Heisserer's professional screenwriting career was launched with the sale of
The Dionaea House to Warner Bros. in 2005, based on an online
epistolary story of the same name that he wrote from autumn 2004 to winter 2006. In 2007, he sold a pitch to
Regency Enterprises and Fox called
Inhuman, a supernatural thriller set in Tokyo that combines live action and anime sequences, as well as a coming-of-age horror script titled
Dustycats, about a teenage girl who discovers she transforms into a
werecat when aroused. In December 2008, Heisserer was hired to re-envision and rewrite the script for the franchise reboot of
A Nightmare on Elm Street, produced by
Platinum Dunes. An early draft had been written by
Wesley Strick. The script went on to land director
Samuel Bayer, actor
Jackie Earle Haley, and began filming in May 2009. He rewrote the prequel to director
John Carpenter's 1982 remake
The Thing. In April 2010, Heisserer signed on to write
Final Destination 5, the fifth film of the
horror film franchise. Heisserer made his directorial debut with the film
Hours, starring
Paul Walker. Heisserer co-wrote
The Conjuring 2 along with the brothers
Chad Hayes and
Carey Hayes. Heisserer wrote along with artist Felipe Massafera and Colorist Wes Dzioba, the comic book series Shaper. Heisserer wrote the 2016 film
Arrival based on
Ted Chiang's novella "
Story of Your Life"
. Heisserer has said that he was attracted to the challenge of adapting the non-linear story by its emotional content. After the release of the film, he was nominated for
Best Adapted Screenplay at the
89th Academy Awards. In July 2017, Heisserer announced that he was developing a science fiction series based on another
Ted Chiang story, "
Liking What You See: A Documentary", for AMC. The series will explore concepts such as beauty, relationships, and advertising. On September 27, 2017, there was an announcement that Heisserer would write the script for the live-action remake of the sci-fi romance anime
Your Name. By September 2020, he was replaced by
Lee Isaac Chung and
Emily V. Gordon. Heisserer wrote the script for
Bird Box (2018), based on the thriller book
Bird Box, by
Josh Malerman. Released by
Netflix, the film stars
Sandra Bullock and was directed by
Susanne Bier. Heisserer formerly served as creator, head writer, show runner, and executive producer of the adapted 2021
Netflix series
Shadow and Bone, an adaptation of the fantasy book series
The Grisha Trilogy and the
Six of Crows Duology. The show ran for two seasons before being cancelled by
Netflix in November 2023. His debut novel,
Simultaneous, released on October 28, 2025. ==Personal life==