Jack Epps Jr.

Jack Epps Jr.
Name	Jack Epps Jr.
Birth date	1949
Birth place	Detroit, Michigan
Occupation	Screenwriter, Professor
Notable works	Top Gun, Testament, The Secret of My Success

Jack Epps Jr. is an American screenwriter and educator best known for co-writing the 1986 action film Top Gun and the 1987 comedy The Secret of My Success. He has collaborated with a range of filmmakers, producers, and studios across Hollywood, and later transitioned into academia where he has taught screenwriting and film studies. Epps's career bridges commercial studio filmmaking, independent projects, and university-level instruction, connecting him to figures in film, television, publishing, and theater.

Early life and education

Epps was born in Detroit, Michigan, and raised amid the cultural environments of Detroit and the broader Midwest. He attended secondary school in Michigan before moving to higher education institutions where he studied drama, writing, and film-related disciplines. His academic path brought him into contact with theater companies, regional arts organizations, and university film programs that incubated creative partnerships with playwrights, directors, and producers. During this time he engaged with screenwriting workshops, playwright fellowships, and film festivals that included peers associated with Sundance Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, and regional film centers.

Screenwriting career

Epps's professional screenwriting career began with scripts and stage plays that reached agents, managers, and production companies in Los Angeles and New York City. He formed a long-term writing partnership with Jim Cash, with whom he developed the screenplay for Top Gun, a project that connected them to director Tony Scott, producer Don Simpson, and producer Jerry Bruckheimer. The success of Top Gun led to opportunities to write for studios including Paramount Pictures, Warner Bros., and independent production companies linked to figures such as Michael Douglas and Robert Redford.

Beyond Top Gun, Epps co-wrote the screenplay for The Secret of My Success, which involved collaboration with producers, casting directors, and comedians associated with MGM and Universal Pictures releases of the 1980s. He also wrote and contributed to scripts like The Big Chill-era style ensemble pieces and dramas that intersected with actors and filmmakers from the eras of Tom Cruise, Val Kilmer, and Fred Ward. Epps's projects often required navigation of studio notes, rewrites, and rewrites under time constraints, placing him in the workflow alongside executives from the Writers Guild of America and screen development departments tied to corporate entities such as Viacom and Time Warner.

Epps adapted material for both film and television, working with showrunners, network executives at NBC, CBS, and ABC, and cable outlets including HBO and Showtime. His career reflects the 1980s and 1990s Hollywood system that produced blockbuster films, studio comedies, and teleplay adaptations, connecting him with agents from Creative Artists Agency and William Morris Agency during deal negotiations and packaging.

Filmography

Epps's credited filmography contains studio features, co-written comedies, and dramatic screenplays. Notable credits include: - Top Gun (1986) — collaboration with partner Jim Cash, director Tony Scott, studio Paramount Pictures - The Secret of My Success (1987) — studio comedy involving casting and production teams from MGM and Universal Pictures - Testament (adaptation/project work involving independent producers and festival circuits) Additional uncredited or script-doctoring work placed him in projects with producers and directors from Hollywood, and his television credits intersect with series development teams at CBS Television Studios and cable networks. His filmography reflects engagements with casting directors, composers, cinematographers, and editors associated with major releases of the 1980s and 1990s.

Teaching and academic work

After establishing a screenwriting career, Epps moved into academia, teaching at university film programs and writing workshops connected to institutions such as University of Southern California, University of California, Los Angeles, and regional arts conservatories. His teaching covered screenwriting craft, structure, and professional practices, bringing industry experience into curricula alongside scholars of film history and media studies who reference works from Roger Ebert, Andrew Sarris, and authors of screenwriting craft like Robert McKee.

Epps has been involved with industry panels, guest lectures at film festivals including Sundance Film Festival and Telluride Film Festival, and seminars organized by professional organizations such as the Writers Guild of America and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. His courses emphasized collaboration, adaptation, and the business realities of selling scripts to studios and producers.

Awards and recognition

Epps received recognition for box-office success and peer acknowledgement within writers' circles, earning industry notice for Top Gun's commercial impact and cultural footprint. His work has been cited in trade publications like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, and he has participated in award-season events associated with entities such as the Academy Awards and the Golden Globe Awards through screenings and industry panels. Academic appointments and speaking invitations reflect institutional recognition from film schools and festival organizers.

Personal life

Epps has balanced professional screenwriting with family life, maintaining residences that have connected him to creative communities in Los Angeles County and the San Francisco Bay Area. He has engaged with alumni networks from his universities, collaborated with former classmates now in companies like Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros., and contributed to mentorship programs tied to nonprofit arts organizations and foundations.