Kirk Thatcher

Kirk Thatcher is an Emmy Award-winning writer/producer, director, and creature maker known for his extensive contributions to iconic film and television franchises. After showcasing his groundbreaking creature effects work at Industrial Light and Magic (ILM) by 1982, Kirk Thatcher contributed to iconic films, designing, creating, and puppeteering creatures for ‘Star Trek II’ (1982), ‘Return of the Jedi’ (1983), ‘Star Trek III’ (1984), and ‘E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial’ (1982), ‘Poltergeist’ (1982), and ‘Gremlins’ (1984). He made a memorable cameo as the ‘Punk on the Bus’ in ‘Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home’ (1986), also writing and performing the punk anthem ‘I Hate You!’.

He further co-wrote and co-directed major live productions like ‘The Muppets Take The Bowl’ at the Hollywood Bowl (2017) and ‘The Muppets Take the O2’ in London (2018). Most recently, Thatcher wrote and directed the acclaimed ‘Muppets Haunted Mansion’ for Disney+ (2021). He joined the writing team for ‘Mystery Science Theater 3000’ (2022) and expanded his on-screen presence with a cameo in ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ (2017) as ‘Punk Rock Guy,’ an appearance in ‘Star Trek: Picard’ (2022), and portraying Joshua Jovan in Marvel Studios’ ‘Werewolf by Night’ (2022). He will lend his voice to Pixar’s ‘Inside Out 2’ in 2024.