RICHARD OUTTEN
Screenwriter
A graduate of USC’s School of Cinematic Arts, Richard Outten earned his MFA from the Peter Stark Motion Picture Producing Program. Immediately following graduation, he began a career as a screenwriter. Outten’s writing credits include Warner Bros' hit film JOURNEY 2: THE MYSTERIOUS ISLAND. Released in 2012, the film grossed $335 million at the box office worldwide during its initial theatrical run. The film stars Dwayne Johnson, Sir Michael Caine, Josh Hutcherson, Vanessa Hudgens and Luis Guzman.
Just out of film school, Outten was hired by Oscar-winning director Franklin J. Schaffner (PATTON, PLANET OF THE APES) to work on the script for LIONHEART, an historical epic starring Gabriel Byrne and Eric Stoltz. Francis Ford Coppola, originally slated to direct the film, served as Executive Producer. Outten then shared screenplay credit (with Chris Columbus) on LITTLE NEMO: ADVENTURES IN SLUMBERLAND, an award-winning animated film based on the classic comic strip by Winsor McCay. Early in his career, Outten came to the attention of Steven Spielberg, who selected him to work on the script for the Spielberg-produced GREMLINS 2, which resulted in an exclusive multi-year writing deal at Warner Bros. Among the screenplays he wrote for the studio was an unproduced sequel to THE GOONIES. Following his contract at Warner Bros., Outten penned a number of scripts at Paramount, including the sequel to Stephen King’s PET SEMATARY.
Over the years Outten has scripted projects for every major Hollywood studio, including five screenplays at Warner Bros, three at Paramount Pictures and two each for 20th Century Fox and the Walt Disney Company. He has worked for producers Steven Spielberg, Gale Anne Hurd, Joel Silver, Peter Guber, Doug Wick, Jon Jashni, Guy Riedel, Jeffrey Boam, Beau Flynn and Carlton Cuse.
While his primary focus has been motion pictures, Outten has also written for television. He was a writer on the critically-acclaimed and cult favorite Fox TV series THE ADVENTURES OF BRISCO COUNTY, JR. Other TV work includes the made-for-pay-cable movie LAST RITES, starring Randy Quaid and Embeth Davidtz, which premiered on Starz/Encore!, a pilot for CBS and scripts for AMAZING STORIES and TALES FROM THE CRYPT.
Outten and Producer Guy Riedel (WEDDING CRASHERS, SUPER 8) have optioned the rights to Ben Mikaelsen’s acclaimed novel, Petey. Outten has written the screenplay and will produce alongside Riedel. Outten is also developing EXPEDITIONS UNLIMITED, an adventure franchise based on the real-life experiences of internationally-renowned underwater explorer and treasure preservationist Barry Clifford. And he is teamed with X-FILES alum Darin Morgan on ARCANE MASS, a supernatural TV series based on the works of H.P. Lovecraft, for which Outten has completed the pilot script. Outten and Morgan will serve as Executive Producers on the series. Currently, Outten is writing a novel. The plotline is under wraps.