Zak Penn Explains Why Jay Knows Nothing About Show Business

Screenwriting legend Zak Penn talks about how he got so savvy in the business of show.  We talk about how coming to LA and scouting out the city geared him up for his big move after college and his sale of “The Last Action Hero” started him on a 35 year journey of being one of Hollywood’s most sought after writers. We talk about the good times with Speilberg, JJ Abrams, Shawn Levy, Ryan Reynolds, & Dwayne Johnson and we talk about the bad times with others.

Bio: Zak Penn’s career began as a screenwriter when he sold his first script, LAST ACTION HERO, at the age of twenty-three. Since then, Penn has become known for his work on numerous films based on Marvel comics, including X-MEN 2 and X-MEN: THE LAST STAND, ELEKTRA, THE INCREDIBLE HULK and THE AVENGERS. He has also dabbled in other genres, writing scripts for disparate films such as P.C.U., BEHIND ENEMY LINES and SUSPECT ZERO.Penn’s shift into independent cinema began when he collaborated with his idol, Werner Herzog, on the script for RESCUE DAWN. Penn directed and co-starred with Herzog in INCIDENT AT LOCH NESS, his award-winning “hoax” documentary about the legendary director’s attempts to make a film about the equally legendary monster. THE GRAND, Penn’s second completely improvised film, was his third film with Herzog, and featured an eclectic cast including Woody Harrelson, David Cross, Ray Romano, Cheryl Hines, Dennis Farina and Gabe Kaplan.

In addition, Penn co-wrote the original story for ANTZ and produced the animated film OSMOSIS JONES. He has also acted in a number of independent films, including STAR MAPS and CHUCK & BUCK. His first foray into television was the critically acclaimed original series ALPHAS starring David Strathairn. Penn directed the documentary ATARI: GAME OVER for Xbox Entertainment Studios.

More recently, Penn adapted the New York Times bestselling novel READY PLAYER ONE for Warner Bros. Directed by Steven Spielberg, the film was released in 2018. Penn also co-wrote the script for the action comedy FREE GUY, starring Ryan Reynolds and Jodie Comer. The film is directed by Shawn Levy and was released in August of 2021.