An Evening with John Fusco — Screenwriter of Young Guns and Young Guns II

Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West is proud to welcome acclaimed filmmaker, novelist, and musician John Fusco for a special evening presented in partnership with True West magazine.

Fusco, screenwriter of the Westerns Young Guns (1988) and Young Guns II (1990), will take part in a wide-ranging conversation about his career, the making of the Young Guns films, and the enduring legend of Billy the Kid. The discussion will feature Fusco in conversation with Bob Boze Bell, Executive Editor of True West magazine, and Dr. Andrew Patrick Nelson, Chief Curator at Western Spirit.

“Few figures in Western history loom larger than Billy the Kid, and few writers have reimagined his story as vividly as John Fusco,” said Andrew Patrick Nelson, Chief Curator at Western Spirit. “We’re excited to bring him together with Bob Boze Bell, whose work has kept the Kid’s story alive for decades, for what promises to be an unforgettable evening of history and storytelling.”

This event is one of several programs accompanying Western Spirit’s exhibition The Resurrection of Billy the Kid, which reimagines the life and legend of the West’s most notorious outlaw through art, history, and pop culture. Western Spirit is also presenting a fall Billy the Kid film series, including the two Young Guns films alongside classics such as Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid and contemporary works like Old Henry.

About John Fusco

John Fusco is an award-winning screenwriter, producer, novelist, and musician whose work has helped redefine the modern Western. He broke out with Young Guns (1988) and its sequel Young Guns II (1990), which brought the legend of Billy the Kid to a new generation with their blend of historical grit and youthful rebellion. His subsequent screenplays include the American Indian-themed thriller Thunderheart (1992), the horse-racing adventure Hidalgo (2004), the Academy Award-nominated animated classic Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, and the Depression-era story The Highwaymen (2019), which starred Kevin Costner and Woody Harrelson as the Texas Rangers who tracked down Bonnie and Clyde. Beyond the Western, Fusco has explored martial arts and epic adventure in films such as Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon: Sword of Destiny (2016) and the Netflix series Marco Polo (2014–2016), which he created and executive produced. He is also an accomplished novelist and songwriter, with multiple books and albums to his credit. A storyteller drawn to outsiders, underdogs, and legends who won’t die, Fusco’s work continues to shape how audiences experience the myths and histories of the American West—and beyond.