Alex Kurtzman
Kurtzman and Orci began their career writing for the popular television series Hercules and Xena: Warrior Princess, where they quickly became head writers at the age of 23. Next, they wrote for J.J. Abrams' Alias and eventually served as co-executive producers on the show.
The duo made their feature-film screenwriting debut with Michael Bay's sci-fi thriller The Island, followed by The Legend of Zorro in 2005. In 2006, they re-teamed with Abrams to write the third installment of Mission: Impossible, which was embraced by critics for adding depth and humanity to the series and grossed over $397 million worldwide. In 2007, the pair wrote Transformers.
After signing a feature film deal with DreamWorks Studios, Kurtzman and Orci produced the 2008 thriller Eagle Eye. 2009 was a momentous year as they were involved in writing or producing some of the year's biggest films. Kurtzman and Orci, along with scribe Ehren Kruger, wrote the Transformers sequel. To date, the Transformers franchise has grossed over $1.5 billion worldwide. The pair wrote and executive-produced Star Trek, which has grossed over $385 million worldwide. The WGA recognized their work with a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination. Their novelization of the film was a New York Times bestseller. Additionally, they executive-produced the romantic laugher, The Proposal as well as co-creating the television series Fringe with J.J. Abrams. In 2010, the duo launched Hawaii Five-0 on CBS to positive reviews and ratings. Along with writer/producer Peter Lenkov, Kurtzman and Orci revamped the classic series, which stars Alex O'Loughlin, Scott Caan, Daniel Dae Kim and Grace Park. Also on their TV slate is Transformers: Prime, an original computer-animated series for The Hub, the Discovery/Hasbro kids' cable channel.
In the fall of 2010, Kurtzman and Orci wrapped production on the comic book adaptation of Cowboys & Aliens, which they wrote with scribe Damon Lindelof as well as produced. Jon Favreau directed the film, which stars Daniel Craig and Harrison Ford. It was released in July 2011.
Also in the beginning of 2011, Kurtzman and Orci signed a three-year overall television deal with 20th Century Fox. The last two TV development seasons have been remarkably busy, as the duo has set up pilots at FOX, CBS, and ABC Networks.
Through their production company, K/O Paper Products, Kurtzman and Roberto Orci continue to produce a growing slate of movies and television. Currently, Kurtzman and Orci are producing and scripting a second installment of Star Trek with Damon Lindelof. And they were recently chosen to write and executive-produce the sequel to The Amazing Spider-Man, the 3D Marc Webb-directed film starring Andrew Garfield and Emma Stone. Sony has tentatively scheduled production for The Amazing Spider-Man sequel for the first quarter of 2013.
DreamWorks Pictures' People Like Us marks Kurtzman's directorial debut.
Alex Kurtzman Facts
| Birth Name | Alexander Hilary Kurtzman |
| Occupation | Director, Screenwriter |
| Birthday | September 7, 1973 (49) |
| Sign | Virgo |
| Birthplace | Los Angeles, California, USA |
Selected Filmography
| Not available. |