Kyle Killen is an American

television writer A screenwriter (also called scriptwriter, scribe, or scenarist) is a person who practices the craft of writing for visual mass media, known as screenwriting. These can include short films, feature-length films, television programs, television ...

and producer. He is best known as the creator and showrunner of the critically acclaimed but short-lived television series '' Lone Star'' (2010), '' Awake'' (2012) and ''

Mind Games Mind games (also power games or head games) are actions performed for reasons of psychological one-upmanship, often employing passive–aggressive behavior to specifically demoralize or dis-empower the thinking subject, making the aggressor ...

'' (2014). He also wrote the screenplay of

Jodie Foster Alicia Christian "Jodie" Foster (born November 19, 1962) is an American actress and filmmaker. Foster started her career as a child actor before establishing herself as leading actress in film. She has received List of awards and nominations re ...

's '' The Beaver'' (2011).

Early life and education

Killen was born in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

and moved with his family to Burleson, Texas when he was three.Dale Roe
"'Lone Star' creator Kyle Killen calls Austin home"
''Austin American-Statesman'', September 24, 2010. He is a graduate of the film school at 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 ...

.Rob Owen
"Kyle Killen: Sought-after scribe feels like outsider. 10 TV Scribes to Watch"
'' Variety'', Jun 14, 2011.

Career

Killen is the creator of the short-lived series '' Lone Star'' and '' Awake''. He recently created the drama series ''

'' for ABC. He also wrote the feature film '' The Beaver'', filmed in 2009 and released in 2011. It was directed by Jodie Foster and starred Jodie Foster and

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 ...

. A second film written by Killen, 2013's '' Scenic Route'', was directed by Kevin and Michael Goetz. His directorial debut is ''Mind Gamess season finale ''As God Is My Witness''. In June, 2016, Killen revised Jeremy Slater's draft of

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...

of ''

Death Note ''Death Note'' (stylized in all caps) is a Japanese manga series written by Tsugumi Ohba and illustrated by Takeshi Obata. It was serialized in Shueisha's Shōnen manga, manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 2003 to ...

''. On June 28, 2018, Killen was hired as showrunner and executive producer of the '' Halo'' series. On June 25, 2021, Killen left the role of showrunner and executive producer of the '' Halo'' series.

Personal life

Until starting work on '' Awake'', Killen had been based in

Austin, Texas Austin ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Texas. It is the county seat and most populous city of Travis County, Texas, Travis County, with portions extending into Hays County, Texas, Hays and W ...

. After graduating from USC and leaving Los Angeles, he wrote short fiction and first-person journalism. While working at what he called "real jobs" (computer support, construction), Killen found it hard to give up screenplay-writing. In a last-ditch effort, he returned to L.A., dressed up as a courier and dropped copies of a script at every agency he could find. Six months later, one of those agents called. "That script probably wasn't deserving of getting produced," he told the trade publication '' Variety'' in a 2011 "10 TV Scribes to Watch" feature, "but it got me a teeny, tiny toe in the door." Killen told the ''Austin American-Statesman'' in 2010 that "I quit, but I never really quit. I took a lot of horrible, crazy jobs, but I always ended up writing about them or writing things that came out of them." Killen is married to an ER doctor;Philiana Ng
"'Awake' Creator Revisits Complexities of Dual Realities and 'Lone Star' Woes (Q&A)"
''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'', February 28, 2012. the couple have three children.

References

External links

*
Q & A with Kyle Killen and Howard GordonKyle Killen at blogspot
{{DEFAULTSORT:Killen, Kyle American male screenwriters Television producers from Illinois Living people People from Burleson, Texas USC School of Cinematic Arts alumni Year of birth missing (living people) Awake (TV series) American male television writers Screenwriters from Chicago Television writers from Illinois Screenwriters from Texas Television producers from Texas American showrunners American television show creators