Koji Steven Sakai at the 2010 CAPE Soiree

Koji Steven Sakai is an American screenwriter and producer. He has written the screenplay for ''

The People I've Slept With ''The People I've Slept With'' is a 2009 American Sex comedy, sex comedy film directed by Quentin Lee. Plot Angela Yang (Karin Anna Cheung) is a young woman who enjoys sex and has had a number of partners. As mementos, she photographs her lovers ...

'' (2009), a romantic comedy film directed by

Quentin Lee Quentin Lee (; born 1971) is a Hong Kong-born Canadian-American film writer, director, and producer. He is most notable for the television series ''Comedy InvAsian'' and feature films ''The People I've Slept With'' (2009), ''Ethan Mao'' (2004), ...

and starring

Karin Anna Cheung Karin Anna Cheung (born November 2, 1974) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, and artist. Early life and education In 1998, Cheung graduated from California State University, Northridge, with a degree in art. Career Cheung's firs ...

and

Archie Kao Archie Kao ( Chinese: 高聖遠) is an American actor and producer. He is best known to American audiences for series regulars roles on '' Chicago P.D.'', '' Power Rangers Lost Galaxy'' as well as long-running hit '' CSI: Crime Scene Investigat ...

as well as

Wilson Cruz Wilson Cruz (born Wilson Echevarría; December 27, 1973) is an American actor known for playing Rickie Vasquez on ''My So-Called Life'', Dr. Hugh Culber on '' Star Trek: Discovery'', and the recurring character Junito on '' Noah's Arc''. As a g ...

Lynn Chen Lynn Chen () is a Taiwanese-American actress and singer. She is best known for playing Vivian Shing in the film '' Saving Face'', a role for which she won the "Outstanding Newcomer Award" at the 2006 Asian Excellence Awards. She writes the popu ...

Randall Park Randall Park (born March 23, 1974) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is best known for his roles as Agent Jimmy Woo in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, FBI Special Agent Edwin Park in the Netflix series '' The Residence'' (2025), Louis Hu ...

James Shigeta James Saburo Shigeta (; June 17, 1929 – July 28, 2014) was an American actor and singer. He was known for his roles in ''The Crimson Kimono'' (1959), ''Walk Like a Dragon'' (1960), ''Flower Drum Song (film), Flower Drum Song'' (1961), ''B ...

and more. He also served as a producer for that film. In addition, Sakai, along with Naoko Ihara Witmer, has co-written the screenplay for a horror film entitled ''The Haunted Highway'' (2006) which was directed by Junichi Suzuki; it was distributed by

Lions Gate Lions Gate, Lion Gate or similar terms may refer to: Gates *Lion Gate at Mycenae in Greece *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the ancient Hittite city of Hattusa, now in Turkey *Lion Gate, one of the entrances to the gardens of Hampton Court Pala ...

DVD in 2005. In 2013, he wrote and produced the "first Asian American serial killer film" entitled ''Chink'', starring

Jason Tobin Jason Tobin (born 12 July 1975), credited in Chinese as To Jun Wai ( zh, 杜俊緯) is a Hong Kong-British film and television actor. He is known for his role as Young Jun in the HBO MAX series ''Warrior'' and as Mr. Lao in the Disney+ series ...

Eugenia Yuan Eugenia Yuan is an American actress and former rhythmic gymnast who has won a Hong Kong Film Award. Early life On January 22, 1976, Yuan was born in Inglewood, California, Inglewood, Los Angeles county, California. Yuan's mother is Cheng Pei ...

Tzi Ma Tzi Ma (;) is a Hong Kong-American actor. He has appeared in television shows including '' The Man in the High Castle'' and '' 24'', and films including ''Dante's Peak'', ''Rush Hour'', ''Rush Hour 3'', '' Arrival'', '' The Farewell'', ''Tiger ...

and more, which was directed by Stanley Yung and produced by

. For ''Chink'', lead actor

won a Special Jury Prize for Best Actor or "Breakout Performance" at the 2013

Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival The Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) – formerly known as VC FilmFest – is an annual film festival presented by Visual Communications (VC). It was established in 1983 by Linda Mabalot as a vehicle to promote Asian Pacific Amer ...

. In June 2012, Sakai's screenplay ''Romeo, Juliet & Rosaline'' was selected by

Amazon Studios Amazon MGM Studios is an American film and television production and distribution company owned by Amazon, and headquartered at the Culver Studios complex in Culver City, California. Launched on November 16, 2010, it took its current name on O ...

for its Movie Development Slate. The comedy script is co-written with Emily Brauer Rogers and focuses on Rosaline, Romeo’s original crush. ''Monster & Me'' was released in November 2012. Sakai wrote and produced the feature film '' The Commando'', starring

Michael Jai White Michael Jai White (born November 10, 1967) is an American actor, martial artist, and director. Though he has appeared in a variety of genres, White is best known for his Action film, action and martial arts films. His first major starring role an ...

and Oscar nominee

Mickey Rourke Philip Andre "Mickey" Rourke Jr. ( ; born September 16, 1952) is an American actor and former professional Boxing, boxer who has appeared primarily as a leading actor, leading man in drama, action, and thriller films. In a Mickey Rourke filmogra ...

and directed by Asif Akbar. ''The Commando'' was released by

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

in January 2022. Sakai's feature film '' Skeletons in the Closet'' recently completed production in Las Vegas. It was directed by Lance Kawas and Asif Akbar and stars Oscar nominee

Terrence Howard Terrence Dashon Howard (born March 11, 1969) is an American actor performing on film and television. He has received a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award as well as nominations for an Academy Awards, Academy Award, a Golden ...

(''

Hustle & Flow ''Hustle & Flow'' is a 2005 American drama film written and directed by Craig Brewer. The film stars Terrence Howard as a Memphis hustler and pimp who dreams of becoming a rapper. The ensemble cast includes Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Ta ...

'', ''

Empire An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...

''), Oscar winner

Cuba Gooding Jr Cuba Mark Gooding Jr. (born January 2, 1968) is an American actor. His accolades include an Academy Award and a Golden Globe Award, in addition to a nomination for a Primetime Emmy Award. Gooding's breakthrough was in the film ''Boyz n the Hood ...

(''

Jerry Maguire ''Jerry Maguire'' is a 1996 American sports comedy-drama film directed and written by Cameron Crowe. It was produced by Crowe and James L. Brooks for Gracie Films and distributed by TriStar Pictures. It stars Tom Cruise as the titular spor ...

''),

Clifton Powell Clifton Powell (born March 16, 1956) is an American actor who primarily plays supporting roles in films, such as in '' Ray'' (2004), for which he received an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture nomination. Ca ...

(''Ray''), and Valery M. Ortiz ('' 2 Minutes of Fame''). Sakai was credited as a writer and producer on this project. In addition, shooting for Sakai's latest indie thriller film ''Boneyard'' commenced in early 2023 in Las Vegas. The project stars

Mel Gibson Mel Columcille Gerard Gibson (born January 3, 1956) is an American actor and filmmaker. The recipient of List of awards and nominations received by Mel Gibson, multiple accolades, he is known for directing historical films as well for his act ...

and Curtis "50 Cent" Jackson and is directed by Asif Akbar; Sakai is credited as a co-writer. In February 2015, Sakai's debut novel ''Romeo & Juliet Vs. Zombies'' was released by Luthando Coeur, the fantasy imprint of Zharmae Publishing Press. Sakai has also graduated from the

University of Southern California The University of Southern California (USC, SC, or Southern Cal) is a Private university, private research university in Los Angeles, California, United States. Founded in 1880 by Robert M. Widney, it is the oldest private research university in ...

's Masters of Professional Writing program and has also held several filmmaking fellowships, including Visual Communications "Armed With A Camera" Fellowship for Emerging Media Artists and Film Independent's Project Involve. He currently lives in Los Angeles and is also affiliated with the

Japanese American National Museum The is located in Los Angeles, California, and dedicated to preserving the history and culture of Japanese Americans. Founded in 1992, it is located in the Little Tokyo area near downtown. The museum is an affiliate within the Smithsonian Affi ...

. He is also a contributor to 8-Asians.com and Discover Nikkei. He wrote the screenplay the 2024 film '' Damaged'', starring Samuel L. Jackson and

Vincent Cassel Vincent Cassel (; ; born 23 November 1966) is a French actor. He has earned a César Awards, César Award and a Canadian Screen Awards, Canadian Screen Award as well as nominations for a European Film Awards, European Film Award and a Screen Ac ...

References

External links

*
Koji Steven Sakai on AliveNotDeadKoji Steven Sakai
, Little Nalu Pictures LLC {{DEFAULTSORT:Sakai, Koji Steven American male screenwriters Living people Year of birth missing (living people)