---
name: "Zak Penn"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/zak-penn"
roles: ["Writer"]
born: "23 March 1968"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 2
average_fi1m_score: 69
average_as: "writer"
average_over: 2
updated: "2026-09-19T11:41:07.781462+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Zak Penn

Writer. Born 23 March 1968 in New York, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Writer
- **Born:** 23 March 1968, New York, USA
- **Active:** 2008–2012
- **Also known as:** 자크 펜, Зак Пенн
- **Average Fi1m score:** 69, as writer, over 2 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 2000s 58 (1), 2010s 80 (1)
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zak_Penn, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q19031, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0672015/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/11011

## Coming up

- *John Doe* (2028-01-14), Screenplay

## Streaming the US now

- **Disney+:** [*The Incredible Hulk*](https://film.one/film/the-incredible-hulk.md) (58)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Biography

Zak Penn (born 23 March 1968) is an American screenwriter. He graduated from Wesleyan University in 1990.

Penn wrote the story for *Last Action Hero* (1993) and served as story consultant on *Antz* (1998). His credits on Marvel adaptations include the story for *X2* (2003), the screenplay for *X-Men: The Last Stand* (2006), the screenplay for *The Incredible Hulk* (2008) and the story for *The Avengers* (2012). He co-wrote the screenplays for *Ready Player One* (2018) and *Free Guy* (2021). With Michael Karnow, he co-created the television series *Alphas* (2011–2012). Penn also directed *Incident at Loch Ness* (2004) and *The Grand* (2007).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (2)

- *The Avengers* (2012), Fi1m 80, Story — [page](https://film.one/film/the-avengers.md)
- *The Incredible Hulk* (2008), Fi1m 58, Screenplay, Screenstory — [page](https://film.one/film/the-incredible-hulk.md)

## Complete filmography (28)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *John Doe* (2028), Screenplay, Producer
- *Stuart Fails to Save the Universe* (2026), series, Writer, Executive Producer, Creator
- *Beacon 23* (2023), series, Writer, Executive Producer, Creator
- *Free Guy* (2021), Screenplay
- *Ready Player One* (2018), Screenplay
- *Grimsby* (2016), Thanks
- *Atari: Game Over* (2014), Director, Writer
- *The Avengers* (2012), Story — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/film/the-avengers.md)
- *Alphas* (2011), series, Writer, Producer, Creator
- *The Incredible Hulk* (2008), Screenplay, Screenstory — Fi1m 58, [page](https://film.one/film/the-incredible-hulk.md)
- *The Grand* (2007), Director, Writer, Producer
- *X-Men: The Last Stand* (2006), Writer
- *Elektra* (2005), Writer
- *Incident at Loch Ness* (2004), Director, Writer
- *Suspect Zero* (2004), Screenplay, Story
- *X2* (2003), Story
- *Ozzy & Drix* (2002), series, Executive Producer
- *Behind Enemy Lines* (2001), Screenplay
- *Osmosis Jones* (2001), as ER Doctor #3 · Producer
- *Nutty Professor II: The Klumps* (2000), Writer
- *Chuck & Buck* (2000), as Josh Weintraub
- *Inspector Gadget* (1999), Screenplay
- *Antz* (1998), Story Consultant
- *Star Maps* (1997), as Carmel County Writer
- *PCU* (1994), as Bathroom Patron · Writer
- *Last Action Hero* (1993), Story
- *Untitled J.J. Abrams Film*, Writer
- *Ready Player Two*, Screenplay

## Gallery

- ![Zak Penn](https://film.one/media/person/106165/gallery-c92e5cdd2edc.jpg) Zak Penn — Kevin Paul, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/38/Zak_Penn_at_San_Diego_Comic_Con_2026.jpg/1280px-Zak_Penn_at_San_Diego_Comic_Con_2026.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Olivia Cooke, T.J. Miller, Ben Mendelsohn and Zak Penn speaking at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Ready Player One", at the San Diego Conventi](https://film.one/media/person/106165/gallery-88098bba5be3.jpg) Olivia Cooke, T.J. Miller, Ben Mendelsohn and Zak Penn speaking at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Ready Player One", at the San Diego Conventi — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/df/Olivia_Cooke%2C_T._J._Miller%2C_Ben_Mendelsohn_%26_Zak_Penn_%2836150772646%29.jpg/1280px-Olivia_Cooke%2C_T._J._Miller%2C_Ben_Mendelsohn_%26_Zak_Penn_%2836150772646%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Scott Mantz, Ernest Cline, Zak Penn, Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Lena Waithe, Ben Mendelsohn, Philip Zhao and Win Morisaki speaking at the 2018 WonderCon, for "](https://film.one/media/person/106165/gallery-bb26f476cda7.jpg) Scott Mantz, Ernest Cline, Zak Penn, Tye Sheridan, Olivia Cooke, Lena Waithe, Ben Mendelsohn, Philip Zhao and Win Morisaki speaking at the 2018 WonderCon, for " — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a0/Scott_Mantz%2C_Ernest_Cline%2C_Zak_Penn%2C_Tye_Sheridan%2C_Olivia_Cooke%2C_Lena_Waithe%2C_Ben_Mendelsohn%2C_Philip_Zhao_%26_Win_Morisaki_%2840210247975%29.jpg/1280px-Scott_Mantz%2C_Ernest_Cline%2C_Zak_Penn%2C_Tye_Sheridan%2C_Olivia_Cooke%2C_Lena_Waithe%2C_Ben_Mendelsohn%2C_Philip_Zhao_%26_Win_Morisaki_%2840210247975%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Zak Penn speaking at the 2018 WonderCon, for "Ready Player One", at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if u](https://film.one/media/person/106165/gallery-5cfbf6a4ffb7.jpg) Zak Penn speaking at the 2018 WonderCon, for "Ready Player One", at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. Please attribute to Gage Skidmore if u — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5f/Zak_Penn_%2826233266187%29.jpg/1280px-Zak_Penn_%2826233266187%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Zak Penn](https://film.one/media/person/106165/gallery-396c7ec58d8a.jpg) Zak Penn — Image via TMDB
- ![Zak Penn speaking at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Ready Player One", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Please att](https://film.one/media/person/106165/gallery-e1b4683faa68.jpg) Zak Penn speaking at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Ready Player One", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Please att — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/ea/Zak_Penn_%2836023644812%29.jpg/1280px-Zak_Penn_%2836023644812%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Zak Penn speaking at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Ready Player One", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Please att](https://film.one/media/person/106165/gallery-f0290879c731.jpg) Zak Penn speaking at the 2017 San Diego Comic Con International, for "Ready Player One", at the San Diego Convention Center in San Diego, California. Please att — Gage Skidmore from Peoria, AZ, United States of America, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/98/Zak_Penn_%2836023644812%29_%28cropped%29.jpg/1280px-Zak_Penn_%2836023644812%29_%28cropped%29.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/zak-penn