Writer and producer Roberto Orci has died. He was 51. Orci reportedly passed away in his home on Tuesday following a battle with kidney disease according to his manager in a statement to THR.
Orci was best known for his longtime collaboration with Alex Kurtzman. The pair met at school and together began their careers writing for “Xena: Warrior Princess” and “Hercules: The Legendary Journeys” in the 1990s.
The pair teamed then teamed with J.J. Abrams on spy series “Alias” before he and Kurtzman created the acclaimed sci-fi series “Fringe”. They were Abrams’ go-to writers/producers – working with him on “Mission: Impossible III,” the 2009 “Star Trek” film reboot and that film’s sequel “Star Trek: Into Darkness”.
On film, he and Kurtzman also co-wrote Michael Bay’s first two “Transformers” films and “The Island,” along with Martin Campbell’s “The Legend of Zorro,” Jon Favreau’s “Cowboys & Aliens,” Marc Webb’s “The Amazing Spider-Man 2,” Gavin Hood’s “Ender’s Game,” the two “Now You See Me” films, and Kurtzman’s 2017 “The Mummy” reboot.
On TV, he helped develop over 200 episodes of 2010’s “Hawaii Five-0” reboot, co-created FOX’s “Sleepy Hollow,” executive produced series like “Scorpion,” “Limitless,” “Matador” and “Transformers Prime”.
The Mexico City-born Orci is survived by his father Roberto Orci Sr., mother Macuqui Robau-Garcia, siblings J.R Orci, Taylor Orci, and Courtney Ford.
