While most people with an interest in acting aspire to land their breakout role, screenwriters like Kurt Wimmer spent over a decade searching for a career-defining screenplay. After completing his studies at the University of South Florida, Wimmer graduated with a BFA in Art History. With his eyes fixed on Hollywood, Kurt Wimmer moved to Los Angeles, first as a director before focusing on a career in screenwriting.
Kurt Wimmer’s 2024 screenplay for The Beekeeper has got audiences excited. It has been an amazing start for the action film genre in 2024. However, it isn’t the first Kurt Wimmer’s screenplay to have received positive reviews. Wimmer has collaborated with several screenwriters in several popular films like The Recruit (2003), Street Kings (2008), The Misfits (2021), and Expend4bles (2023). These are 5 Kurt Wimmer’s screenplays that have stood out through the years.
Equilibrium (2002)
Although Equilibrium‘s screenplay was far from being Kurt Wimmer’s first screenplay, it was the screenplay that gave the screenwriter the attention he deserved. Equilibrium (2002) was a critical and commercial flop after its theatrical release; it garnered a new fan base after it was released in video. Kurt Wimmer invented his own style of gun kata (gun fu), which was one of the movie’s highlights. Equilibrium (2002) starred Christian Bale, Emily Watson, Taye Diggs, Sean Bean, and William Fichtner. Wimmer not only wrote Equilibrium‘s screenplay but was also hired as the film’s director.
Ultraviolet (2006)
After Equilibrium (2006), Ultraviolet (2006) was Kurt Wimmer’s next directed film. While also writing its screenplay, Ultraviolet starred Milla Jovovich as its lead actor, playing Violet Song. Although critics panned Ultraviolet (2006) and only managed to break even at the Box Office, it was successful when released in video. Kurt Wimmer later disowned the movie after issues with Screen Gems, the company that produced it. However, because of the success of the film in the home media, Ultraviolet still remains one of Kurt Wimmer’s top screenplays.
Law Abiding Citizen (2009)
Kurt Wimmer ended the 2000s with the Law Abiding Citizen masterpiece screenplay. After the film’s release, Law Abiding Citizen became Wimmer’s highest-grossing screenplay. Directed by F. Gary Gray, Law Abiding Citizen tells the story of a man seeking justice for the death of his family and corrupt officials of the justice system. Casting two of Hollywood’s biggest stars at the time, Jamie Foxx and Gerard Butler, Law Abiding Citizen (2009) smashed Box Office expectations to earn $127.9 million. The movie also became Wimmer’s first screenplay that crossed the $100 million mark at the Box Office.
Salt (2010)
If the success of Law Abiding Citizen (2009) wasn’t enough proof of Kurt Wimmer’s screenwriting genius, he began the 2010s with another Box Office milestone success. Attracting Hollywood’s top talents, Wimmer’s Salt screenplay cast Angelina Jolie alongside Liev Schreiber and Chiwetel Ejiofor as its top cast. Jolie played the lead character, Evelyn Salt, who must go over and beyond to prove she’s not a Russian sleeper agent. Directed by Phillip Noyce, Salt grossed $293.5 million during its theatrical run. Interestingly, Kurt Wimmer initially wrote the screenplay with a male protagonist before Brian Helgeland rewrote it for Angelina Jolie to play the role. Tom Cruise reportedly was interested in playing the protagonist when he first saw Kurt Wimmer’s original screenplay.
Children of the Corn (2020)
The last time Kurt Wimmer directed a screenplay he wrote was in 2006 with Ultraviolet. After a fallout with the production company about his directing, Wimmer stayed away from the director’s chair for over a decade. His return to direct his Children of the Corn screenplay marked the end of his 14 years of directing hiatus. The supernatural slasher screenplay was also a deviation from his known action, thriller, and science fiction genre. Wimmer’s Children of the Corn was a reboot of the series and became the eleventh installment in the Children of the Corn series.
However, critics panned Wimmer’s screenplay and direction, and it was the last time the screenwriter directed a feature film. That same year, the supernatural horror thriller Spell was also released. Kurt Wimmer wrote the film’s screenplay. With the two horror screenplays flopping at the Box Office and receiving negative reviews from critics, Wimmer returned to writing screenplays in the action genre. Before his screenplay for The Beekeeper (2024), Kurt Wimmer co-wrote The Misfits‘ screenplay with Robert Henny and partly worked on the scripts for Expend4bles (2023).
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