Call for Abstracts/Proposals for Essays for an Edited Collection
SCREEN STORYTELLERS: The Works of Jon Favreau
Edited by Guy Nicolucci

This edited volume on the works of Jon Favreau will be the fourth book in a new series to be published by Bloomsbury Academic. Seeking 250-word abstracts for previously unpublished essays on films and television series created or produced by Favreau. Final essays will be 3,000-3,500 words, written for an audience of student readers, and will be due Summer/Fall 2024.

The SCREEN STORYTELLERS series is designed for students, professors, and enthusiastic consumers of film, television, and new media who seek information about contemporary and historically significant screenwriters that is both accessible and critically rigorous. The intention with this new series is to bring much-deserved attention to screen and television writers who have developed noteworthy films and television series of significant aesthetic or cultural achievement, critical acclaim, or commercial success, and to offer close readings of the films and series from the perspective of story, screenwriting craft, audience reception, and cultural impact. Each volume will explore the works of a single screen storyteller. The series will place a strong focus on examining works by screenwriters often left out of classroom syllabi, including women, writers of color, LGBTQ writers, and international writers. (Note: The Works of Shonda Rhimes is slated as the first volume in the series. For more information about this series, visit: cstonline.netwww.bloomsbury.com/uk/discover/superpages/academic/screen-storytellers-series/)

The Works of Jon Favreau

From his breakthrough indie hit Swingers to mainstream Christmas classics like Elf; from his long run in the Marvel Universe directing and co-starring in the Iron Man series, to his work for Disney on the Stars Wars series The Mandalorian, The Book of Boba Fett and The Rangers of the New Republic, etc., writer/producer/director/actor Jon Favreau has been admired for his versatility and ability to cross and mix genres in both film and television. With this volume, I hope to offer critical celebration of Favreau’s work and contributions to some of the biggest franchises in pop culture history.

I welcome contributions from scholars of film, television, media studies, and popular culture, as well as working practitioners, including screen and television writers, filmmakers, and playwrights. Essays may explore individual works or may interrogate a single theme, question, or construct across multiple works. I expect many essays will offer a critical analysis of Jon Favreau’s work so readers can expand their knowledge and understanding of the film and television writing craft. The essays in this volume will include historically sophisticated commentaries, exploring Favreau’s career through the lens of production, reception, and creative collaborations and dynamics.

Possible essay topics could include but are not limited to:

  • The Mandalorian franchise and Favreau’s influence on the Star Wars universe
  • LGBQT+ and diversity representation in Favreau’s Mandalorian and his Marvel movies
  • Favreau’s pioneering work with CGI in films like Iron Man
  • Favreau’s transition in storytelling style from personal films like Swingers to writing and producing for blockbuster franchises like Marvel and Disney
  • Favreau’s treatment of traditional genres, such as romantic comedy in Couples Retreat, the buddy film in Made, and the Christmas movie in Elf
  • The mix of western and sci-fi genres in Cowboys & Aliens as a precursor to The Mandalorian
  • The outsized pop culture impact of low-budget indies like Swingers.
  • Favreau as showrunner
  • Television writing craft
  • Pilot creation craft
  • Recurring themes or genres represented in Favreau’s work
  • Integration of comedy and/or action
  • Viewer response / critics’ response
  • Favreau and adaptations (Iron Man) and remakes (Jungle Book).
  • Professional collaborations, recurring partnerships (Vince Vaughn, Robert Downey Jr.)
  • Deep dives into individual series (pilot and episode craft) or films
  • Actors, actresses, and acting or directing of actors in Favreau’s work

Please submit a 250-word abstract along with a 150-word biographical statement to Guy Nicolucci (guynicolucci@gmail.com) by January 7, 2024. Please title the subject line of your email: Abstract – The Works of Jon Favreau.

Please direct any inquiries to this email address as well. I welcome submissions from scholars at all stages of their careers, as well as practicing and aspiring screen and television writing professionals. Feel free to contact me with any questions about the book, and please share this announcement with colleagues whose work aligns with the focus of this volume.

For information about the Screen Storytellers series or to discuss a potential proposal for another volume, contact Anna Weinstein at aweinst6@kennesaw.edu.

Abstracts due January 7, 2024