Alex Kurtzman is going independent while also deepening his relationship with Universal Studios.
The writer/director/producer (“Star Trek,” “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” “Transformers”) has formed a new company called Secret Hideout, which has signed a three-year production agreement with Universal.
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“Kurtzman will focus on developing compelling filmmaker-driven projects and deeper storytelling narratives with an eye toward franchise and multi-quadrant films,” the studio said.
He will be joined at Secret Hideout by Jeb Brody, Focus Features president of production, and Bobby Cohen, president of K/O Paper Products.
Also read: ‘Amazing Spider-Man 2’ Writers Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci End Big-Screen Partnership
“I adore the entire team at Universal: from Jeff Shell and Donna Langley‘s hands-on leadership and global vision, to Jeff Kirschenbaum and Peter Cramer‘s unwavering partnership, I’m so proud to keep building my home here at Universal, where so many of my favorite movies were made,” Kurtzman said in a statement. “Jeb and Bobby have extraordinary taste, strong filmmaker relationships and a deep well of production experience on movies of all sizes, which makes them ideal partners in this new chapter. It’s our mission to make Secret Hideout a haven for writers and directors and the projects that inspire them most.”
Kurtzman is already working on reviving Universal’s famed monster movie franchise, with a reboot of “The Mummy” due out in June 2016.