Alex Kurtzman, Roberto Orci Ink TV deal

By our guest blogger, Matt Jussim

Writing partners Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci have decided to put down some TV roots, signing a three- year deal with Fox, says The Hollywood Reporter.

According to the Hollywood Reporter: The successful feature writers, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, who made a return to the small screen with Fox's "Fringe" and CBS' reinvention of "Hawaii 5-0" this pilot season, have inked their first TV studio deal--a rich three-year overall pact with 20th Century Fox TV.

Under the deal, which begins March 1, the duo will launch a TV production company. They plan to write projects as well as work with other scribes--people they bring in or talent from 20th TV's roster. To do that, Kurtzman and Orci plan to build an infrastructure and hire executives.

Said Fox Chairman Dana Walden: “Our ideal producers are like Alex and Bob, who are incredibly versatile and talent magnets for their peers in the writing community, for actors and directors.”

Orci said the two wanted to get their DreamWorks-based feature company up and running before making a move into television.

Their biggest test came just before the November 2007 WGA strike, when they had to get four movies ready for production: "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" and "Star Trek," which they co-wrote, and "Eagle Eye" and "The Proposal," the first films developed through their company that they produced. Add to that the "Fringe" pilot, which they were shepherding with co-creator J.J. Abrams at the same time.

Currently Kurtzman and Orci are working on a "Star Trek" sequel and the Daniel Craig starrer "Cowboys & Aliens" on the feature side, while continuing to serve as consulting producers on "Fringe" and executive producers on CBS/CBS Studios' "Hawaii 5-0," which they co-wrote with Peter Lenkov.

Kurtzman and Orci have shown that they are some of the best writers (especially science fiction) in the industry. “Star Trek” was one of the best films of 2009, and although I thought their story for "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen" was a mess, I’ll chalk that up the writer’s strike and give them a pass.

They already have had some success on TV with “Fringe” and that should continue in the near future thanks in part to the deal. They are very talented writers and I think their upcoming projects, as well as their production company, have a bright future ahead of them.

The deal will kick in March 1, 2010.