David Koepp

David Koepp (born June 9, 1963) is an American screenwriter and film director. Koepp is the ninth most successful screenwriter of all time in terms of U.S. box office receipts with a total gross of over $2.3 billion.[1]

David Koepp
Born (1963-06-09) June 9, 1963
Pewaukee, Wisconsin, U.S.
OccupationScreenwriter, director
Years active1988–present
Known forJurassic Park
Mission: Impossible
Spider-Man
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
Height6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Spouse(s)Melissa Thomas
Children4
AwardsHugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation
Saturn Award for Best Writing
Fantastic'Arts Grand Prize

Koepp has achieved both critical and commercial success in a wide variety of genres: thriller, science fiction, comedy, action, drama, crime, superhero, horror, adventure, and fantasy.

Some of the best known films he has written include the sci-fi adventure films Jurassic Park (1993), The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997), and Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008); the crime film Carlito's Way (1993); the action spy films Mission: Impossible (1996) and Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit (2014); the superhero film Spider-Man (2002); the sci-fi disaster film War of the Worlds (2005) and the mystery thriller Angels & Demons (2009). Koepp has directed seven feature films over the course of his career: The Trigger Effect (1996), Stir of Echoes (1999), Secret Window (2004), Ghost Town (2008), Premium Rush (2012), Mortdecai (2015), and You Should Have Left (2020).

Early life and education

Koepp was born in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, to a family therapist mother, and Donald Koepp, who owned a billboard company.[2][3] While attending Kettle Moraine High School in Wales, Wisconsin, he worked evenings and weekends at the McDonald's restaurant in Delafield. He received his bachelor's degree in film from UCLA.

Career

As a writer, Koepp worked on blockbuster Hollywood films such as Jurassic Park, Mission: Impossible, and Spider-Man. He had a cameo appearance as the "Unlucky Bastard", a minor character devoured by a T. rex roaming San Diego in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, which he co-wrote and was second unit director of. Although Koepp did not write Jurassic Park III, he did devise the film's basic storyline.[4][5] Koepp later declined an offer to write a script for the series' fourth film, Jurassic World, as he felt he had nothing left to contribute to the series.[6]

Koepp was reportedly paid $4,000,000 for his Panic Room screenplay. He wrote the screenplay for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and co-wrote and directed 2008's Ghost Town starring Ricky Gervais and Greg Kinnear.

Koepp's work as a director has not had quite the same box office success. His films include Secret Window, Stir of Echoes, and The Trigger Effect.

Koepp has also worked in television, creating the 2002 series Hack starring David Morse.

In 2012, Koepp directed Premium Rush, which he co-wrote with John Kamps.[7] In an August 2011 lawsuit, Joe Quirk, the author of the 1998 novel The Ultimate Rush, accused Koepp and the makers of Premium Rush of copyright infringement.[8] On April 2, 2013, U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg dismissed this case, finding that the two works were not substantially similar.[9]

On February 17, 2013, Koepp received the WGA East's Ian McClellan Hunter Award for Career Achievement.[10]

On July 10, 2013, Lionsgate was reported to have acquired the comedic crime novel The Great Mortdecai Moustache Mystery, written by Kyril Bonfiglioli.[11] Koepp directed the film, titled Mortdecai, from a script by Eric Aronson;[12] Johnny Depp played the lead role of Charlie Mortdecai,[13] and the film also featured Gwyneth Paltrow, Ewan McGregor, and Paul Bettany.[14] Koepp adapted the Marcus Sakey novel Brilliance, which will star Will Smith and Noomi Rapace.[15]

On March 15, 2016, The Walt Disney Company announced a fifth installment of the Indiana Jones saga, with Koepp as its screenwriter.[16][17] By June 2018, Koepp ultimately backed out of the project due to his commitment to You Should Have Left, a film Koepp wrote and is set to direct.[18] which is based upon novel of the same name by Daniel Kehlmann, which will star Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried.[19][20]

On September 3 of 2019, Koepp made his novel debut with the release of the book Cold Storage, a science-fiction thriller.[21]

Personal life

Koepp has a wife, Melissa, and four children.

Filmography

Feature films
Year Title Director Writer Producer Notes
1988 Apartment Zero No Yes Yes co-wrote with Martin Donovan
1990 Bad Influence No Yes No
Why Me? No Yes No co-wrote with Donald E. Westlake
I Come in Peace No Yes No co-wrote with Jonathan Tydor
1991 Toy Soldiers No Yes No co-wrote with Daniel Petrie Jr.
1992 Death Becomes Her No Yes No co-wrote with Martin Donovan
1993 Jurassic Park No Yes No co-wrote with Michael Crichton
Carlito's Way No Yes No
1994 The Paper No Yes Yes co-wrote with Stephen Koepp
The Shadow No Yes No
Suspicious Yes Yes No Short film
1996 Mission: Impossible No Yes No co-wrote with Robert Towne and Steven Zaillian
The Trigger Effect Yes Yes No
1997 The Lost World: Jurassic Park No Yes No Also second unit director and cameo
1998 Snake Eyes No Yes No co-wrote with Brian De Palma
1999 Stir of Echoes Yes Yes No
2002 Panic Room No Yes Yes
Spider-Man No Yes No
2004 Secret Window Yes Yes No
2005 War of the Worlds No Yes No co-wrote with Josh Friedman
Zathura: A Space Adventure No Yes No co-wrote with John Kamps
2008 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull No Yes No co-wrote with George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson
Ghost Town Yes Yes No co-wrote with John Kamps
2009 Angels & Demons No Yes No co-wrote with Akiva Goldsman
2011 The Little Engine That Could No Yes No co-wrote with John Kamps, Cliff Ruby and Elana Lesser
2012 Premium Rush Yes Yes No co-wrote with John Kamps
2014 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit No Yes No co-wrote with Adam Cozad
2015 Mortdecai Yes No No
2016 Inferno No Yes No
2017 The Mummy No Yes No co-wrote with Christopher McQuarrie and Dylan Kussman
2020 You Should Have Left Yes Yes No

Television
Year Title Director Writer Notes
2002 Hack No Yes Creator
2003 Suspense Yes No TV movie

References
  1. "Box Office Mojo - People Index". Boxofficemojo.com. Retrieved 6 July 2019.
  2. "David Koepp Biography (1963-)". Filmreference.com. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  4. "Jurassic Park 3 Director Talks Script Problems of the Upcoming Sequel". Screenwritersutopia.com. July 11, 2001. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  5. "Jumanji's Joe Johnston Joins Jurassic". About.com. Archived from the original on March 5, 2006.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  6. Douglas, Edward (August 22, 2012). "Exclusive: David Koepp on Jack Ryan , Snow White & Jurassic Park". Comingsoon.net. Retrieved January 28, 2015.
  7. Siegel, Tatiana (November 11, 2009). "Koepp to helm 'Premium Rush'". Variety. Reed Business Information. Retrieved August 8, 2010.
  8. Stevens, Elizabeth Lesly, "A Big Hollywood Movie Is Coming, and a Novelist Cries Foul", The New York Times, August 20, 2011
  9. Gardner, Eriq, "Sony Pictures Wins 'Premium Rush' Theft Lawsuit", "The Hollywood Reporter", April 3, 2013
  10. McNary, Dave, "WGA East Honors Koepp", "Variety", January 29, 2013
  11. "Johnny Depp to Star in 'Mortdecai' for Lionsgate, Director David Koepp". thewrap.com. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  12. "David Koepp is set to direct from Eric Aronson's script". deadline.com. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  13. "Johnny Depp in Talks to Star in 'Mortdecai'". hollywoodreporter.com. 10 July 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  14. "Gwyneth Paltrow and Ewan McGregor join Johnny Depp on Mortdecai". guardian.co.uk. 25 July 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  15. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2014-05-13. Retrieved 2014-05-13.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. Agar, Chris (18 March 2016). "Indiana Jones 5 Recruits Jurassic Park Writer David Koepp". ScreenRant.com. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  17. Shepherd, Jack (20 March 2016). "Indiana Jones 5: Crystal Skull writer David Koepp signs on to write sequel". The Independent. Retrieved 2 November 2016.
  18. Galuppo, Mia; Kit, Borys (June 28, 2018). "Indiana Jones 5 Delayed as New Writer Is Brought On". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 13, 2018.
  19. D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 26, 2018). "Kevin Bacon, David Koepp Making 'You Should Have Left' For Blumhouse". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  20. Kit, Borys (June 7, 2018). "Amanda Seyfried Joins Kevin Bacon in Blumhouse Thriller 'You Should Have Left'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved December 14, 2018.
  21. Koepp, David. "Cold Storage". harpercollins.com. HarperCollins Publishers. Retrieved 13 September 2019.
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