Steven S. DeKnight (born October 28, 1965) is an American filmmaker and comic book writer. He is best known for being the creator, head writer, and executive producer of the

Starz Starz (stylized in all caps as STARZ; pronounced "stars") is an American pay television network owned by Starz Entertainment, and is the flagship property of Starz Inc. Launched in 1994 as a multiplex service of what is now Starz Encore, ...

series ''

Spartacus Spartacus (; ) was a Thracians, Thracian gladiator (Thraex) who was one of the Slavery in ancient Rome, escaped slave leaders in the Third Servile War, a major Slave rebellion, slave uprising against the Roman Republic. Historical accounts o ...

'', including '' Spartacus: Blood and Sand'', '' Spartacus: Gods of the Arena'', '' Spartacus: Vengeance'', and '' Spartacus: War of the Damned'', as well as developing the first season of ''

Marvel's Daredevil ''Marvel's Daredevil'' is an American television series created by Drew Goddard for the streaming service Netflix, based on the Marvel Comics character Daredevil. It is set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU), sharing continuity with the fi ...

'' and '' Jupiter's Legacy'' for

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 ...

Career

DeKnight previously worked on ''

Smallville ''Smallville'' is an American superhero fiction, superhero television series developed by writer-producers Alfred Gough and Miles Millar, based on the DC Comics character Superman created by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. The series was produce ...

'', ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' is an American supernatural fiction, supernatural drama television series created by writer and director Joss Whedon. The concept is based on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer (film), 1992 film, also written by Whedon, a ...

'', and ''

Angel An angel is a spiritual (without a physical body), heavenly, or supernatural being, usually humanoid with bird-like wings, often depicted as a messenger or intermediary between God (the transcendent) and humanity (the profane) in variou ...

''. He also wrote " Swell", a story in the ''

Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight'' is a comic book series published by Dark Horse Comics from 2007 to 2011. It serves as a canonical continuation of the television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', and follows the events of that show's ...

'' comic series, and served as a consulting producer on

Joss Whedon Joseph Hill "Joss" Whedon ( ; born June 23, 1964) is an American screenwriter, director, producer, comic book writer, and composer. He is best known as the creator of several television series: the supernatural drama ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer' ...

's television series ''

Dollhouse A dollhouse or doll's house is a toy house made in miniature. Since the early 20th century dollhouses have primarily been the domain of children, but their collection and crafting is also a hobby for many adults. English-speakers in North Americ ...

''. In May 2014, DeKnight was reported to be taking over showrunning duties for the first season on the

television series '' Daredevil'' from

Drew Goddard Andrew Brion Hogan Goddard (born February 26, 1975) is an American screenwriter, director, and producer most closely associated with the horror genre. He began his career writing episodes for the television shows '' Buffy the Vampire Slayer'', ...

, after Goddard's departure due to scheduling conflicts with directing ''Sinister Six''. He was later replaced by

Doug Petrie Douglas Petrie is an American screenwriter, director, and producer. Best known as a writer, director, and co-executive producer on ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer''. He co-wrote the screenplays for the ''Fantastic Four'' film and '' Harriet the Spy ...

and Marco Ramirez to serve as co-showrunners for the second season of the series. In 2015, DeKnight joined the Transformers Cinematic Universe franchise's writers room, where

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 ...

hired multiple noted screenwriters to flesh out the future of the film series. He directed the science fiction sequel ''

Pacific Rim Uprising ''Pacific Rim Uprising'' is a 2018 American science fiction monster film directed by Steven S. DeKnight and written by DeKnight, Emily Carmichael, Kira Snyder and T. S. Nowlin. It is the second installment in the ''Pacific Rim'' franchise ...

''. The original film's director,

Guillermo del Toro Guillermo del Toro Gómez (; born 9 October 1964) is a Mexican filmmaker, author, and artist. His work has been characterized by a strong connection to fairy tales, Gothic fiction, gothicism and horror fiction, horror often blending the genres ...

, remained on the film in the role of producer. On July 17, 2018, it was announced that DeKnight would be credited as a show-runner and executive producer alongside

Lorenzo di Bonaventura Lorenzo di Bonaventura (; born January 13, 1957) is an American film producer and the founder and owner of Di Bonaventura Pictures. He is best known for producing the ''G.I. Joe (film series), G.I. Joe'' and Transformers (film series), ''Transfo ...

and Dan McDermott in the

superhero series, '' Jupiter's Legacy''. On September 16, 2019, it was confirmed that DeKnight departed the series as a showrunner over creative differences in the midst of the production for the first season. On April 15, 2019, DeKnight joined a host of other writers in firing their agents as part of the WGA's stand against the ATA and the practice of

packaging Packaging is the science, art and technology of enclosing or protecting products for distribution, storage, sale, and use. Packaging also refers to the process of designing, evaluating, and producing packages. Packaging can be described as a coo ...

. In November 2023, Starz greenlit the new 10 episode drama series ''Spartacus: House of Ashur'' with the return of DeKnight to the franchise serving as showrunner and executive producer.

Filmography

Film Television

References

External links

* 1965 births American television directors American male television writers American showrunners American television writers Film directors from New Jersey Living people People from Millville, New Jersey Screenwriters from New Jersey Television producers from New Jersey Writers from Cumberland County, New Jersey {{US-tv-writer-stub