first widely published book was
The Big Book of Porn: A Penetrating Look at the World of Dirty Movies, a non-fiction history of the erotic art form published in 2005. The next year, Grahame-Smith published
The Spider-Man Handbook: The Ultimate Training Manual, an examination of
Marvel Comics'
Spider-Man, with an introduction by
Stan Lee. In 2007, Grahame-Smith wrote
How to Survive a Horror Movie: All the Skills to Dodge the Kills, a tongue-in-cheek guide to help readers escape situations most often shown in horror films. The book's introduction was written by horror film director
Wes Craven. Grahame-Smith's next book was the satirical
Pardon My President: Fold-and-Mail Apologies for 8 Years, a collection of letters addressed to various parties intended to apologize for the wrongs they had suffered under the administration of
George W. Bush. The idea for Grahame-Smith's next novel,
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, came from his editor at
Quirk Books, Jason Rekulak. Using
Jane Austen's classic novel
Pride and Prejudice as a platform, Rekulak suggested that Grahame-Smith mix a
zombie plot into the
public domain novel. Enamored of the idea, Grahame-Smith immediately began working on the novel, first by reading
Pride and Prejudice and then by inserting the gruesome zombie elements, a process he has described as similar to
microsurgery. Though Quirk Books was initially reluctant to publish the book in fear of alienating Austen's fans, the novel went to press in 2009, with modest sales expectations. In the weeks prior to the release, however, the book's popularity swelled dramatically as the cover and title of the novel circulated the internet. Anticipation for the book grew so rapidly that in its first week of release,
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies surged to No. 3 on the
New York Times Best Seller list. Since that time, the novel has sold over a million copies and been translated into over 20 languages. Building on the success of
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, Grahame-Smith wrote another mash-up,
Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter. As the title suggests, this book traces
Abraham Lincoln's life from childhood through assassination, relying upon his "secret diaries" to reveal his central role in a worldwide struggle against vampirism. Released on March 2, 2010, this novel debuted at No. 4 on
The New York Times Best Seller list under the category "Hardcover Fiction." In addition to writing novels, Grahame-Smith made his debut as a comic book writer on
Marvel Zombies Return: Hulk with artist
Richard Elson. Grahame-Smith's novel
Unholy Night was released on April 10, 2012. It depicts Balthazar, Gaspar, and Melchyor, the
Magi of popular tradition, as criminals who ultimately visit the infant Jesus.
Herod the Great,
Augustus Caesar,
Pontius Pilate, and the
Virgin Mary appear as supporting characters.
Film Two of Grahame-Smith's best-selling books were made into feature films. Grahame-Smith adapted his book,
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, for the screen, for producers
Tim Burton and
Timur Bekmambetov. In 2011,
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was optioned by
Lionsgate Entertainment, with
Natalie Portman producing, and
David O. Russell initially set to adapt and direct. Russell later left the project. In 2013, a new group of producers, including Portman, hired
Burr Steers to direct.
Lily James and
Bella Heathcote were chosen to star as the oldest Bennett sisters.
Pride and Prejudice and Zombies was released on February 5, 2016. Grahame-Smith wrote the script for
Tim Burton's
Dark Shadows, the film adaptation of the
1960s soap opera, replacing longtime Burton scribe
John August. Grahame-Smith produced the film adaptation of the Mark Bianculli and Jeff Richard spec script
The Waiting. Smith polished the script for
Fantastic Four. In 2013, Smith was tapped to write and produce a third
Gremlins film. In January 2015, it was announced that he will write the screenplay for a sequel to
Beetlejuice, and that the
Gremlins project was put on hold. The remake
Something Wicked This Way Comes is set for his
directorial debut. Smith produced the theatrical film versions of Stephen King's It:
It, which was released in September 2017, and
It Chapter Two, released two years later, and is producing the
feature-length follow-up to the 1980s' action-comedy homage film short titled
Kung Fury in 2018.
Television After receiving a degree in film from
Emerson College, Grahame-Smith moved to Los Angeles, where he wrote and produced for several television series, including
Vendettas and the
History Channel's ''History's Mysteries
. Building on these experiences, Grahame-Smith was hired to produce an innovative CBS online series, Clark and Michael'', starring
Clark Duke,
Michael Cera,
David Cross,
Patton Oswalt, and
Andy Richter. While working on
Clark and Michael, Grahame-Smith met another producer on the series, David Katzenberg (son of
Jeffrey), who would become his partner in
KatzSmith Productions. Under the KatzSmith banner, Grahame-Smith and Katzenberg created, wrote, and produced a scripted comedy for MTV called
The Hard Times of RJ Berger, which follows an awkward high-school loser who gains notoriety for his extraordinary endowment. In October 2022 it was announced that the show would take a new direction and that he had opted not to stay with the new project. ==Personal life==