Dennis Manning

Unique traits: don’t write “gay stories.” I write thrillers where power seduces, love destroys, and fate never blinks. The fact that some of my leads are queer? That just makes the stakes higher. I'm not chasing trends. I’m redefining them. Beautifully unstable narratives that linger long after the credits roll

• Danforthmusic.org
• Niw & Then

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  Dreamland Lovers Thriller When a reclusive San Francisco writer is lured to Havana under the pretense of a birthday surprise,he becomes the target of a seductive, brutal revenge ritual orchestrated by two men tied to along-buried betrayal. What begins as a dream opens into a nightmare - and no one leavesDreamland unchanged.

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  The Woman On The Bench Drama In 'The Woman on the Bench,' a seemingly ordinary small-town woman’s endless wait for a bus that will never come unravels the hidden stories of love, loss, and redemption in a community where every secret ties them closer together—and tears them further apart

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  Dreamland: THe Second Offering Thriller When an FBI double agent's estranged husband is kidnapped by a deranged ex-lover seeking revenge, their deadly reunion in Montreal spirals into a psychological game of control, leading to a violent confrontation that forces them to confront their toxic bond before a high-stakes cartel operation in Colombia.

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  Chasing Truths Drama After a near-fatal car accident, a gay man in his 60s journeys through surreal memories and encounters with significant figures from his past - including his strict gym teacher, artistic masterpieces, and lost loved ones - as he comes to terms with his lifelong struggle for acceptance and self-discovery. 

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  Another Rose On The Vine Drama On her adoptive mother's 68th birthday, a quietly resilient woman finally confronts decades of family manipulation and betrayal when her late father's will reveals she is the true heir to their Cape Cod home—forcing her to choose between maintaining peace and claiming her rightful place.

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  Handprint Thriller In the neon-slick underbelly of Hollywood, a washed-up actor becomes the unwilling lead in a lethal live production, as bodies drop and a deadly script plays out. With 72 hours to survive, he must unravel the lies, outplay the puppet masters, and reclaim the role of a lifetime before the final curtain falls

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  The Shaft Thriller In 1950s America, a smooth-talking conman rises through the ranks of power by manipulating everyone around him, but in a world where betrayal is the currency, his ambitions lead him to the edge of destruction—and one misstep could send him plunging down The Shaft.

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  More Going Down Film-noir ⋄ Drama In neon-soaked Miami, a ruthless Cuban mafia kingpin fights for control—until betrayalunleashes deadly secrets, proving there’s always ‘More Going Down ’than anyone expects

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  Now & Then Musical "Now and Then" is a poignant musical that captures the essence of love's evolution through three stages of life, weaving together heartfelt songs and unforgettable characters to explore how passion, loss, and hope define our most meaningful connections.

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  Hometown Musical When a man dies unexpectedly, his friends and loved ones in his small hometown come together to mourn his passing and reflect on the dreams, regrets, and chances taken and missed over their lifelong relationships.

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  Undertow Fantasy When a straight man visits a gay beach in Florida with his girlfriend, he discovers his true self after meeting a handsome stranger, leading him on a journey of self-acceptance while trying to avoid his impending wedding arranged by his disapproving father.

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  The Substitute Wife – Hollywood’s Deadliest Love Triangle Budget: $1M - $5M | Film-noir Hollywood, 1953. A cunning secretary with dreams of power seduces her way into the life of a high-profile attorney, igniting a deadly triangle of lust, ambition, and deception. As she maneuvers to replace his wife, she soon discovers that in this world of secrets and scandal, only one woman will survive

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  One Less Egg To Fry Budget: $100K - $1M | Thriller ⋄ Film-noir In 1970s Boston, a hardened Irish-American enforcer is caught between his crime-ridden world, a wife who sees everything, and the man he can’t let go of. When a final heist spirals into betrayal, he must choose between the life he built and the love he’s always denied—before the sins of his past destroy them all.

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  Deuce's WIld Thriller In the neon underworld of Chicago, a streetwise upstart known as Deuce finds himself entangled in a violent power struggle between a seductive club owner, a ruthless kingpin, and a crooked cop. As loyalties fracture and bodies drop, Deuce must decide who he is—and how far he's willing to go—before his wild card is played for good.

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  Strings Attached Thriller When a washed-up musician returns to his sacred studio to write one last song, the guitars he abandoned come alive forcing him to face the haunting truth about the silence he chose and the music that never died.

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  The Wild Card Chronicles Thriller The Wild Card Chronicles is a prestige limited-series crime universe grounded in queerness, betrayal, and reinvention. Season One, titled Deuce’s Wild, is a 6-episode noir descent into the Chicago underworld, where lust and loyalty collide like bourbon and blood. Think Boardwalk Empire meets Euphoria—but sharper, dirtier, gayer, and far more dangerous. Each episode opens with a haunting acoustic rendition of “Dancing Queen”—a sonic motif that threads through every betrayal, every kiss, and every kill. What begins as a deal too good to refuse turns into a reckoning no one escapes. This city plays for keeps—and the house always wins.

• DOUBLE RECOMMEND: More Going Down, One Less Egg TO Fry
  (2025)

• Best Feature Screenplay - Beyond The Screen - More Going DOwn
  (2025)

• Best Screenplay LAFA - MOre Going Down
  (2024)

• Scriptmatrix - Best Featrue Screenplay - MOre Going Down
  (2024)

• LA Neo Noir Festival - Best Screenplay - More Going Down
  (2024)

• Seoul International Film Festival - Best Screenplay - The Substitute WIfe
  (2024)

• Lesley University
  (1998-2001)

• KIng's College
  (1980-1985)