Eric Heisserer grew up in Oklahoma where his father taught ancient history at Oklahoma University. He began his writing career in 1995 with various tabletop game modules, and migrated to screenwriting in 2000 when he sold his first feature script to Artisan Entertainment. In late 2008 he was brought in to write A Nightmare on Elm Street (2010) for New Line Cinema, followed by the prequel of The Thing (2011) for Universal and Final Destination 5 (2011). In 2013 he made his directorial debut with the film Hours. Most recently he wrote the screenplay for the acclaimed film Arrival (2016).
