Which author wrote the screenplay for Ridley Scott's 2013 film The Counselor?

Cormac McCarthy wrote the screenplay for Ridley Scott’s 2013 film The Counselor.

The Counselor was McCarthy’s first original screenplay, rather than an adaptation of one of his earlier novels. By then, he was celebrated for stark, morally severe fiction such as Blood Meridian, All the Pretty Horses, and No Country for Old Men. His writing often explores violence, fate, guilt, and the consequences of seemingly rational choices—ideas that fit the film’s crime tragedy.

Michael Fassbender plays the unnamed Counselor, a successful lawyer who becomes involved in a cocaine-smuggling deal and discovers that his wealth and connections cannot protect him from its consequences. The cast also includes Penélope Cruz, Javier Bardem, Cameron Diaz, and Brad Pitt.

The film is often mistaken for a standard thriller screenplay written by a Hollywood specialist, but its distinctive dialogue and philosophical digressions come directly from McCarthy’s literary voice. Scott directed the finished film, while McCarthy supplied the original script. The Counselor was released in 2013 and marked an unusual collaboration between a major novelist and a director known for films such as Alien, Blade Runner, and Gladiator.