Scott Z. Burns

Early life and education

Burns was born in 1962 in Golden Valley, Minnesota. In 1985, Burns graduated summa cum laude with a degree in English from the University of Minnesota.

Career

After graduating from the University of Minnesota, Burns began his career in advertising, later becoming a television commercials director. He was part of the team at Goodby, Silverstein & Partners that created the original Got Milk? campaign.

Burns has written screenplays for The Bourne Ultimatum (2007), The Informant! (2009), and Contagion (2011), all of which feature Matt Damon. His films The Informant! (2009), Contagion (2011), and Side Effects (2013) were directed by Steven Soderbergh. He also wrote a screenplay for The Man from U.N.C.L.E, which was initially intended to be directed by Soderbergh but was ultimately directed by Guy Ritchie. Burns also produced the Academy Award-winning documentary An Inconvenient Truth (2006). He wrote and directed the film The Report (2019), a drama about the secret torture program inside the CIA. He performed uncredited rewrites on Dawn of the Planet of the Apes, the Star Wars film Rogue One and the James Bond film No Time to Die (2021).

Public interest in Burns's film Contagion (2011) renewed during the COVID-19 pandemic, making it the seventh-most downloaded film on iTunes by March 6, 2020.

In a March 2020 interview, Burns commented on the film's resurgence and similarities to the active pandemic, especially in the wake of a round of CDC budget cuts:

Burns was announced to write the screenplay for a new adaptation of Bret Easton Ellis' novel American Psycho, with Luca Guadagnino directing and Lionsgate distributing.

Burns also wrote a screenplay for a Star Wars film set after Episode IX - The Rise of Skywalker, entitled The Hunt for Ben Solo (and operating under the code name Quiet Leaves), directed by Steven Soderbergh and starring Adam Driver as Ben Solo/Kylo Ren. While Lucasfilm loved the idea, when they presented the screenplay to Disney, Bob Iger and Alan Bergman said no because, according to Driver, "They didn't see how Ben Solo was alive. And that was that."** Still, Burns received a reportedly seven-figure payment for the script.

Filmography

Films

Television

Plays

References

References

1. "Star Tribune".
2. "CLA Alumni of Notable Achievement".
3. "Scott Z. Burns".
4. Goldrich, Robert. (2019-10-25). "Writer-Director Scott Z. Burns Reflects on "The Report"". Shoot Online.
5. Scott, A. O.. (2013-02-07). "May Cause Greed, Lust or Retirement". The New York Times.
6. Jr, Mike Fleming. (2013-03-18). "Tom Cruise Eyeing ‘The Man From U.N.C.L.E.’ With Guy Ritchie At Warner Bros".
7. Gilchrist, Todd. (2019-10-11). "Scott Z. Burns Receives Variety Creative Impact in Screenwriting Award at Mill Valley Film Festival".
8. (2018-05-01). "'The Torture Report': Tim Blake Nelson, Ben McKenzie, Matthew Rhys & More Round Cast Of CIA Drama – Cannes". Deadline.
9. (2012-05-15). "'Contagion' Writer Tapped to Pen 'Rise of the Planet of the Apes' Sequel".
10. Perez, Rodrigo. (August 29, 2018). "Chris Weitz Says Christopher McQuarrie, Scott Z. Burns & More Wrote On ''Rogue One: A Star Wars Story''". The Playlist.
11. https://theplaylist.net/scott-z-burns-writing-no-time-to-die-climate-change-projects-interview-20210930/
12. (2020-03-06). "Pandemic movie 'Contagion' is surging in popularity due to the coronavirus and has hit the No. 7 spot on iTunes". [[Business Insider]].
13. (2020-03-04). "'Contagion,' Steven Soderbergh's 2011 Thriller, Is Climbing Up the Charts". [[The New York Times]].
14. Setoodeh, Ramin. (2020-03-12). "'Contagion' Screenwriter on Coronavirus, Donald Trump and What We Can Do". [[Variety (magazine).
15. Gajewski, Ryan. (April 1, 2025). "Luca Guadagnino Teases New ‘American Psycho’ Movie".
16. (2025-10-20). "Adam Driver on Jarmusch, 'Star Wars' and putting filmmakers first".
17. Rodrigo Perez. (2025-10-24). "‘The Hunt For Ben Solo’: Steven Soderbergh & Adam Driver’s Secret ‘Star Wars’ Movie Was Greenlit Before Disney Pulled The Plug [Exclusive]".
18. "Bristol Live - latest local news, sport & business from Bristol".
19. The Public Theater. (2014-04-18). "The Library". The Public Theater.
20. Healy, Patrick. (2014-01-16). "Soderbergh to Direct New Play at Public Theater". The New York Times.
21. Rooney, David. (2014-01-16). "Steven Soderbergh to Direct Off-Broadway Play Starring Chloe Grace Moretz". The Hollywood Reporter.