David Koepp

Early life and education

Koepp was born in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, as the youngest of four children to Margaret (Fairfield), a family therapist, and Donald Koepp, who owned a billboard company.

Originally studying to become an actor, first at the University of Minnesota for one year and afterwards at the University of Wisconsin–Madison for two years, he enrolled in the film school of the University of California, Los Angeles, in 1984. He graduated with a bachelor's degree in film from UCLA in 1990.

Career

1990s and 2000s

As a writer, Koepp worked on blockbuster Hollywood films such as Jurassic Park with Steven Spielberg, Mission: Impossible with Brian De Palma and Spider-Man with Sam Raimi.

Koepp had a cameo appearance as the "Unlucky Bastard", a minor character devoured by a T. rex that roams San Diego in The Lost World: Jurassic Park, which he co-wrote and for which he was a second unit director. Although Koepp did not write Jurassic Park III, he did devise the film's basic storyline. Koepp later declined an offer to write a script for the fourth film in the series, Jurassic World, as he felt he had nothing left to contribute to the series.

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 for Spielberg and George Lucas 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 worked in television, creating the 2002 series Hack starring David Morse.

2010s

In 2012, Koepp directed Premium Rush, which he co-wrote with John Kamps. 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. On April 2, 2013, U.S. District Judge Richard Seeborg dismissed this case, finding that the two works were not substantially similar.

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

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

On March 15, 2016, The Walt Disney Company announced a fifth installment of the Indiana Jones saga, with Koepp as its screenwriter and Spielberg directing again. By June 2018, Koepp ultimately backed out of the project due to his commitment to You Should Have Left, a horror drama film Koepp wrote and directed. Based on the novel of the same name by Daniel Kehlmann, You Should Have Left was released in 2020, and stars Kevin Bacon and Amanda Seyfried.

On September 3, 2019, Koepp made his novel debut with the publication of Cold Storage, a science-fiction thriller. A film adaptation was announced in May 2022 from Studiocanal, with Koepp writing the screenplay and Jonny Campbell directing; the cast consists of Liam Neeson, Joe Keery, Georgina Campbell, and Sosie Bacon.

2020s

On December 10, 2020, Amasia Entertainment and Universal Pictures announced Koepp had been tapped to write the script for a reboot of the Green Hornet franchise titled The Green Hornet and Kato. On February 25, 2021, it was announced Koepp would write and co-produce the thriller Kimi, directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Zoë Kravitz. The film was released on Max (then HBO Max) on February 10, 2022.

Koepp's second novel Aurora was published on June 7, 2022, and a film adaptation of the book is in development for Netflix, with Koepp writing the script and Kathryn Bigelow directing.

Koepp wrote the screenplay for the psychological thriller film Presence, which was directed by Soderbergh and premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. On January 22, 2024, it was announced that Koepp would return to the Jurassic Park franchise by writing Jurassic World Rebirth, with Gareth Edwards directing and Spielberg serving as executive producer. In April 2024, it was confirmed that Koepp and Spielberg would work again on an original film about UFOs, later revealed to be Disclosure Day with a planned June 2026 release.

Personal life

Koepp is married to Melissa Thomas, a writer, with whom he has two children. He was previously married to artist Rosario Varela, with whom he has two children.

Filmography

Film

Television

Unproduced scripts

Bibliography

References

References

1. (October 16, 2020). "122. David Koepp Interview, Part 2 (Screenwriter of 'Mission: Impossible')". Light the Fuse Podcast.
2. "Top Grossing Screenwriter at the Domestic Box Office".
3. https://www.facebook.com/davidkoeppauthor/photos/margaret-koepp-is-88-shes-the-eighth-of-ten-kids-she-was-a-flight-attendant-for-/135754527817747/?_rdr
4. (November 2017)
5. "Margaret KOEPP Obituary (2022) - St. Paul, MN - Pioneer Press".
6. (2009). "Backstory 5: Interviews with Screenwriters of the 1990s". [[University of California Press]].
7. (March 21, 1994). "David Koepp Is a Very Nice Screenwriter, Really".
8. (February 3, 2022). "Alumnus David Koepp writes big stories for the big (and small) screen".
9. (July 11, 2001). "Jurassic Park 3 Director Talks Script Problems of the Upcoming Sequel".
10. "Jumanji's Joe Johnston Joins Jurassic".
11. Douglas, Edward. (August 22, 2012). "Exclusive: David Koepp on Jack Ryan, Snow White & Jurassic Park".
12. Siegel, Tatiana. (November 11, 2009). "Koepp to helm 'Premium Rush'". [[Reed Business Information]].
13. Stevens, Elizabeth Lesly, [https://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/us/21bcquirk.html "A Big Hollywood Movie Is Coming, and a Novelist Cries Foul"], ''The New York Times'', August 20, 2011
14. Gardner, Eriq, [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/thr-esq/sony-pictures-wins-premium-rush-432782 "Sony Pictures Wins 'Premium Rush' Theft Lawsuit"], "The Hollywood Reporter", April 3, 2013
15. McNary, Dave, [https://variety.com/2013/film/news/wga-east-honors-koepp-1118065335/ "WGA East Honors Koepp"], "Variety", January 29, 2013
16. (July 10, 2013). "Johnny Depp to Star in 'Mortdecai' for Lionsgate, Director David Koepp". thewrap.com.
17. (July 10, 2013). "David Koepp is set to direct from Eric Aronson's script". [[Deadline Hollywood]].
18. (July 10, 2013). "Johnny Depp in Talks to Star in 'Mortdecai'". hollywoodreporter.com.
19. (July 25, 2013). "Gwyneth Paltrow and Ewan McGregor join Johnny Depp on Mortdecai". guardian.co.uk.
20. White, James. (May 13, 2014). "Noomi Rapace Finds Brilliance".
21. Agar, Chris. (March 18, 2016). "Indiana Jones 5 Recruits Jurassic Park Writer David Koepp".
22. Shepherd, Jack. (March 20, 2016). "Indiana Jones 5: Crystal Skull writer David Koepp signs on to write sequel". [[The Independent]].
23. (June 28, 2018). "''Indiana Jones 5'' Delayed as New Writer Is Brought On". The Hollywood Reporter.
24. D'Alessandro, Anthony. (March 26, 2018). "Kevin Bacon, David Koepp Making 'You Should Have Left' For Blumhouse".
25. Kit, Borys. (June 7, 2018). "Amanda Seyfried Joins Kevin Bacon in Blumhouse Thriller 'You Should Have Left'".
26. "Cold Storage". HarperCollins Publishers.
27. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (May 11, 2022). "Hot Cannes Package: Liam Neeson, Joe Keery Star In Jonny Campbell-Helmed Studiocanal Sci-Fi Virus Tale 'Cold Storage'; David Koepp Adapted His Novel".
28. Wiseman, Andreas. (March 30, 2023). "'Smile' Star Sosie Bacon Joins Liam Neeson, Joe Keery & Georgina Campbell In Studiocanal Thriller 'Cold Storage'; Filming Underway With Lesley Manville In Final Talks".
29. Kroll, Justin. (2020-12-10). "David Koepp To Pen 'Green Hornet And Kato' Pic For Universal".
30. Kroll, Justin. (February 25, 2021). "Steven Soderbergh To Direct New Line's 'KIMI' For HBO Max With Zoë Kravitz Set To Star; David Koepp Penned The Script".
31. Lang, Brent. (December 16, 2021). "Steven Soderbergh Thriller 'Kimi', Starring Zoë Kravitz, Reveals HBO Max Release Date".
32. Kroll, Justin. (March 31, 2022). "Kathryn Bigelow To Direct Adaptation Of David Koepp Novel 'Aurora' For Netflix".
33. (December 12, 2023). "Sundance Unveils Packed 2024 Lineup That Includes A.I., Pedro Pascal, Kristen Stewart, Satan, Devo & Steven Yeun".
34. Kit, Borys. (January 22, 2024). "New 'Jurassic World' Movie in the Works with David Koepp Writing (Exclusive)".
35. Kroll, Justin. (February 20, 2024). "'Jurassic World': Gareth Edwards Tapped To Direct New Movie For Universal And Amblin".
36. Siegel, Tatiana. (April 17, 2024). "Ageless Auteurs: Scorsese Eyes Frank Sinatra Biopic With Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence, Spielberg Tackling UFO Movie and More".
37. Rubin, Rebecca. (May 23, 2024). "Steven Spielberg Sets New Film for Summer 2026, Reunites With 'Jurassic Park' and 'War of the Worlds' Screenwriter".
38. Lee, Benjamin. (December 16, 2025). "Disclosure Day: first trailer for Steven Spielberg’s star-studded UFO movie". The Guardian.
39. "A Sophisticated New York City Family Home".
40. (June 30, 2019). "Fawn Galli Punches Up a Screenwriter's London Home with a Bit of Movie Magic".
41. (March 29, 1994). "After navigating his way around scripts and moguls, David Koepp is on the A-list with ''Paper'', ''Carlito's'' and ''Jurassic''.". Los Angeles Times.
42. (November 27, 2013). "David Koepp Lists Manhattan Townhouse".
43. (February 10, 2023). "Indiana Jones 5". [[Writers Guild of America West]].
44. Fleming, Mike Jr.. (May 11, 2022). "Hot Cannes Package: Liam Neeson, Joe Keery Star In Jonny Campbell-Helmed Studiocanal Sci-Fi Virus Tale 'Cold Storage;' David Koepp Adapted His Novel".
45. [https://davidkoepp.com/script-archive/the-taking-of-pelham-123/ David Koepp Script Archive]
46. [https://variety.com/2009/film/features/koepp-to-pore-over-vinegar-1118000292/ Koepp to pore over ‘Vinegar’]
47. [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/steven-spielberg-takes-pirate-latitudes-88162/ Steven Spielberg takes on ‘Pirate Latitudes’]
48. [https://deadline.com/2011/06/ron-howard-david-koepp-team-up-for-spy-vs-spy-142442/ Ron Howard, David Koepp Team Up For 'Spy Vs. Spy']
49. [https://deadline.com/2011/08/david-koepp-takes-on-the-thin-man-for-johnny-depp-and-rob-marshall-165112/ David Koepp Takes On 'The Thin Man' For Johnny Depp And Rob Marshall]
50. [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/nic-mathieu-wind-men-in-black-3-329358/ Warner Bros. Prepping Top Secret Sci-Fi Project ‘The Wind’ (Exclusive)]
51. [https://deadline.com/2014/02/legendary-sets-julius-onah-to-helm-brilliance-677438/ Legendary Sets Julius Onah To Helm ‘Brilliance’]
52. [https://deadline.com/2015/02/david-koepp-the-themis-files-sony-science-fiction-1201370509/ David Koepp Set To Script Sci-Fi ‘Themis Files’ For Sony]
53. [https://deadline.com/2017/04/bill-condon-director-bride-of-frankenstein-remake-movie-universal-1202069921/ Bill Condon In Talks To Helm ‘Bride of Frankenstein’ At Universal Pictures]
54. [https://api.swiftype.com/api/v1/public/analytics/pc?engine_key=Tyut9ZjAAB9kAKBjPMRb&doc_id=5ad677010cc37f43fca064ed&_st_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeadline.com%2F2018%2F04%2Fsteven-spielberg-dc-films-blackhawk-1202366545%2F&q=David%20koepp Steven Spielberg Set To Produce His First DC Film 'Blackhawk' With Eye On Directing]
55. [https://deadline.com/2020/12/david-koepp-green-hornet-pic-for-universal-pictures-1234653952/ David Koepp To Pen ‘Green Hornet And Kato’ Pic For Universal]
56. [https://deadline.com/2022/03/kathryn-bigelow-david-koepp-auroa-netflix-1234992108/ Kathryn Bigelow To Direct Adaptation Of David Koepp Novel ‘Aurora’ For Netflix]
57. [https://api.swiftype.com/api/v1/public/analytics/pc?engine_key=Tyut9ZjAAB9kAKBjPMRb&doc_id=666a81f228ccbcf03b884fcc&_st_url=https%3A%2F%2Fdeadline.com%2F2024%2F06%2Fidris-elba-rebecca-ferguson-circling-kathryn-bigelow-film-netflix-1235972263%2F&q=David%20koepp Idris Elba & Rebecca Ferguson Circling Kathryn Bigelow Film At Netflix]