13 Prolific Screenwriters Whose Faces You'd Never Recognize (Or Why Screenwriters Don't Appear on Camera)

By Dustin Rowles | Lists | November 15, 2010 |

With the amount of trade news we write, there are certain screenwriters that we tend to see frequently — on some days, it feels like every Hollywood studio project is being divided up among 15 men (there are sadly no women on this list; the few notable female screenwriters tend to be better known as directors, and I’ve excluded those known more for their directing work, as they are more recognizable).

Truth is, I had no idea what most of these guys looked like until I compiled this list. Most people who follow the industry probably know what John August looks like (the guy behind a lot of Tim Burton’s films) and maybe William Monahan, but few would recognize many of those behind the movies that pollute our multiplexes look like.

So, for the curious among you, here are 13 currently prolific screenwriters whose faces you’ve probably never seen, but whose words with which you’re possibly quite familiar. Now, you can put a face to the name.



Christopher McQuarrie (Credit: The Usual Suspects, The Way of the Gun, Valkyrie, The Tourist, Jack and the Giant Killer and Wolverine II.)

David Goyer (Credits: Dark City, Blade, Blade II, Blade Trinity, Batman Begins, Jumper, The Unborn and The Dark Knight, among others).

Jon Lucas & Scott Moore (Credits: Rebound, Full of It, Four Christmases, Ghosts of Girlfriends Past, The Hangover and The Change-Up. )

Sean Anders & John Morris (Credits: Sex Drive, She’s Out of My League, Hot Tub Time Machine, and Mr. Popper’s Penguins. )

Derek Haas & Michael Brandt (Credits: Invincible, 2 Fast 2 Furious, 3:10 to Yuma, Wanted and The Courier.)

Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick (Credits: Zombieland, Zombieland II and Deadpool)

Alex Kurtzman and Robert Orci (Credits: “Alias,” The Island, The Legend of Zorro, Mission Impossible III, Transformers, Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, Star Trek and Cowboys and Aliens.

Allan Loeb (Credits: Things We Lost in the Fire, 21, Wall Street: The Money Never Sleeps, The Dilemma, Change-Up, Just Go With It, So Undercover and Protection.)

Dustin is the founder and co-owner of Pajiba. You may email him here, follow him on Twitter, or listen to his weekly TV podcast, Podjiba.