Justin Kuritzkes

Justin Kuritzkes (born May 5, 1990) is an American playwright, novelist, and screenwriter best known for writing the scripts for two of Luca Guadagnino's films, Challengers and Queer.^[1] He has also been the subject of media coverage because of his activities on YouTube, such as the 2011 video "Potion Seller".^[2][3]

Justin Kuritzkes
Born	(1990-05-05) May 5, 1990 (age 34) Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Education	Brown University (BA)
Occupations	Playwright novelist screenwriter
Years active	2011–present
Spouse	Celine Song ​ (m. 2016)​

Early life and education

Kuritzkes was born and raised in Los Angeles, California to a Jewish family.^[4][5] His father is a gastroenterologist and his mother practiced real estate law.^[6]

In 2008, Kuritzkes graduated from Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles.^[7]

Kuritzkes attended Brown University where he studied philosophy and literary arts. At Brown, Kuritzkes studied with playwrights Gregory Moss, Lisa D'Amour, and Erik Ehn, participated in Production Workshop,^[8] and was involved in local protests affiliated with the Occupy movement.^[5][9] Kuritzkes graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2012.^[10]

Career

Kuritzkes's one-act play An Autobiography of my Brother, first written for the 2008 Harvard-Westlake Playwrights Festival, was among the works honored at the 2010 Young Playwrights Competition.^[7]

Beginning during his time at Brown University, Kuritzkes uploaded videos recorded using the Photo Booth application to Youtube.^[1] The most famous of these videos, Potion Seller, went viral online and inspired parodies in publications including The New Yorker.^[11]

Kuritzkes received a MacDowell Fellowship in both 2012 and 2016.^[5] In 2016, his play The Sensuality Party toured the university circuit of New York state.^[12][13] He released the novel Famous People in 2019.^[14][15]

In 2021, Kuritzkes's spec script Challengers was featured on the annual edition of The Black List, which was then adapted into a feature film directed by Luca Guadagnino.^[16] Ahead of the film's release, he was named one of the top 10 screenwriters to watch in 2023 by Variety.^[17] He also adapted William S. Burroughs' 1985 novel Queer for a film directed by Guadagnino.^[18]

In April 2024, Variety reported that Kuritzkes would write the screen adaptation of the Don Winslow novel City on Fire, set to star Austin Butler.^[19]

In June 2024 he was announced to be developing an untitled film with Jude Law, reportedly inspired by the works of Mike Nichols.^[20]

In November 2024, it was announced he had penned a feature film based on the DC character Sgt. Rock, which would reunite him with Queer collaborators Luca Guadagnino and Daniel Craig.^[21]

Personal life

Kuritzkes has been married to filmmaker Celine Song since June 11, 2016. They live together in New York City.^[22][23]

Filmography

Key

†	Denotes films that have not yet been released

Year	Title	Notes
2024	Challengers	—
	Queer	Also executive producer

Awards and nominations

Award	Year	Category	Work	Result	Ref.
Astra Film Awards	2024	Best Original Screenplay	Challengers	Nominated	[24]
Astra Midseason Movie Awards	2024	Best Screenplay		Won	[25]
Chicago Film Critics Association	2024	Best Original Screenplay		Nominated	[26]
Critics' Choice Movie Awards	2025	Best Original Screenplay		Pending	[27]
San Diego Film Critics Society	2024	Best Original Screenplay		Runner-up	[28]
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association	2024	Best Original Screenplay		Nominated	[29]
Winter IndieWire Honors	2024	Impact Award[a]		Won	[30]

Bibliography

• Famous People: a novel (2019). New York: Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 978-1-250-30902-0

Notes

1. Shared with Luca Guadagnino, Amy Pascal, and Rachel O'Connor

References

1. Reijn, Halina. "What Drove Justin Kuritzkes to Write the Year's Horniest Movie?". Interview Magazine. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
2. "The Creator of the 2011 Viral Video 'Potion Seller' Reflects on the Infamous Meme a Decade Later". Laughing Squid. June 23, 2021. Archived from the original on August 3, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
3. Sung, Morgan (October 14, 2018). "The 'Potion Seller' guy is still making videos, and it's glorious". Mashable. Archived from the original on September 28, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
4. "'Past Lives' Director Celine Song and Greta Lee Talk Endings and Beginnings (Exclusive)". Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. February 8, 2024. Retrieved May 15, 2024. seated between her husband, the Jewish-American writer Justin Kuritzkes
5. "Justin Kuritzkes". MacDowell Fellowships. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
6. Coleman, Madeline Leung (April 23, 2024). "With Challengers, Justin Kuritzkes Serves an Ace". Vulture. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
7. Rothberg, Daniel. "Long Roads for Short Plays". The Harvard-Westlake Chronicle. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
8. "PW drama draws the audience in 'Closer'". The Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
9. "Occupiers see lack of campus engagement with movement". The Brown Daily Herald. Retrieved May 29, 2024.
10. "Brown University: The Two Hundred and Forty-Fourth Commencement" (PDF). Brown University. May 27, 2012.
11. "Your Strongest Potion". The New Yorker. October 26, 2018. Archived from the original on November 30, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
12. "Discovery: Justin Kuritzkes". Interview Magazine. April 26, 2016. Archived from the original on October 16, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
13. Clement, Olivia (April 25, 2016). "The Sensuality Party Begins Performances Tonight". Playbill. Archived from the original on August 7, 2020. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
14. Stephens, Christopher John (August 19, 2019). "'Famous People' Splashes in the Puddle of a Shallow Pop Star, PopMatters". PopMatters. Archived from the original on July 2, 2022. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
15. "Summer, by the Book". The New Yorker. July 26, 2019. Archived from the original on July 28, 2021. Retrieved September 23, 2021.
16. Kroll, Justin (February 11, 2022). "Luca Guadagnino Sets Zendaya, Josh O'Connor & Mike Faist To Star In 'Challengers' For MGM And Amy Pascal". Deadline. Archived from the original on June 23, 2022. Retrieved August 18, 2022.
17. "Variety's 10 Screenwriters to Watch for 2023 Include Scribes for 'The Marvels,' 'Rustin' and 'The Color Purple'". Variety. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
18. Vivarelli, Nick (April 21, 2023). "Drew Starkey to Star With Daniel Craig in Luca Guadagnino's 'Queer' With Filming Starting This Month in Italy (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved April 21, 2023.
19. Fleming, Mike Jr. "Sony's 3000 Taps 'Challengers' Justin Kuritzkes To Adapt Don Winslow's 'City On Fire' For Austin Butler; 'Barbie's David Heyman Boards Trilogy". Variety. Retrieved April 26, 2024.
20. Bergeson, Samantha (June 7, 2024). "Jude Law Is Developing a Mike Nichols-Inspired Film with 'Challengers' Scribe Justin Kuritzkes". IndieWire. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
21. Kroll, Justin; D'Alessandro, Anthony (November 20, 2024). "Daniel Craig & Luca Guadagnino Eyeing Post 'Queer' Reteam In DC Studios' 'Sgt. Rock' – The Dish". Deadline. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
22. Dalton, Ben (February 19, 2023). "Celine Song talks debut feature 'Past Lives': "It's the script that convinced people I can do this"". Screen. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
23. Rao, Mallika (February 19, 2023). "Celine Song on 'Past Lives', Her Debut Movie". Vulture. Retrieved June 20, 2023.
24. Pond, Steve (November 25, 2024). "'Wicked' Leads Nominations for Astra Film Awards". TheWrao. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
25. Neglia, Matt (July 3, 2024). "The 2024 Hollywood Creative Alliance (HCA) Midseason Astra Award Winners". Next Best Picture. Archived from the original on July 9, 2024. Retrieved July 3, 2024.
26. https://chicagofilmcritics.org/
27. "FILM NOMINATIONS ANNOUNCED FOR THE 30TH ANNUAL CRITICS CHOICE AWARDS HOSTED BY CHELSEA HANDLER – Critics Choice Awards". Retrieved December 12, 2024.
28. Critics, San Diego Film (December 6, 2024). "2024 San Diego Film Critics Society Nominations". San Diego Film Critics Society. Retrieved December 7, 2024.
29. "2024 WAFCA Award Winners". WAFCA. Retrieved December 9, 2024.
30. Jones, Kate Erbland,Marcus (November 14, 2024). "Denis Villeneuve, Pamela Anderson, Steve McQueen, and More to Be Celebrated at IndieWire Honors". IndieWire. Retrieved November 15, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)

External links

External videos
"'Challengers' Writer Made the Viral 2011 'Potion Seller' Video"— 2021 interview with Know Your Meme

• Justin Kuritzkes on YouTube
• Justin Kuritzkes at IMDb