
Jon Spaihts (/speɪts/) (born February 4, 1970) is an American screenwriter and author. He is best known for co-writing Denis Villeneuve's Dune (2021) and its sequel Dune: Part Two (2024), both films based on the novel of the same name by Frank Herbert. He also wrote the screenplays for the films Prometheus (2012), Passengers (2016) and Doctor Strange (2016). For his work on Dune, Spaihts was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay. Description above from the Wikipedia article Jon Spaihts, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.
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Biography from TMDB.
- February 4, 1970 (56)
- New York City, New York, USA
- Writer, producer and actor
- 11 on MovieCove · 15 credits in all
What are Jon Spaihts' films like?
Across their 10 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Ideas.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 10
A split, not a type: Light 3 · Serious 2 · Dark 5
Grounded 1 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 7
Gentle 1 · Charged 3 · Intense 6
A split, not a type: Steady 5 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 8 · Some laughs 1 · Funny 1
Slow burn 4 · Even-paced 4 · Relentless 2
Casual 1 · Engaged 6 · Full focus 3
Easy watch 2 · Affecting 4 · Heavy 4
Resolved 6 · Open-ended 3 · Ambiguous 1
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet6
- Ambiguous2
- Cyclical1
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Jon Spaihts' films?
As of October 24, 2026, 10 of their 11 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on HBO Max (4).
Subscription and free streaming for Jon Spaihts' titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
15 credits, 11 with a MovieCove page; 1 appearance as themselves is hidden until asked for.

A Minecraft Movie Squared (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2027)

Dune: Part Three(2026)

A Minecraft Movie(2025)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Dune: Prophecy(2024)
Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all shows
The Crow(2024)
Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films
Dune: Part Two(2024)
Midcredits score: 99th percentile of all films
Dune(2021)
Midcredits score: 98th percentile of all films
The Mummy(2017)
Midcredits score: 17th percentile of all films
Passengers(2016)
Midcredits score: 73rd percentile of all films
Doctor Strange(2016)
Midcredits score: 94th percentile of all films
Prometheus(2012)
Midcredits score: 76th percentile of all films
The Darkest Hour(2011)
Midcredits score: 10th percentile of all filmsGears of War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
The Forever War (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Untitled Jon Spaihts / Laika Film (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)
Career shape
A full career of 15 titles, 10 of them dated from 2011 to 2025.

Biggest box office
A Minecraft Movie (2025)

Highest rated
Dune: Part Two (2024)

Most popular right now
Dune: Part Three (2026)
Film career
- 2016Screen debut· Passengers
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.
Awards
6 major nominations and no wins, 2022–2025.
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · Adapted Screenplay
- Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Adapted Screenplay
- Oscar, nominated · Best Adapted Screenplay
- BAFTA Award, nominated · Best Screenplay (Adapted)
+2 other major bodies · 2 nominations
- Writers Guild Award, nominated · Adapted Screenplay
- Critics Choice Award, nominated · Best Adapted Screenplay
Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.
How do Jon Spaihts' films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 73rd percentile, the median of the 9 of 10 with a score; across their 9 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 72nd percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up4
- 50th to 74th2
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th3
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 10 titles are Universally Loved.
- Universally Loved3
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Broadly Agreed1
- Mixed3
Reviewers score the dialogue 39/100 and the plot and story 39/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Is Jon Spaihts' work okay for kids?
Across up to 8 MovieCove titles with content scores, violence & gore and frightening / intense run heavier than most films.
Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.
Who does Jon Spaihts work with?
People who share at least 2 of Jon Spaihts' MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Cale Boyter shares the most, 4.
Directors
- Denis VilleneuveShared titles: Dune: Part Three (2026), Dune: Part Two (2024), Dune (2021)See all 3 shared titles with Denis Villeneuve

Writers
- Frank HerbertShared titles: Dune: Part Three (2026), Dune: Part Two (2024), Dune (2021)See all 3 shared titles with Frank Herbert

Actors
- Jason MomoaShared titles: A Minecraft Movie (2025), Dune (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Jason Momoa

- Javier BardemShared titles: Dune: Part Two (2024), Dune (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Javier Bardem

- Josh BrolinShared titles: Dune: Part Two (2024), Dune (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Josh Brolin

- Rebecca FergusonShared titles: Dune: Part Two (2024), Dune (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Rebecca Ferguson

Composers, cinematographers and editors
- Hans ZimmerShared titles: Dune: Part Three (2026), Dune: Part Two (2024), Dune (2021)See all 3 shared titles with Hans Zimmer

- Greig FraserShared titles: Dune: Part Two (2024), Dune (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Greig Fraser

- Joe WalkerShared titles: Dune: Part Two (2024), Dune (2021)See all 2 shared titles with Joe Walker

Producers
- Cale BoyterShared titles: Dune: Part Three (2026), A Minecraft Movie (2025), Dune: Part Two (2024), Dune (2021)See all 4 shared titles with Cale Boyter

- Mary ParentShared titles: Dune: Part Three (2026), A Minecraft Movie (2025), Dune: Part Two (2024), Dune (2021)See all 4 shared titles with Mary Parent

- Brian HerbertShared titles: Dune: Part Three (2026), Dune: Part Two (2024), Dune (2021)See all 3 shared titles with Brian Herbert

- Byron MerrittShared titles: Dune: Part Three (2026), Dune: Part Two (2024), Dune (2021)See all 3 shared titles with Byron Merritt
Mixed roles
- Damon LindelofShared titles: Prometheus (2012), The Furious Gods: Making Prometheus (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Damon Lindelof

- Dariusz WolskiShared titles: Prometheus (2012), The Furious Gods: Making Prometheus (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Dariusz Wolski

- Pietro ScaliaShared titles: Prometheus (2012), The Furious Gods: Making Prometheus (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Pietro Scalia

- Ridley ScottShared titles: Prometheus (2012), The Furious Gods: Making Prometheus (2012)See all 2 shared titles with Ridley Scott

