Kurt Johnstad

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, Atomic Blonde, and The Last Photograph, and was tapped to write one of two competing screenplays for Aquaman; Will Beall's script was eventually chosen for the film.

Early life and education Johnstad grew up working on a cattle farm in Wisconsin. Among his family were two sisters and his father, an Air Force fighter pilot, and mother, an English teacher. Johnstad graduated high school at 16 and spent a year traveling.

In 2011, Johnstad was working with Snyder to co-write the film The Last Photograph and 300: The Battle of Artemisia (which would eventually become 300: Rise of an Empire) for Warner Bros. His screenplay based on The Coldest City by Antony Johnston was announced that year. The film was titled Atomic Blonde and released on July 28, 2017.

Films Johnstad has been assigned to write screenplays for include The Lost Legion for Warner Bros. and Dan Lin, and Aquaman where another script was concurrently in development, by Will Beall. Beall's script was later used for the film.

Filmography Year Title Writer Executive producer Notes 1997 True Vengeance 2006 300 2012 Act of Valor 2014 300: Rise of an Empire 2017Atomic Blonde 2023 Rebel Moon – Part One: A Child of Fire 2024 Rebel Moon – Part Two: The Scargiver 2026 The Last Photograph