Don Payne

1964–2013 · American screenwriter and film producer

William Donald Payne was an American writer and producer. He wrote several episodes of The Simpsons after 2000, many of these with John Frink, whom he met while studying at the University of California, Los Angeles. The duo began their careers writing for the short-lived sitcom Hope and Gloria. Payne later moved into writing feature films, including My Super Ex-Girlfriend (2006), and co-wrote Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer (2007), Thor (2011) and its sequel Thor: The Dark World (2013). Payne died from heart failure caused by bone cancer in March 2013.

Don Payne, in order

1. 2000–13 The Simpsons (TV series): wrote · audiences 76% · streaming on Disney+, fuboTV, Hulu
2. 2006 My Super Ex-Girlfriend: wrote · directed by Ivan Reitman · critics 41%, audiences 31% · streaming on Prime Video, YouTube (free), Plex
3. 2007 Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer: wrote · directed by Tim Story · critics 37%, audiences 51% · streaming on Disney+
4. 2011 Thor: wrote · directed by Kenneth Branagh · critics 77%, audiences 76% · streaming on Disney+
5. 2013 Thor: The Dark World: wrote · directed by Alan Taylor · critics 67%, audiences 74% · streaming on Disney+
6. 2016 Maximum Ride: wrote · directed by Jay Martin