Alex Kurtzman

American filmmaker (born 1973)

Alex Kurtzman

Kurtzman at the 2019 San Diego Comic-Con

Born|

Alexander Hilary Kurtzman

(1973-09-07) September 7, 1973 (age 51)

Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Occupations|

* Screenwriter
* producer
* director

Years active| 1996–present
Known for| Co-founder of K/O Paper Products, founder of Secret Hideout
Spouse|

Samantha Counter

(m. 2002)​

Alexander Hilary Kurtzman (born September 7, 1973) is an American filmmaker. He is best known for co-writing the scripts to Transformers (2007), Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009), Star Trek (2009), Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014) with his writing and producing partner Roberto Orci, and directing and co-writing The Mummy (2017). He made his directorial debut with People Like Us (2012), co-written alongside Orci and Jody Lambert.

Kurtzman is known, alongside Orci, for frequently collaborating with Michael Bay and J.J. Abrams, as well as co-creating the TV series Star Trek: Discovery, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds.

## Early life and education

[edit]

Kurtzman was born into a Jewish family[1][2][3] and raised in Los Angeles, California.[4] His longtime screenwriting partner Roberto Orci was his best friend in high school.

Kurtzman attended Wesleyan University.[5]

## Career

[edit]

Kurtzman first teamed with Orci on the syndicated series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys, for the television unit of Pacific Renaissance Pictures, then operating out of Universal International. After they produced several storylines to cope with the absence of lead actor Kevin Sorbo following a stroke that Sorbo had suffered during the fourth season, Kurtzman and Orci, both aged 24, were placed in charge of the show. They moved into films after they were asked to rewrite Michael Bay's The Island. The film earned nearly $163 million at the worldwide box office, on a budget of $126 million, which was enough of a success that they were brought in to write Bay's Transformers, which earned $710 million. Though The Island, Transformers and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen were not particularly well received by critics, the three films earned a combined $1.7 billion. They co-created the Fox TV series Fringe in 2008 along with J. J. Abrams. After the pilot, Kurtzman served as consulting producer on the show for the remainder of its run.[6] They then co-wrote the 2009 film Star Trek.

In 2011, Forbes magazine described Orci and Kurtzman as "Hollywood's Secret Weapons" as, over the course of the previous six years, their films had grossed a combined total of over $3 billion at the box office. The partnership also wrote People Like Us, originally known as Welcome to People, which was Kurtzman's theatrical directorial debut.[6]

Kurtzman has frequently worked with a tight-knit group of film professionals which include J. J. Abrams, Damon Lindelof, Adam Horowitz, Roberto Orci, Edward Kitsis, Andre Nemec, Josh Appelbaum, Jeff Pinkner, and Bryan Burk.[2] In April 2014, both Orci and Kurtzman confirmed to Variety that they would no longer work together on film projects; they added that they would still work together—but only on television projects.[7]

In 2018, Kurtzman signed a new five-year deal with CBS Television Studios to oversee and expand the Star Trek franchise on television, including serving as executive producer on Star Trek: Discovery (which he also co-showruns with Michelle Paradise[8]), Star Trek: Short Treks, Star Trek: Picard, and Star Trek: Lower Decks.[9]

In August 2021, Kurtzman and his production company Secret Hideout extended their overall deal with CBS Studios through 2026.[10]

## Personal life

[edit]

In 2002, Kurtzman married Samantha Counter, the daughter of lawyer Nick Counter.[11]

## Filmography

[edit]

### Film

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes

|
|
|
|
|

2005  | The Island | No  | Yes  | No  |
The Legend of Zorro | No  | Yes  | No  |
2006  | Mission: Impossible III | No  | Yes  | No  |
2007  | Transformers | No  | Yes  | No  |
2009  | Watchmen | No  | Uncredited  | No  | Script polish[12]
Star Trek | No  | Yes  | Executive  |
Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen | No  | Yes  | No  |
2011  | Cowboys & Aliens | No  | Yes  | Yes  |
2012  | People Like Us | Yes  | Yes  | Executive  | Directorial debut
2013  | Star Trek Into Darkness | No  | Yes  | Yes  |
2014  | The Amazing Spider-Man 2 | No  | Yes  | Executive[13] |
2017  | The Mummy | Yes  | Story  | Yes  |

Producer only

* Eagle Eye (2008)
* The Proposal (2009) (Executive producer)
* Now You See Me (2013)
* Ender's Game (2013)
* Now You See Me 2 (2016)
* Rob Peace (2024)
* Star Trek: Section 31 (2025)
* Now You See Me: Now You Don't (2025)

### Television

[edit]

Year  | Title  | Director  | Writer  | Executive
Producer  | Creator  | Notes

|
|
|
|
|
|

1997–1999  | Hercules: The Legendary Journeys | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
1999–2000  | Xena: Warrior Princess | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
2000  | Jack of All Trades | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
2001–2003  | Alias | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Also supervising producer
2004  | The Secret Service | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Pilot
2008–2013  | Fringe | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Also consulting producer
2010–2020  | Hawaii Five-0 | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | No  | Also developer
2011  | Exit Strategy | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Pilot
Locke & Key | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes
2013–2017  | Sleepy Hollow | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
2015–2016  | Limitless | No  | Yes  | Yes  | No  |
2017–2024  | Star Trek: Discovery | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Episode "Brother"
2018–2020  | Star Trek: Short Treks | No  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
2020–2023  | Star Trek: Picard | No  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
2021  | Clarice | No  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
2022  | The Man Who Fell to Earth | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |
2022–present  | Star Trek: Strange New Worlds | No  | Yes  | Yes  | Yes  |

Executive producer only

* Transformers Prime (2010–2013)
* Matador (2014)
* Scorpion (2014–2018)
* Salvation (2017–2018)
* Instinct (2018–2019)
* Star Trek: Lower Decks (2020–2024)
* Star Trek: Prodigy (2021–present)

## References

[edit]

1. ^ Wills, Adam (July 5, 2007). "Screenwriter Alex Kurtzman 'Transforms' filmdom's giant robot genre". Jewish Journal. Archived from the original on September 20, 2016.
2. ^ a b Littleton, Cynthia (October 16, 2009). "Abrams keeps it all in the fan family – J.J. and his collaborators conquer Hollywood". Variety. Archived from the original on December 11, 2018. "We're all self-deprecating short Jews, with the exception of Bob Orci"
3. ^ Wills, Adam (July 22, 2009). "Jews Get Geek on at Comic-Con". Jewish Journal. Archived from the original on July 8, 2018.
4. ^ "Alex Kurtzman Biography". IGN.com. Archived from the original on January 6, 2012. Retrieved August 16, 2012.
5. ^ Itzkoff, Dave (June 24, 2007). "Character-Driven Films (but Keep the Kaboom)". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 16, 2017. Retrieved February 21, 2017.
6. ^ a b Pomerantz, Dorothy (May 18, 2011). "Roberto Orci And Alex Kurtzman: Hollywood's Secret Weapons". Forbes. Archived from the original on August 1, 2017. Retrieved August 24, 2017.
7. ^ "Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci Splitting Up on Bigscreen (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. April 22, 2014. Archived from the original on April 23, 2014. Retrieved April 22, 2014.
8. ^ "'Star Trek: Discovery' Renewed For Season 3 At CBS All Access, Michelle Paradise Joins Alex Kurtzman As Co-Showrunner". Deadline. February 27, 2019. Archived from the original on November 22, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
9. ^ "Alex Kurtzman To Shepherd 'Star Trek' Franchise Expansion Under New 5-Year Overall Deal With CBS TV Studios". Deadline. June 19, 2018. Archived from the original on November 21, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2020.
10. ^ Andreeva, Nellie (August 1, 2021). "Alex Kurtzman Inks Mega New Overall Deal With CBS Studios". Deadline Hollywood.
11. ^ Hubler, Shawn (June 27, 2007). "Reel life was his real love". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on July 15, 2014. Retrieved May 2, 2013.
12. ^ Roberto Orci (August 10, 2008). "The All New "Hey Roberto" Thread". Don Murphy. Archived from the original on February 2, 2009. Retrieved October 22, 2008.
13. ^ Fleming, Mike (April 24, 2012). "Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci Re-Writing Sequel To 'Amazing Spider-Man'". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 17, 2013. Retrieved April 24, 2012.

## External links

[edit]

Wikiquote has quotations related to Alex Kurtzman.

* Alex Kurtzman at IMDb

* v
* t
* e

Alex Kurtzman

Films directed|

* People Like Us (2012)
* The Mummy (2017)

Films written|

* The Island (2005)
* The Legend of Zorro (2005)
* Mission: Impossible III (2006)
* Transformers (2007)
* Star Trek (2009)
* Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)
* Cowboys & Aliens (2011)
* Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
* The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014)

TV series created|

* Fringe (2008–2013)
* Hawaii Five-0 (2010–2020)
* Sleepy Hollow (2013–2017)
* Star Trek: Discovery (2017–2024)
* Star Trek: Short Treks (2018–2020)
* Star Trek: Picard (2020–2023)
* Clarice (2021)
* The Man Who Fell to Earth (2022)
* Star Trek: Strange New Worlds (2022)

Related articles|

* K/O Paper Products
* Secret Hideout
* Roberto Orci
* Star Trek: Section 31 (2025)

Awards for Alex Kurtzman

* v
* t
* e

George Pal Memorial Award

* C. Dean Anderson (1975)
* Don Fanzo (1975)
* Gloria Swanson (1975)
* Fay Wray (1975)
* John Badham (1980)
* Nicholas Meyer (1984)
* Douglas Trumbull (1985)
* Charles Band (1986)
* Arnold Leibovit (1987)
* Larry Cohen (1988)
* David Cronenberg (1989)
* William Friedkin (1991)
* Gene Roddenberry (1992)
* Frank Marshall (1993)
* Wah Chang (1994)
* Gene Warren (1994)
* Stan Winston (1994)
* Robert Zemeckis (1995)
* John Carpenter (1996)
* Kathleen Kennedy (1997)
* Dean Devlin (1998)
* Ray Bradbury (1999)
* Douglas Wick (2000)
* Sam Raimi (2001)
* Samuel Z. Arkoff (2002)
* Ridley Scott (2004)
* Ray Harryhausen (2006)
* Guillermo del Toro (2008)
* Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci (2010)
* Martin Scorsese (2012)
* Gregory Nicotero (2014)
* Simon Kinberg (2015)
* Dave Filoni (2022/2023)
* Back to the Future (2023/2024)

* v
* t
* e

Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Screenplay

1980s|

* Bronte Woodard and Allan Carr – Can't Stop the Music (1980)
* Frank Yablans, Frank Perry, Tracy Hotchner, and Robert Getchell – Mommie Dearest (1981)
* Robin Moore and Laird Koenig – Inchon (1982)
* John Kershaw, Shawn Randall, and Ellen Shephard – The Lonely Lady (1983)
* John Derek – Bolero (1984)
* Sylvester Stallone, James Cameron, and Kevin Jarre – Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985)
* Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz – Howard the Duck (1986)
* Jonathan Reynolds and Bill Cosby – Leonard Part 6 (1987)
* Heywood Gould – Cocktail (1988)
* Eddie Murphy – Harlem Nights (1989)

1990s|

* Daniel Waters, James Cappe, and David Arnott – The Adventures of Ford Fairlane (1990)
* Steven E. de Souza, Daniel Waters, Bruce Willis, and Robert Kraft – Hudson Hawk (1991)
* Blake Snyder, William Osborne, and William Davies – Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot (1992)
* Amy Holden Jones – Indecent Proposal (1993)
* Tom S. Parker, Jim Jennewein, Steven E. de Souza, and various others – The Flintstones (1994)
* Joe Eszterhas – Showgirls (1995)
* Andrew Bergman – Striptease (1996)
* Eric Roth and Brian Helgeland – The Postman (1997)
* Joe Eszterhas – An Alan Smithee Film: Burn Hollywood Burn (1998)
* Jim Thomas, John Thomas, S. S. Wilson, Brent Maddock, Jeffrey Price, and Peter S. Seaman – Wild Wild West (1999)

2000s|

* Corey Mandell and J. David Shapiro – Battlefield Earth (2000)
* Tom Green and Derek Harvie – Freddy Got Fingered (2001)
* George Lucas and Jonathan Hales – Star Wars: Episode II – Attack of the Clones (2002)
* Martin Brest – Gigli (2003)
* Theresa Rebeck, John Brancato, Michael Ferris, and John Rogers – Catwoman (2004)
* Jenny McCarthy – Dirty Love (2005)
* Leora Barish and Henry Bean – Basic Instinct 2 (2006)
* Jeffrey Hammond – I Know Who Killed Me (2007)
* Mike Myers and Graham Gordy – The Love Guru (2008)
* Ehren Kruger, Alex Kurtzman, and Roberto Orci – Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009)

2010s|

* M. Night Shyamalan – The Last Airbender (2010)
* Steve Koren, Adam Sandler, and Ben Zook – Jack and Jill (2011)
* David Caspe – That's My Boy (2012)
* Steve Baker, Ricky Blitt, Will Carlough, Tobias Carlson, Jacob Fleisher, Patrik Forsberg, Will Graham, James Gunn, Claes Kjellstrom, Jack Kukoda, Bob Odenkirk, Bill O'Malley, Matthew Alec Portenoy, Greg Pritikin, Rocky Russo, Olle Sarri, Elizabeth Wright Shapiro, Jeremy Sosenko, Jonathan van Tulleken, and Jonas Wittenmark – Movie 43 (2013)
* Darren Doane and Cheston Hervey – Saving Christmas (2014)
* Kelly Marcel – Fifty Shades of Grey (2015)
* Chris Terrio and David S. Goyer – Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016)
* Tony Leondis, Eric Siegel, and Mike White – The Emoji Movie (2017)
* Niall Leonard – Fifty Shades Freed (2018)
* Lee Hall and Tom Hooper – Cats (2019)

2020s|

* Tomasz Klimala, Barbara Białowąs, Tomasz Mandes, and Blanka Lipińska – 365 Days (2020/21)
* Joe DiPietro and David Bryan – Diana: The Musical (2021)
* Andrew Dominik – Blonde (2022)
* Rhys Frake-Waterfield – Winnie-the-Pooh: Blood and Honey (2023)
* Matt Sazama, Burk Sharpless, Claire Parker, S. J. Clarkson, and Kerem Sanga – Madame Web (2024)

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