Zak Penn | |
|---|---|
 Penn at the 2017San Diego Comic-Con | |
| Born | (1968-03-23)March 23, 1968 (age 56) New York, U.S. |
| Occupation | Screenwriter |
Zak Penn (born March 23, 1968) is an American screenwriter.[1] Penn wrote and directedIncident at Loch Ness andThe Grand, wrote the script forThe Incredible Hulk, co-wrote the scripts forX2,X-Men: The Last Stand, and the story forThe Avengers. With Michael Karnow, Penn is the co-creator of the TV seriesAlphas on theSyfy network.[2]
Penn was born inNew York. He is the son of New York businessman and lawyer Arthur Penn, who led the acquisition of the Capital Markets Assurance Corporation fromCiticorp.
Zak Penn graduated fromWesleyan University in 1990. His screenplay forPCU was based on his experiences at theEclectic Society house.
Films that Penn has been involved in writing includeLast Action Hero,X2,X-Men: The Last Stand, andElektra. Penn wrote early drafts ofHulk,The Incredible Hulk,The Avengers andFree Guy.
Penn is also a jury member for the digital studio Filmaka, a platform for undiscovered filmmakers to show their work to industry professionals.[3]
In July 2012,Avatar Press released the first issue of Penn's first comic book,Hero Worship. The six-issue series is co-written withStar Wars: The Clone Wars screenwriter Scott Murphy and drawn by Michael DiPascale. It centers on Zenith, an indestructible hero who has fans following every disaster, trying to catch a glimpse of the ultimate celebrity and risking their own lives in the process. One fan becomes so obsessed that it leads to the development of his own powers.
He directed the documentary filmAtari: Game Over.
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Director | Writer | |||
| 1993 | Last Action Hero | No | Story | Co-story writer with Adam Leff |
| 1994 | PCU | No | Yes | Co-screenwriter with Adam Leff |
| 1997 | Men in Black | No | Uncredited | [4] |
| 1998 | Antz | No | Uncredited | Story consultant |
| 1999 | Inspector Gadget | No | Yes | Co-screenwriter withKerry Ehrin |
| 2000 | Charlie's Angels | No | Uncredited | Script revisions |
| 2001 | Behind Enemy Lines | No | Yes | Co-screenwriter with David Veloz |
| 2002 | Reign of Fire | No | Uncredited | [5] |
| 2003 | X2 | No | Story | Co-story writer withDavid Hayter andBryan Singer |
| 2004 | Incident at Loch Ness | Yes | Yes | Directorial debut; co-screenwriter withWerner Herzog; on-screen appearance |
| Suspect Zero | No | Yes | Co-screenwriterBilly Ray | |
| 2005 | Elektra | No | Yes | Co-screenwriter with Stu Zicherman andRaven Metzner |
| 2006 | X-Men: The Last Stand | No | Yes | Co-screenwriter withSimon Kinberg |
| 2007 | The Grand | Yes | Yes | Co-screenwriter with Matt Bierman |
| 2008 | The Incredible Hulk | No | Yes | Story; with uncredited screenwriting rewrites byEdward Norton |
| 2012 | The Avengers | No | Story | Co-story writer withJoss Whedon |
| 2014 | Atari: Game Over | Yes | No | Documentary; on-screen appearance |
| 2018 | Ready Player One | No | Yes | Co-screenwriter withErnest Cline |
| 2021 | Free Guy | No | Yes | Co-screenwriter withMatt Lieberman |
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Writer | Producer | Showrunner | Creator | |||
| 2011–2012 | Alphas | Yes | Executive | No | Yes | Co-created with Michael Karnow |
| 2023 | Beacon 23 | Yes | Executive | Yes | Yes | |
| Year | Title | Credited as | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Creative director | Writer | Technical director | |||
| 2005 | Fantastic Four | No | Yes | No | Credited for game story and dialogue |
| 2006 | X-Men: The Official Game | No | Yes | No | Credited for screenplay |
