Max Borenstein

Max Borenstein is a Los Angeles–born screenwriter known for shaping modern blockbuster storytelling while keeping an indie filmmaker’s sensibility. Also credited in Chinese as 麦克斯·鲍任斯坦, he has built a career that moves between original scripts and major studio franchises.

While still a senior at Yale University, Borenstein wrote, edited, and directed the 2003 feature Swordswallowers and Thin Men. The film featured a young ensemble including Zoe Kazan and Fran Kranz, and earned significant festival attention—winning Best Feature and Best Screenplay at the New York Independent Film Festival and later being recognized as a standout debut by Los Angeles Times critic Kevin Thomas.

In the late 2000s, Borenstein’s screenwriting gained industry momentum with high-profile unproduced scripts. His adaptation What Is Life Worth?, drawn from Kenneth Feinberg’s memoir, landed on the Black List, as did Jimi, a Legendary Pictures project inspired by the life of Jimi Hendrix.

He went on to develop multiple projects for Legendary, including Godzilla, and has been linked to further franchise work such as a sequel connected to Godzilla and Kong: Skull Island. Beyond film, he was also announced as an executive producer for the second season of HBO’s Vinyl.