Kurt Johnstad is an American screenwriter. He has worked on several films including 300, for which he was nominated for a Saturn Award, along with Michael Gordon and Zack Snyder. He also wrote the screenplays for Act of Valor, 300: Rise of an Empire and Atomic Blonde, and was tapped to write one of two competing screenplays for Aquaman; Will Beall's script was eventually chosen for the film.
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Biography from TMDB.
- Wisconsin, USA
- Writer and producer
- 17 on Motif · 21 credits in all
What are Kurt Johnstad's films like?
Across their 10 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Bonds and Morality.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 10
Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 8
A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 5
Gentle 1 · Charged 0 · Intense 9
Steady 1 · Shifting 9 · Whiplash 0
Straight-faced 10 · Some laughs 0 · Funny 0
Slow burn 2 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 4
Casual 2 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 2
Easy watch 0 · Affecting 7 · Heavy 3
Resolved 7 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy2
- Bittersweet5
- Ambiguous3
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Kurt Johnstad's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 17 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Kurt Johnstad's titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Motif score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
21 credits, 17 with a Motif page.
The Last Photograph(2026)
Motif score: 21st percentile of all films
Motif score: 27th percentile of all films
The Domestics(2018)
Motif score: 36th percentile of all films
Atomic Blonde(2017)
Motif score: 69th percentile of all films
A Shot in the Dark(2017)
Motif score: 92nd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
300: Rise of an Empire(2014)
Motif score: 44th percentile of all films
Act of Valor(2012)
Motif score: 58th percentile of all films
300(2006)
Motif score: 88th percentile of all films
True Vengeance(1997)
Motif score: 15th percentile of all films
Body Snatchers(1993)
Motif score: 45th percentile of all films
The Fear Inside (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1992)
Mistress(1992)
Motif score: 23rd percentile of all films
Ruby(1992)
Motif score: 22nd percentile of all films
Megaville(1990)
Motif score: 5th percentile of all films
The Rapture(1991)
Motif score: 57th percentile of all films
Delusion(1991)
Motif score: 41st percentile of all films
Mr. Destiny(1990)
Motif score: 53rd percentile of all filmsBlood and Ashes (not in the Motif catalog yet)
Brawler (not in the Motif catalog yet)
Untitled Zack Snyder LAPD Film (not in the Motif catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 20 titles, 17 of them dated from 1990 to 2026.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Motif score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.
How do Kurt Johnstad's films land?
Their typical Motif film has a Motif score in the 43rd percentile, the median of the 16 of 17 with a score; across their 10 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 41st percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up2
- 50th to 74th4
- 25th to 49th5
- Below 25th5
Shape of the crowd
8 of their 16 titles are Mixed.
- Universally Panned1
- Crowd Pleaser4
- Broadly Agreed3
- Mixed8
Reviewers score the dialogue 31/100 and the plot and story 30/100 in their films, across 9 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Motif score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Kurt Johnstad's work okay for kids?
Across up to 7 Motif titles with content scores, violence & gore, sex & nudity, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Kurt Johnstad work with?
People who share at least 2 of Kurt Johnstad's Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Zack Snyder shares the most, 5.
Directors
- Zack SnyderShared titles: The Last Photograph (2026), Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024), Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023), 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), 300 (2006)See all 5 shared titles with Zack Snyder
Writers
- Shay HattenShared titles: Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024), Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)See all 2 shared titles with Shay Hatten
- Frank MillerShared titles: 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), 300 (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Frank Miller
Actors
- Fra FeeShared titles: The Last Photograph (2026), Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024), Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)See all 3 shared titles with Fra Fee
- Sofia BoutellaShared titles: Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024), Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023), Atomic Blonde (2017)See all 3 shared titles with Sofia Boutella
- Anthony HopkinsShared titles: Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024), Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)See all 2 shared titles with Anthony Hopkins
- Bae DoonaShared titles: Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024), Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)See all 2 shared titles with Bae Doona
Composers and editors
- Tom HolkenborgShared titles: Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024), Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023), 300: Rise of an Empire (2014)See all 3 shared titles with Tom Holkenborg
- Dody DornShared titles: Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024), Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)See all 2 shared titles with Dody Dorn
- Tyler BatesShared titles: Atomic Blonde (2017), 300 (2006)See all 2 shared titles with Tyler Bates
Producers
- Deborah SnyderShared titles: The Last Photograph (2026), Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024), Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023), 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), 300 (2006)See all 5 shared titles with Deborah Snyder
- Wesley CollerShared titles: The Last Photograph (2026), Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024), Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023), 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), 300 (2006)See all 5 shared titles with Wesley Coller
- Gianni NunnariShared titles: The Last Photograph (2026), The Domestics (2018), 300: Rise of an Empire (2014), 300 (2006)See all 4 shared titles with Gianni Nunnari
- Eric NewmanShared titles: Rebel Moon - Part Two: The Scargiver (2024), Rebel Moon - Part One: A Child of Fire (2023)See all 2 shared titles with Eric Newman
