Roberto Orci, ‘Star Trek,’ ‘Transformers’ and ‘Hawaii Five-0’ Writer-Producer, Dies at 51
Roberto Orci, the writer and producer behind franchises like Star Trek, Hawaii Five-0 and Transformers, has died. He was 51.
Orci died Tuesday in his home in Los Angeles following a battle with kidney disease, his manager told The Hollywood Reporter.
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Orci began his career as a writer on Xena: Warrior Princess and Hercules: The Legendary Journeys in the late 1990s.
For a time, Orci was among the hottest screenwriters in Hollywood. He and partner Alex Kurtzman had hands in multiple franchises, with the duo earning credit on J.J. Abrams’ Star Trek (2009) and Star Trek Into Darkness (2013), Michael’s Bay’s Transformers (2009) and Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (2009) and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014).
The duo was also entrusted to expand Sony’s Spider-Man universe on films that never came to fruition, such as Amazing Spider-Man 3 that would have starred Andrew Garfield and a Venom movie that was scrapped before Tom Hardy’s incarnation. The duo also worked on The Mummy, Now You See Me, Ender’s Game, Cowboys & Aliens, The Proposal and Mission: Impossible III.
For television, he was among those who developed Hawaii Five-0 and was also heavily involved with Sleepy Hollow, Matador, Transformers Prime, Fringe and Alias.
His latest venture was Rubber Room Media, a writer-driven production company.
Orci was born in Mexico City and moved to the U.S. when he was 10. He is survived by his father, Roberto Orci Sr.; mother Macuqui Robau-Garcia; siblings J.R Orci, Taylor Orci and Courtney Ford; and his dog, Bogey.
“He was a visionary storyteller with a boundless heart and a beautiful soul,” his brother J.R. said in a statement. “But beyond his creative talents, he was a compassionate friend who would put his life on hold to help a stranger and find room in his home for the most overlooked pup at the shelter.”
A representative from Fox Entertainment also noted that the company, which worked with Orci on Fringe and Sleepy Hollow, “is saddened by the loss of our friend and colleague,” and that Orci “was an incredibly talented creator, writer and executive producer.”
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