Justin Kuritzkes ( ; born May 5, 1990) is an American writer best known for writing the screenplays for two of director Luca Guadagnino's films, Challengers and Queer (both 2024). He has also been the subject of media coverage because of his YouTube content, such as the viral 2011 video "Potion Seller".
Early life and education Kuritzkes was born and raised in Los Angeles, California to a Jewish family. His father is a gastroenterologist and his mother practiced real estate law.
In 2008, Kuritzkes graduated from Harvard-Westlake School in Los Angeles.
Kuritzkes attended Brown University where he studied philosophy and literary arts. At Brown, Kuritzkes studied with playwrights Gregory Moss, Lisa D'Amour, and Erik Ehn, participated in Production Workshop, and was involved in local protests affiliated with the Occupy movement. Kuritzkes graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in 2012.
Career Kuritzkes's one-act play An Autobiography of My Brother, first written for the 2008 Harvard-Westlake Playwrights Festival, was among the works honored at the 2010 Young Playwrights Competition.
Beginning during his time at Brown University, Kuritzkes uploaded videos recorded using the Photo Booth application to YouTube. The most famous of these videos, "Potion Seller", went viral online and inspired parodies in publications including The New Yorker.
Kuritzkes received a MacDowell Fellowship in both 2012 and 2016. In 2016, his play The Sensuality Party toured the university circuit of New York state. He released the novel Famous People in 2019.
In 2021, Kuritzkes's spec script Challengers was featured on the annual edition of The Black List, which was then adapted into a feature film directed by Luca Guadagnino. Ahead of the film's release, he was named one of the top 10 screenwriters to watch in 2023 by Variety. He also adapted William S. Burroughs' 1985 novel Queer for a film directed by Guadagnino.
In April 2024, Variety reported that Kuritzkes would write the screen adaptation of the Don Winslow novel City on Fire, set to star Austin Butler.
In June 2024 he was announced to be developing an untitled film with Jude Law, reportedly inspired by the works of Mike Nichols.
In November 2024, it was announced he had written a feature film based on the DC character Sgt. Rock, which would reunite him with Guadagnino and Daniel Craig, whom he had previously worked with on Queer. However, the film was scrapped in 2025.
In June 2026, it was revealed that Kuritzkes had provided rewrites for the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) film Spider-Man: Brand New Day. He was originally reported to be sharing a co-writing credit with Chris McKenna and Erik Sommers, but he ultimately received an "additional literary material" credit for it.
Personal life Kuritzkes has been married to filmmaker and playwright Celine Song since June 12, 2016. They live together in New York City.
Filmography Year Title Writer Producer Notes 2024 Challengers Queer 2026 Spider-Man: Brand New Day Additional Literary Material
Awards and nominations Award Year Category Work Result Astra Film Awards 2024 Best Original Screenplay Challengers Astra Midseason Movie Awards 2024 Best Screenplay Chicago Film Critics Association 2024 Best Original Screenplay https://chicagofilmcritics.org/ Critics' Choice Movie Awards 2025 Best Original Screenplay San Diego Film Critics Society 2024 Best Original Screenplay Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association 2024 Best Original Screenplay Winter IndieWire Honors 2024 Impact Award Writers Guild of America Awards 2025 Best Original Screenplay Florida Film Critics Circle 2024 Best Adapted Screenplay Queer
Bibliography Famous People: a novel (2019). New York: Henry Holt and Company.
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External links
Justin Kuritzkes on YouTube