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Ken Kristensen is an American screenwriter, television writer, and comic book author. Kristensen has served as writer-producer on multiple series including Shantaram (Apple TV+/Paramount), The Continental: From the World of John Wick (Peacock/Lionsgate TV), Echo (Disney+/Marvel), Spidey and his Amazing Friends (Disney Junior/Marvel), The Punisher (Netflix/Marvel) and Happy! (SyFy), and authored comic book series published by Image Comics, IDW Publishing, and Dark Horse Comics. His television pilots have been developed at UCP, HBO, FX, A&E, Paramount Network, and Pivot TV. Kristensen is also a member of the Writers Guild of America West, Producers Guild of America, The Animation Guild, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.
| Ken Kristensen | |
|---|---|
 Kristensen at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences | |
| Nationality | American |
| Area(s) | Writer, Producer |
Notable works | Shantaram (Apple TV+/Paramount) The Continental: From the World of John Wick (Peacock/Lionsgate) Echo (Disney+/Marvel) Spidey and His Amazing Friends (Disney Jr./Marvel) The Punisher (Netflix) Happy! (SyFy) Todd, The Ugliest Kid on Earth (Image Comics) |
Career
editKen Kristensen received an MFA from Columbia University Film School. While still in film school he was selected to both the Sundance and IFP labs, and worked as an associate producer under Gary Winick (Charlotte's Web) and Mark Waters (Mean Girls).
After graduating, Ken won the Academy Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, and was a finalist for the Disney Feature Fellowship. He was hired by Pulitzer Prize winner Michael Chabon to write for The Amazing Adventures of The Escapist (a graphic novel spinoff of Chabon's The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay), and is slated for a fall 2015 release by Dark Horse Comics.
Ken co-created the critical and commercial hit Todd, The Ugliest Kid on Earth — an Image Comics (The Walking Dead) series with his longtime creative partner, Eisner-nominated comic book artist M.K. Perker. In 2016, FX purchased the series and commissioned Kristensen to write the pilot. Several other Image Comics series are currently in development.
In 2014 Ken was hired to write Indestructible, a monthly super-hero comic book series created by Jeff Kline (Transformers Prime) and published by IDW/Darby Pop Publishing.[1]
In 2015 Kristensen co-wrote and produced the short film Ronnie BoDean with director Steve Judd, starring Wes Studi.
Marvel's The Punisher—a Netflix TV series created by Steve Lightfoot, starring Jon Bernthal, based on the comic book, began production in 2016 with Kristensen on board as a writer. The show debuted in 2017 to critical and commercial acclaim. Kristensen wrote on season two, which debuted in January 2019.
Kristensen wrote Fairy Godbrothers, a hard cover graphic novel illustrated by M.K. Perker and published by Adaptive Books, August 2017.
In 2018 Scout Comics published Kristensen's comic book series Oblivion, a post-apocalyptic comic book series, with art by Francesco Gaston.
In 2017 Kristensen joined the writing staff of Happy! —a SyFy TV series, starring Christopher Meloni, based on the comic book published by Image Comics, and created by Grant Morrison and Brian Taylor, produced by Original Film and Universal Cable Productions. Season one premiered December 2017 to critical and commercial acclaim and was quickly granted a season two by the network. Kristensen was also on board as writer on season two, which debuted March 2019.
In 2020 Kristensen was writer and Supervising Producer on the Apple TV+ series Shantaram, which premiered in October 2022. He served as Co-Executive Producer on season two, but the show was cancelled before that season was produced.
Kristensen joined the Marvel Studios/Disney+ series Echo in 2021 as writer and Co-Executive Producer. That series is slated for release in 2023.
In 2021/2022 Kristensen served as Co-Executive Producer and writer for the Peacock/Lionsgate John Wick spinoff entitled The Continental: From the World of John Wick, slated for release in 2023.
Bibliography
edit- Oblivion (Scout Comics, 2018–2019)
- Fairy Godbrothers (Adaptive Books, August 2017)
- The Amazing Adventures of The Escapist (Dark Horse Comics, Spring 2018)
- Todd, The Ugliest Kid on Earth #1–8 (Image Comics, January–December 2013)
- Indestructible #5–8 (IDW, April–September 2014)
Filmography
editTelevision
editIn addition to being a writer-producer on Shantaram (Apple TV+/Paramount), The Continental: From the World of John Wick (John Wick spinoff from Peacock/Lionsgate), Echo (Disney+/Marvel), Spidey and His Amazing Friends (Disney Jr/Marvel), The Punisher (Netflix/Marvel) and Happy! (SyFy), Ken served as Producer on four seasons of Jail (Spike), two seasons of Inside American Jail (TruTV), and the TV special Road Warriors (Spike). He has also written and produced pilots for HBO, FX, A&E, Discovery Channel, Paramount Network, and Pivot TV.
- Echo (Season One, Episodes 1, 2, 3 and 4, 2024)
- Shantaram (Season One, Episodes 5 and 12, 2022)
- The Continental: From the World of John Wick (2023)
- Spidey and His Amazing Friends (2021 TV series)
- The Punisher (Season One, Episode 10, 2017; Season Two, Episodes 3 and 9, 2019)
- Happy! (Season One, Episode 6, 2018; Season Two, Episode 4, 2019)
- Futurestates (2012)
- 3.06 - The Sixth World
- Jail (2011)
- Inside American Jail (2007)
Film
edit- "Ronnie BoDean" (2015)
- "The Factory" (2014)
- The Raft (2014)
- Road Warriors (2011)
- Lunar Landing (2008)
- Deadline (2008)
- Dead Man's Morphine (2006)
- Still Center (2005)
- Sorry, Haters (2005)
- The Disappearance of Andy Waxman (2004)
Writer
edit- Lunar Landing (2008)
- La Muerte Es Pequena (2005)
Director
edit- Lunar Landing (2008)
- No Apologies: 'Sorry, Haters' Roundtable (2006)