Rick Jaffa

Rick Jaffa (born May 8, 1956) is an American screenwriter and film producer best known for large-scale franchise storytelling. He is widely recognized for his long-running creative partnership with his wife, Amanda Silver, a collaboration that has shaped several modern studio tentpoles.

Jaffa and Silver married in 1989 and began working together in the early 1990s. Their breakthrough came with Rise of the Planet of the Apes (2011), which they helped write and produce, followed by Dawn of the Planet of the Apes (2014). They also produced later chapters of the series, including War for the Planet of the Apes (2017) and Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes (2024).

Beyond the Apes saga, Jaffa’s writing credits with Silver include Jurassic World (2015), In the Heart of the Sea (2015), and Disney’s live-action Mulan (2020). In 2013, the duo was tapped to co-write the sequels to James Cameron’s Avatar, beginning with Avatar: The Way of Water (2022).

He has also appeared on the series On Story as himself. Together, Jaffa and Silver have two children.