Kenneth Atchity, the producer behind The Meg films, a prolific literary agent and writer, has died at 82. He passed away on Monday, leaving behind a career that bridged books and Hollywood across five decades.
The Meg (Credits: Warner Bros.)
Atchity’s path through the entertainment industry was unusually wide-ranging. He was not only a film producer but also a literary manager and agent who negotiated publishing and entertainment deals for countless authors, and a writer himself with more than 20 books to his name.
Ken Atchity’s Films and Producing Career
Across his career, Atchity produced more than 30 films. His best-known credit was as producer of The Meg movies — the giant-shark blockbusters — which he produced alongside his business and producing partner Chi-Li Wong.
His other credits included “Gambino,” “The Kennedy Detail,” “The Lost Valentine,” “The Amityville Horror: The Evil Escapes,” “Joe Somebody” and “Life Or Something Like It.”
A Literary Legacy With Story Merchant Books
On the publishing side, Atchity ran his own imprint, Story Merchant Books, through which he published hundreds of additional titles. He helped move stories from the page to the screen for a generation of writers, embodying the rare figure who worked every side of the storytelling business.
He is remembered as a champion of authors and a steady hand in an industry that rewards exactly the kind of persistence he built his career on.
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Source: Variety — read the full story there.
