Hacksaw Ridge was written by two men.
Andrew John Knight ( born 29 September 1953 ) is an Australian TV writer and producer known for his work on Fast Forward , The D-Generation , After The Deluge , My Brother Jack , Kangaroo Palace , SeaChange and Jack Irish . Hacksaw Ridge is a 2016 biographical war drama film about the World War II experiences of Desmond Doss , an American pacifist combat medic who was a Seventh-day Adventist Christian , refusing to carry or use a firearm or weapons of any kind . The film was directed by Mel Gibson and written by Andrew Knight and Robert Schenkkan , based on a 2004 documentary about Doss , and stars Andrew Garfield as Doss , with Sam Worthington , Luke Bracey , Teresa Palmer , Hugo Weaving , Rachel Griffiths and Vince Vaughn in supporting roles . Robert Frederic Schenkkan , Jr. ( born March 19 , 1953 ) is an American playwright , screenwriter , and actor . He received the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1992 for his play The Kentucky Cycle and his play All the Way earned the 2014 Tony Award for Best Play .