Billy Ray is an American screenwriter and director. He began writing for television and movies in 1994 with Color of Night (1994). He has written numerous movies including Volcano (1997) and Hart's War (2002). He was one of the creators and writers of the science fiction television show "Earth 2". Starting in 2003 he began to direct as well as write; his first film was Shattered Glass (2003). He was nominated for the Most Promising Filmmaker by the Chicago Film Critics Association and an Independent Spirit Award for Best Screenplay for his work on this film. He is perhaps best known for writing the screenplay to the 2012 blockbuster The Hunger Games, and his Academy Award nominated screenplay for Captain Phillips (2013).