In this episode, I break it down with accomplished screenwriter, director, and producer Zak Penn, known for his work on a long list of amazing movies, including “Free Guy,” “Ready Player One,” “X-Men 2,” “X-Men: The Last Stand,” “Elektra,” “The Incredible Hulk,” and “The Avengers.” Zak sold his first script, “Last Action Hero,” at the age of twenty-three. Since then he has written, directed, and/or produced TV series and films, including his award-winning “hoax” documentary “Incident At Loch Ness,” starring Werner Herzog, and improvised indie feature “The Grand,” which also featured Herzog and an eclectic cast including Woody Harrelson, David Cross, Ray Romano, Cheryl Hines, and Dennis Farina.
Join us as Zak and I talk about writing Marvel movies, improvising with Herzog, working with Steven Spielberg, and playing basketball with Ben Affleck. From winning a car on MTV’s “Remote Control,” to being Mike White’s playwriting TA at Wesleyan, to the current WGA-AMPTP negotiations, Zak and I explore his prolific career, expansive network, the state of our industry, and his words of wisdom: “Turn disappointment into motivation.”
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