Alex Kurtzman Bob Orci - H 2013
Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci are taking their business to CBS Television Studios.
The prolific writer-producers, who count the studio’s Hawaii Five-0 among their credits, have inked a three-year overall deal. As part of the pact, Kurtzman and Orci, along with their K/O Paper Products TV president Heather Kadin and manager of TV development Aaron Baiers, will develop television projects for the studio. Their previous deal was at 20th Century Fox Television.
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“Alex and Bob are two of the most coveted writer-producers in features and television for an important reason. They have a unique perspective on what it takes to develop a modern-day blockbuster,” said CBS TV Studios president David Stapf, adding: “On the television front, we have been fortunate to work with them closely on Hawaii Five-0, and know first-hand the creativity and energy they bring to a project, as well as their instinct for making something into a big event.”
Added the duo in a joint statement: “Our collaboration with CBS on Hawaii Five-0 has been one of the most fulfilling of our career. Everyone there brings their dedication and passion to work every day, which makes it a wonderful place for creativity to thrive. We’re thrilled to continue our long-standing partnership for many more years to come.”
The partners met in high school and began their careers writing for Hercules before moving over to work on Xena: Warrior Princess. By age 23, they had shot up the ranks to become head writers. Alias came next, beginning a long-term and particularly fruitful relationship with the series’ creator, J.J. Abrams.
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Heading into the 2013-14 TV season, Kutzman and Orci will add a Sleepy Hollow adaptation to their résumés. The drama will air on Fox, where the pair previously created long-running critical darling Fringe with Abrams. They are also behind an original computer-animated series, Transformers: Prime, which air on the Hub network.
They continue to be very active on the film side, too, where their writing and producing work has earned more than $3 billion at the global box office. Among their recent efforts: Star Trek Into Darkness and Now You See Me, both released earlier this spring. Additionally, they’re attached to upcoming movies such as Ender’s Game, produced through their K/O Paper Products, and The Amazing Spider-Man 2. Kurtzman and Orci are also set to produce Universal’s The Mummy and Van Helsing reboots through their overall film deal with Universal Pictures.
Their K/O Paper Products is repped by CAA and attorney Michael Gendler of Gendler Kelly.
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