Roberto Orci Archives - The Playlist

Sony Hires ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ Writer Roberto Orci For A New Spidey Spin-Off

Charles Barfield — Wed, 11 Mar 2020 15:30:02 +0000

“Spider-Man” film franchise fans—brace yourselves. I’m about to deliver some good news and some bad news. Are you ready?

According to The Wrap, the good news is that Sony has hired a writer to pen a new untitled “Spider-man” spin-off film. Even more intriguing, the report claims that the film might not be so obviously attached to the ‘Spidey’ universe that the studio has recently been mining with films like “Venom” and the upcoming “Morbius.” As The Wrap says, the new film “comes from a different corner of the Marvel universe that Sony has access to.” Whatever that means.

Continue reading Sony Hires ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ Writer Roberto Orci For A New Spidey Spin-Off at The Playlist.

Anne Rice’s ‘Tale Of The Body Thief’ Getting The Big Screen Treatment By Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci

The Playlist Staff — Wed, 08 Feb 2012 14:38:02 +0000

Anne Rice's 'Tale Of The Body Thief' Getting The Big Screen Treatment By Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci

Continue reading Anne Rice’s ‘Tale Of The Body Thief’ Getting The Big Screen Treatment By Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci at The Playlist.

Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci Producing Gavin Hood’s ‘Ender’s Game’

The Playlist Staff — Mon, 31 Jan 2011 07:16:54 +0000

Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci Producing Gavin Hood's 'Ender's Game'

Continue reading Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci Producing Gavin Hood’s ‘Ender’s Game’ at The Playlist.

Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci Update Progress on ‘Star Trek’ Sequel Script

The Playlist Staff — Wed, 01 Dec 2010 08:02:37 +0000

Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci Update Progress on 'Star Trek' Sequel Script

Continue reading Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci Update Progress on ‘Star Trek’ Sequel Script at The Playlist.

Updated: Chris Pine A Potential For Alex Kurtzman’s Family Drama ‘Welcome To People’

Edward Davis — Wed, 29 Sep 2010 14:30:00 +0000

A much more vague report comes from Production Weekly’s Twitter today concerning the film, “Welcome To People,” the directorial debut of Alex Kurtzman.

Kurtzman is known as one half of the genre-based powerhouse writing/producing duo that includes Roberto Orci. After years of TV work for J.J. Abrams (“Alias,”) the twosome started breaking out in a big way after they penned both “Mission: Impossible 3,” both “Transformers” films and Abrams’ highly successful “Star Trek” reboot.

Continue reading Updated: Chris Pine A Potential For Alex Kurtzman’s Family Drama ‘Welcome To People’ at The Playlist.

Aline Brosh McKenna Penning Romantic Dramedy For Producers Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci

Edward Davis — Fri, 06 Aug 2010 18:30:00 +0000

One of Hollywood’s hottest screenwriters — or at least one that became white hot in the last few weeks — Aline Brosh McKenna (“The Devil Wears Prada”), has just scored another plum gig. She’s writing a romantic comedy for burgeoning genre-geek super producers/screenwriters Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci (writers behind the “Transformers” series for Michael Bay, the “Star Trek” reboot for J.J. Abrams and the producers/writers of Jon Favreau’s upcoming “Cowboys & Aliens”)

A currently untitled romantic dramedy that Kurtzman and Orci will produce at Dreamworks under their Paper Products shingle, the film is based on McKenna’s original script, following the “on-off love affairs and friendships among a close circle of friends over two decades.” Variety‘s description kind of sounds like an extended version of “The Big Chill” only set over decades and not a reunion-like weekend, or perhaps a wider-scoped version of Lone Scherfig’s currently-filming “One Day.”

With live-action Disney properties being all the studio rage (thanks to the billion-topping “Alice In Wonderland”), McKenna recently capitalized on the craze, presciently pitching a “Cinderella” story that fetched her over seven figures from the Mickey Mouse studio (of course).

Continue reading Aline Brosh McKenna Penning Romantic Dramedy For Producers Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci at The Playlist.

Orci and Kurtzman Calls ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ ‘Unforgiven’ Meets ‘Alien’; ‘Matt Helm’ Update

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 02 Aug 2010 03:33:00 +0000

Screenwriting duo Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman are no strangers to Hollywood blockbusters. As producers and writers, their filmography includes 2005’s “Zorro,” “Mission: Impossible III,” Transformers” and J.J. Abrams’ acclaimed “Star Trek” reboot, to name just a few.

The hot duo is currently at work with Jon Favreau on the ambitious “Cowboys & Aliens,” based on the graphic novel by Scott Mitchell Rosenberg. The Playlist caught up with the guys at Comic-Con just after the film’s stars took the stage in Hall H, including a surprise appearance from SDCC first-timer Harrison Ford (we spoke to Favreau as well).

Continue reading Orci and Kurtzman Calls ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ ‘Unforgiven’ Meets ‘Alien’; ‘Matt Helm’ Update at The Playlist.

Abigail Spencer Lassoes Up Role In ‘Cowboys & Aliens’

Rodrigo Perez — Sat, 03 Jul 2010 18:38:00 +0000

Fresh off her stint on TNT’s medical drama “HawthoRNe,” Abigail Spencer of “Mad Men” fame is ready to blast off onto the big screen when she stars alongside Daniel Craig, Olivia Wilde, Harrison Ford, Sam Rockwell and Paul Dano, among others, in Jon Favreau’s comic book adaptation “Cowboys & Aliens.”

The film details a group of Apache Indians and Western settlers who must put their feuding aside when a spaceship crash-lands in their territory in 1873.

Continue reading Abigail Spencer Lassoes Up Role In ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ at The Playlist.

Summit Buys Heist/Illustionists Script By Boaz Yakin & Produced By Alex Kurtzmann & Roberto Orci

Edward Davis — Tue, 08 Jun 2010 16:36:00 +0000

Summit Entertainment has bought Boaz Yakin (“Fresh”, “Remember the Titans”) and Edward Ricourt’s spec “Now You See Me,” to be produced by Paper Products, the company set up by power duo Alex Kurtzmann and Roberto Orci (writers of “Transformers 1 & 2” — boo! But also “Star Trek” — yay!). How’s this for high concept: an elite FBI squad engages in cat-and-mouse shenanigans with a team of the “world’s greatest illusionists” who enact bank heists during their act and then shower their audiences with the stolen money.

Continue reading Summit Buys Heist/Illustionists Script By Boaz Yakin & Produced By Alex Kurtzmann & Roberto Orci at The Playlist.

Brandon Routh Won’t Appear In Frank Darabont’s ‘Waking Dead’ AMC Series & More

Christopher Bell — Tue, 13 Apr 2010 21:30:00 +0000

Brandon Routh (“Superman Returns”) is set to be in Frank Darabont’s zombie AMC series “The Walking Dead”… or is he? Bloody-Disgusting reported that he was, then took it back when Brandon’s unofficial website squashed the news, deeming it untrue. If the TV show follows the comics well enough, Routh might’ve been in mind for pizza delivery boy Glenn, who goes on runs for the survivors, looting stores for food and ammo. For now, it’s safe to assume that Routh’s involvement is still a rumor and nothing else.

Continue reading Brandon Routh Won’t Appear In Frank Darabont’s ‘Waking Dead’ AMC Series & More at The Playlist.

It’s Official: Daniel Craig Takes Lead Role In Jon Favreau’s ‘Cowboys & Aliens’

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 17:37:00 +0000

You’ll recall a few short weeks ago, “Bond” star Daniel Craig was in talks to replace Robert Downey Jr. in Jon Favreau’s upcoming adaptation of “Cowboys & Aliens.”

Well, it’s happened. Downey had to side-step the role to shoot “Sherlock Holmes 2” which is trying to fast-track itself for a summer shoot (it seems like they’re scrambling right now to get a script finished) which would confict with the summer shoot for “Cowboys & Aliens.”

So Craig stepped into the frame and according to DHD, he’s officially going take the role.

Continue reading It’s Official: Daniel Craig Takes Lead Role In Jon Favreau’s ‘Cowboys & Aliens’ at The Playlist.

Writer Shane Black Hired To Pen ‘Doc Savage’ For Orci & Kurtzman Producers

Rodrigo Perez — Sat, 24 Oct 2009 17:56:00 +0000

Tumescent film blogger Harry Knowles has a bit of a scoop from when he sat down to talk to Shane Black, occasionally brilliant genre screenwriter (“Lethal Weapon,” “The Long Kiss Goodnight,” “Last Action Hero”) and writer-director of the underrated gem “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” (seriously — we just watched this again the other night). It seems that Black has recently been hired by the omnipresent production duo of Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (“Star Trek,” “The Proposal,” pretty much every movie in the next five years) to write a new version of pulp action icon Doc Savage.

Continue reading Writer Shane Black Hired To Pen ‘Doc Savage’ For ~~Orci & Kurtzman~~ Producers at The Playlist.

Michael Bay Vs. Megan Fox Showdown To Come One Year Ahead of Schedule

Rodrigo Perez — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 17:30:00 +0000

So much for that little “Pulp Fiction”-like little indie film he wanted to do in between “Transformers” films, huh?

Michael Bay has announced on his website that “Transformers 3” will hit theaters in 2011, not 2012 as previously stated by the testosterone-happy filmmaker.

The release date is now July 1st 2011. Not 2012 as originally planned. Megan Fox is surely thrilled to work with that crew again. Though Bay in his post offers a laurel of peace…errr, actually more like another dig.

Continue reading Michael Bay Vs. Megan Fox Showdown To Come One Year Ahead of Schedule at The Playlist.

Nicholas Winding Refn Says ‘Jekyll’ With Keanu Reeves May Shoot In 2011

Rodrigo Perez — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 14:12:00 +0000

Cinematical spoke to brilliant Danish director Nicholas Winding Refn, who was plugging the great “Bronson,” about his upcoming studio debut on “Jekyll,” a new version of the Robert Louis Stevenson story. The film, likely to shoot in 2011, will star Keanu Reeves, a bit of casting that has raised eyebrows (although he’s capable of good work — see “Thumbsucker” or “The Gift” for two of his best performances). Refn defends the casting though. “I think Keanu is a very interesting personality.

Continue reading Nicholas Winding Refn Says ‘Jekyll’ With Keanu Reeves May Shoot In 2011 at The Playlist.

Night Of The Living Dead To Get 3-D Remake; Abrams & Orci Talk ‘Star Trek’ Sequel

Oliver Lyttelton — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:42:00 +0000

– Simon West, the director of “Con Air” and “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider,” is to produce a 3-D CGI prequel to George Romero’s classic “Night of the Living Dead,” entitled “Night Of The Living Dead: Origins.” Director Zebediah De Soto, who directed a hotly tipped sci-fi short named “War Dogs,” has developed an allegedly revolutionary effects system, nicknamed ‘The Beast,’ which, according to Heat Vision, “allows filmmakers the ability to direct CG performances the same way that would direct real life actors.” In Simon West’s case, this presumably means ‘extremely badly.’ And remember kids, the rights to “Night of the Living Dead” are in the public domain, so you too can produce your own shoddy prequel!

Continue reading Night Of The Living Dead To Get 3-D Remake; Abrams & Orci Talk ‘Star Trek’ Sequel at The Playlist.

Jon Favreau & Robert Downey Jr. Might Play ‘Cowboys & Aliens.’

Rodrigo Perez — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:14:00 +0000

Back in June of 2008, Robert Downey Jr. was basking in the glow of “Iron Man,” and basically had the pick of the project litter. One of these that he was eyeing — aside from the Hugh Hefner biopic by fauxteur Brett Ratner that seems to have gone dormant, stalled or just quiet — was a pulpy sci-fi western, “Cowboys & Aliens” which was said to have franchiseability.

This April, RDJ suggested he was probably leaving the project, but producers and screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (the writers behind “Star Trek” and “Transformers 1 & 2”) said a month later they were still pursuing him.

Continue reading Jon Favreau & Robert Downey Jr. Might Play ‘Cowboys & Aliens.’ at The Playlist.

‘Wild Things’ & ‘Parnassus’ To Appear At Comic Con 2009, Jason Lee Joins Kevin Smith’s ‘A Couple Of Dicks,’ Trailer For ‘Daybreakers’

Simon Dang — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 13:56:00 +0000

Warner Brothers have unveiled their line up for this year’s San Diego Comic Con. Films on show include Spike Jonze’s “Where The Wild Things Are,” Richard Kelly’s “The Box,” The Hughes Brothers’ “The Book Of Eli,” the “Nightmare On Elm Street” remake, “Jonah Hex” and Guy Ritchie’s “Sherlock Holmes.” Hall H will also be equipped to a 3D screening facility – on hand for a presentation of the 3D “Final Destination” – which bodes well for the potential of footage from James Cameron’s “Avatar” being screened.

Continue reading ‘Wild Things’ & ‘Parnassus’ To Appear At Comic Con 2009, Jason Lee Joins Kevin Smith’s ‘A Couple Of Dicks,’ Trailer For ‘Daybreakers’ at The Playlist.

‘Tranformers 2’ Writers Distance Themselves From Michael Bay & RacistbotGate

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 16:50:00 +0000

In-demand screenwriters Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman were having a hell of a year. “Star Trek,” is the number one grossing film in the U.S. so far, and “Transformers 2: Revenge Of The Fallen,” is poised to easily overtake it in a few weeks. But perhaps a little blemish on their writing record so far is them damn, racist robots in Michael Bay’s “ROTFL” that people are trying to peg on them — the writers of the script.

Continue reading ‘Tranformers 2’ Writers Distance Themselves From Michael Bay & RacistbotGate at The Playlist.

9 Silly Things About ‘Star Trek’ We Can’t Help But Laugh At

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:12:00 +0000

Don’t get us wrong, we enjoyed “Star Trek.” It didn’t reinvent the wheel at all, but it took a painfully “damaged brand” and err, brought it back to life (though truthfully, we say, ‘do you really need to trot out this cast for 10 more adventures and 10 more movies sure to feature diminishing returns? Let it stand and everyone move on), but science-fiction is inherently silly unless you’re Orwell, Huxley, Asimov or Dick (even then).

Continue reading 9 Silly Things About ‘Star Trek’ We Can’t Help But Laugh At at The Playlist.

‘Star Trek’ A Mostly Thrilling & Exciting Reboot to a Sagging Franchise

Rodrigo Perez — Wed, 06 May 2009 15:38:00 +0000

The odds were stacked against “Star Trek,” J.J. Abrams’ hellzapoppin’ reboot of the once-potent space franchise. Amidst inferior, costly sequels led by the Next Generation cast (Nemesis was unbearably inane) that failed to recoup much of their budget, and a sea of iffy television offshoots (does anyone even remember Enterprise?), the franchise became rudderless and adrift, in need of bold new revitalization.

Enter Abrams and his creative team of producers Bryan Burk and Damon Lindelof (co-creator of “Lost” with Abrams) and writers Roberto Orci and Alex Kurtzman (this summer’s “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”).

Continue reading ‘Star Trek’ A Mostly Thrilling & Exciting Reboot to a Sagging Franchise at The Playlist.

‘Star Trek’ Sequel Talks Begin, Guillermo Del Toro To Mentor Another Horror Film, Robert Rodriguez’s ‘Predators’ Finds A Writer

Simon Dang — Tue, 05 May 2009 11:53:00 +0000

With “Star Trek” poised to be an imminent success (reviews and buzz are great, even we liked it a lot), producer Damon Lindelof is already talking about the prospects of a sequel. “[Alex Kurtzman], [Roberto Orci] and I are going to be writing it together. We’ve started preliminary talks with J.J., but obviously it’s almost jinxing it to get too far down the road. We want it to come out, we hope it does well, and then we’ll take it to the next year.

Continue reading ‘Star Trek’ Sequel Talks Begin, Guillermo Del Toro To Mentor Another Horror Film, Robert Rodriguez’s ‘Predators’ Finds A Writer at The Playlist.

Paramount Fast Tracks ‘Star Trek’ Sequel

Simon Dang — Tue, 31 Mar 2009 12:57:00 +0000

It looks like Paramount really believes in J.J. Abrams “Star Trek,” prequel. The studio has just announced that writers Roberto Orci, Alex Kurtzman and Damon Lindelof have been hired to write a sequel. Orci and Kurtzman wrote the first film coming out May 8 (they’re also the screenwriting duo behind the “Transformers” series and have been in the Abrams stable for years) and Lindelof was one of the producers.

“There’s obviously a lot of hubris involved in signing on to write a sequel of a movie that hasn’t even come out yet – but we’re so excited about the first one that we wanted to proceed,” revealed Lindelof, Abram’s co-creator on “Lost.” Regarding the film’s direction, he further added “With a franchise rebirth, the first movie has to be about origin.

Continue reading Paramount Fast Tracks ‘Star Trek’ Sequel at The Playlist.