Kemp Powers is an American playwright, screenwriter, and director. He is best known for his play ''

One Night in Miami One Night in Miami may refer to: * One Night in Miami (play), an English play by Kemp Powers * One Night in Miami..., 2020 American drama {{Disambiguation ...

'' and the 2020 film adaptation of the same name, as well as for co-directing the animated films ''

Soul The soul is the purported Mind–body dualism, immaterial aspect or essence of a Outline of life forms, living being. It is typically believed to be Immortality, immortal and to exist apart from the material world. The three main theories that ...

'' (2020) and '' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'' (2023). His screenplay for ''One Night in Miami...'' earned him a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination at the

93rd Academy Awards The 93rd Academy Awards ceremony, presented by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), honored films released from January 1, 2020, to February 28, 2021, at Union Station in Los Angeles. The ceremony was held on April 25, 2021 ...

, while his work on ''Soul'' made him the first African-American to co-direct a

Walt Disney Animation Studios Walt Disney Animation Studios (WDAS), sometimes shortened to Disney Animation, is an American animation studio that produces animated feature films and short films for the Walt Disney Company. The studio's current production logo features a s ...

and

Pixar Pixar (), doing business as Pixar Animation Studios, is an American animation studio based in Emeryville, California, known for its critically and commercially successful computer-animated feature films. Pixar is a subsidiary of Walt Disney ...

feature.

Career

After writing the 2012 short film ''This Day Today'', he scripted the 2013 play ''

One Night in Miami One Night in Miami may refer to: * One Night in Miami (play), an English play by Kemp Powers * One Night in Miami..., 2020 American drama {{Disambiguation ...

'', which was adapted into a

feature film A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film (Film, motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole present ...

directed by

Regina King Regina Rene King (born January 15, 1971) is an American actress, director and producer. She has received various accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, and four Primetime Emmy Awards. In 2019, ''Time'' magazine named her o ...

. In 2017, Powers was brought onboard to write several scripts for '' Star Trek: Discovery'' season one episodes. In 2018, he drafted his second play ''Little Black Shadows''. In the same year, he co-wrote the script for

's ''

'', with

Pete Docter Peter Hans Docter (born October 9, 1968) is an American filmmaker and animator, who has served as chief creative officer (CCO) of Pixar since 2018. He has directed the company's animated films ''Monsters, Inc.'' (2001), ''Up (2009 film), Up'' ( ...

and Mike Jones, as well as co-directing the film with Docter, making his directorial debut. An alumnus of

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

, Powers is the first African-American co-director in

and Pixar history. On December 16, 2020, Powers hosted the first three episodes of the podcast ''Soul Stories'', which was released as a

Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...

exclusive. In the episodes, Powers interviewed several people who worked on the film mainly about their mentors and careers, as well as some behind-the-scenes stories behind the making of the film. In 2021, he appeared in the podcast ''Spark & Fire'', prior to writing his third play ''

Christa McAuliffe Sharon Christa McAuliffe ( Corrigan; September 2, 1948 – January 28, 1986) was an American teacher and astronaut from Concord, New Hampshire who died on the Space Shuttle ''Challenger'' on mission STS-51-L, where she was serving as a payloa ...

's Eyes Were Blue''. In the same year, he signed on to direct '' Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse'' and its sequel '' Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse'' with Joaquim Dos Santos and Justin K. Thompson. In March 2023, Powers premiered his fourth play ''The XIXth (The Nineteenth)'', which chronicles the lives of two Black American sprinters who raised their fists in protest during the

1968 Summer Olympics The 1968 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Mexico 1968 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 12 to 27 October 1968, in Mexico City, Mexico. These were the first Ol ...

games. In November 2024, he set his live action filmmaking debut when he signed on to write and direct the crime film ''Lunik Heist'' for

Searchlight Pictures Searchlight Pictures, Inc., formerly known as Fox Searchlight Pictures, is an American arthouse film production and distribution company, which since 2019 is owned by Walt Disney Studios, a division of the Disney Entertainment segment of the ...

. In December 2024, it was reported that he would not be returning to direct ''Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse''.

Filmography

Plays

* ''

One Night in Miami One Night in Miami may refer to: * One Night in Miami (play), an English play by Kemp Powers * One Night in Miami..., 2020 American drama {{Disambiguation ...

'' (2013) * ''Little Black Shadows'' (2018) * ''

's Eyes Were Blue'' (2021) * ''The XIXth (The Nineteenth)'' (2023)

Accolades

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Powers, Kemp 1973 births 21st-century American male writers 21st-century American screenwriters African-American screenwriters American animated film directors American male screenwriters Annie Award winners Howard University alumni Living people Filmmakers from Brooklyn Writers from Brooklyn Pixar people Walt Disney Animation Studios people Sony Pictures Animation people