Kurtzman/Orci Splitting to Work on Separate Projects

The writing/producing team of Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are splitting up, and will focus on their own projects and franchises.  The two got their start working on the Kevin Sorbo television series Hercules: The Legendary Journeys where they served as co-executive producers, as well as writers.  They eventually were put in charge of the show, when both were only 24 years old.  The pair continued to work on various TV series in the early 2000’s, until they were called upon by Michael Bay to re-write 2005’s The Island.

Since The Island, Kurtzman and Orci have a fair amount of successful Blockbusters to their name including Mission: Impossible 3, Transformers, Watchmen, Star Trek (2009), Star Trek: Into Darkness, and the list goes on.  Recently the two wrote and oversaw the production of The Amazing Spiderman 2 and 3.

Orci will be vying for the directorial chair for Star Trek 3, with J.J. Abrams busy in the world of Star Wars, and having given Orci his blessing.  On the other hand, Kurtzman is set to make his second directorial effort (his first was 2012’s People Like Us) with the planned 2017 Spiderman Universe film Venom, which fans have been waiting years to see.

The future looks bright for these two, who don’t rule out the possibility of working together again.  The professional split has everything to do with new opportunities, and not creative differences.  Stepping into the directors chair is a daunting task, just ask Christopher Nolan’s friend Wally Pfister.  Both Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman have put in their time, and should thrive in their expanded roles, directing franchises they helped start from the beginning.  And while Orci is not the official director of Star Trek 3, he seems to be the favorite to take over for Abrams.

About Peter Towe

A graduate of UMASS Boston, Pete now lives in Chicago where he does the movie thing. This mostly consists of watching copious amounts of movies and attempting to craft his own.

Check Also

UNDERTAKER 1 deadMAN Show Added To Wrestlemania XL Weekend In Philadelphia!

WWE has revealed that the critically acclaimed UNDERTAKER 1 deadMAN show will take center stage …