Jeffrey Morris

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Jeffrey Morris
Born
Jeffrey Keith Morris

(1967-12-23) December 23, 1967
Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Alma materSouthern Illinois University
Occupations
  • Film writer
  • director
  • producer
  • production designer
Years active1990–present

Jeffrey Keith Morris (born December 23, 1967) is an American writer, director, producer, and production designer. He is the founder of FutureDude Entertainment. Morris is known for the graphic novels Slingshot, Venus: Daedalus One, Brainstorm, Parallel Man, and Oceanus. He is the creator of the Science Fiction short films "Oceanus: Act One" and "Parallel Man", along with his documentary film "The Eagle Obsession". Morris also co-wrote the novelization of his screenplay "Persephone" with author Kevin J. Anderson.[1]

Childhood

Jeffrey Morris attended elementary school in Tempe, Arizona near the end of the Civil Rights Movement. His father (Willie Morris) was an aeronautical engineer, and his mother (Mary Morris) was a library clerk by profession.[2] Throughout his childhood, Morris frequented the local library to find books on oceanography, meteorology, and space exploration. As one of the few children of color at his school, he regularly faced racial conflicts.[3] He began to look to science-fiction programs like Space 1999 and Star Trek to find hope for the future.[4] Morris found role models in the works of Gene Roddenberry, Carl Sagan, Jacques Cousteau, Syd Mead, and others.[5][6]

Career

After studying film at Southern Illinois University, Morris considered settling in Los Angeles or Minneapolis. He decided to move to Minneapolis, feeling that it was a city where he could explore and develop his creativity.[7] At first, he worked as a graphic designer during the day and as a club DJ at night.[8][9] Morris took notice of several young filmmakers who began their directorial careers in music videos and soon after founded his first company (Synthesis) in 1990.[10]

FutureDude Entertainment

He founded the production company Morris FutureWorks in 2010.[11] Morris authored and created several science fiction comic books and graphic novels including: Slingshot,[12] Venus: Daedalus One,[13] Brainstorm,[14] Parallel Man,[15] and Oceanus.[16] He continued to share his professional development through the blog "FutureDude". This blog proved to be so popular that Morris later rebranded his company as FutureDude Entertainment in 2012.

Films

2010-2019: Parallel Man: Infinite Pursuit and Oceanus: Act One

Morris is the creator of the 2014 animated Science Fiction short film "Parallel Man" (starring John Cho, Lance Reddick, and Ming-Na Wen). The story line centers around a version of the multiverse concept and is based on his Parallel Man graphic novel series.[17]

"Oceanus: Act One" (starring Sharif Atkins, Bruce Davison, Megan Dodds, and Malcolm McDowell) was originally released in 2015. It is a Science Fiction short film set around a futuristic underwater research facility.

These short films were originally released on Vimeo (With "Oceanus" also produced on Blu-Ray). They are now both located on the streaming platform DUST.[18][19]

2020-Present: The Eagle Obsession, and Beyond The Eagle Obsession

The documentary film "The Eagle Obsession" (Featuring William Shatner, Barbara Bain, Nick Tate, Charles Duke, Sian Proctor, Brian Johnson, Bill George, and Piers Bizony)[20] looks at the Eagle Transporter spacecraft from the British science fiction television program Space: 1999 along with real spacecraft and space exploration.[21] It is scheduled to be released in 2026 to coincide with the 50th anniversary of Space: 1999.[22] The companion film "Beyond The Eagle Obsession" (Featuring Jamie Anderson, Todd Morton, Jan Wenneberg, Chris Trice, and Aldo Spadoni)[23] focuses on the collectors and fans of the Eagle spacecraft from Space: 1999.

Morris was the co-writer of the "Persephone" novelization (of his original screenplay) with author Kevin J. Anderson.[24]

Science Fiction Literature

Year Title Format Notes
2009 Slingshot: Jupiter Conspiracy Illustrated Screenplay by Jeffrey Morris, Fredrick Haugen
2012 Venus: Daedalus One Graphic Novel by Jeffrey Morris, Ira Livingston IV
2014 Brainstorm Comic Books
2014 Parallel Man: Invasion America Graphic Novel by Jeffrey Morris, Fredrick Haugen
2015 Oceanus Graphic Novel by Jeffrey Morris, Adam Whitlatch
2024 Persephone Movie Novelization by Kevin J. Anderson, Jeffrey Morris

Filmography

Year Title Notes
2014 Parallel Man: Infinite Pursuit Animated Short
2015 Oceanus: Act One Short Film
2026 The Eagle Obsession Documentary
TBA Beyond The Eagle Obsession Documentary

References

  1. "Persephone". WordFire Press. December 8, 2023. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  2. "About Us". FutureDude Entertainment. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  3. Hollywood Scriptwriter Magazine (July 12, 2022). 'OCEANUS' Screenwriter Jeffrey Morris Earns 1 Million Views in 10 Days!. Retrieved July 8, 2024 – via YouTube.
  4. Blog, The Hammond Comics (August 17, 2014). "The Hammond Comics Blog: Interview: Jeffrey Morris from FutureDude Entertainment". The Hammond Comics Blog. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  5. Mastery, Torry (January 29, 2022). "Jeffrey Morris, Founder & CEO, FutureDude Entertainment, A DotCom Magazine Interview". DotCom Magazine-Influencers And Entrepreneurs Making News. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  6. Insights, Stories & (August 4, 2022). "Meet Jeffrey Morris". CanvasRebel Magazine. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  7. "Twin Cities filmmaker starts shooting his first feature-length movie". www.bizjournals.com. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  8. Press, Chris Hewitt | Pioneer (July 8, 2015). "Eden Prairie filmmaker Jeffrey Morris answers our 10 questions". Twin Cities. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  9. "Minnesotan To Meet: FutureDude's Jeffrey Morris - CBS Minnesota". www.cbsnews.com. June 23, 2015. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  10. "Business Filing Details". mblsportal.sos.state.mn.us. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  11. "Business Filing Details". mblsportal.sos.state.mn.us. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  12. Morris, Jeffrey; Haugen, Fredrick (2009). Slingshot. Slingshot Concepts. ISBN 9780615324340.
  13. Morris, Jeffrey; Livingston IV, Ira (2012). Venus: Daedalus One. Tumblehome Learning. ISBN 978-0985000844.
  14. Morris, Jeffrey; Livingston IV, Ira (2014). Brainstorm. Future Dude. ASIN B00MW6AHD0.
  15. Morris, Jeffrey; Haugen, Fredrick (2015). Parallel Man: Invasion America. FutureDude Entertainment LLC. ISBN 978-1942034018.
  16. Morris, Jeffrey; Whitlatch, Adam (2015). Oceanus: Act One. FutureDude Entertainment LLC. ISBN 978-1942034056.
  17. "'Parallel Man: Infinite Pursuit': Careening Across the Multiverse". Animation World Network. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  18. "Jeffrey Morris – WatchDust.com". Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  19. Lussier, Germain (March 22, 2022). "Skip Between Universes in This Clip From the Star-Studded Parallel Man". Gizmodo. Retrieved July 8, 2024.
  20. Carey, Matthew (August 23, 2023). "'Space: 1999' Star Barbara Bain Goes Back To The Future For Documentary About Sci-Fi Show's Legendary Spacecraft". Deadline. Retrieved May 14, 2024.
  21. Scott Snowden (September 12, 2023). "'Space: 1999' documentary focusing on the iconic Eagle spacecraft launches campaign on Kickstarter". Space.com. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  22. Cullen, Ian (March 4, 2024). "FutureDude Entertainment to Capture Historic Moment for Documentary Feature "The Eagle Obsession;" History-Making SpaceX Pilot Sian Proctor Joins Star Lineup". SciFiPulse.Net. Retrieved May 17, 2024.
  23. "Beyond the Eagle Obsession: 50 Years of Fandom". www.imdb.com. Retrieved June 26, 2026.
  24. Anderson, Kevin; Morris, Jeffrey (2024). Persephone. Wordfire Press. ISBN 9781680576214.