Film producer and literary manager Ken Atchity dies at 82

Producer and author Ken Atchity died on October 19, 2026, from kidney failure at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. He was 82 years old. The Hollywood Reporter cited his longtime business and producing partner, Chi-Li Wong, in reporting the death. [1]

Atchity transitioned from working as an author and professor of comparative literature to managing literary talent and producing films. Over his production career, he helped bring projects to television and the big screen, including 16 romantic television films under the Shades of Love banner that aired on HBO and Cinemax. [1][3]

His feature film production credits include the 2001 comedy-drama Joe Somebody, the 2011 feature Hysteria, and the 2002 title Life or Something Like It. He also produced the 2018 action feature The Meg and its 2023 sequel Meg 2: The Trench, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. [1]

Joe Somebody was written by John Scott Shepherd, directed by John Pasquin, and released by 20th Century Fox in December 2001. The movie starred Tim Allen, Julie Bowen, Kelly Lynch, Greg Germann, Hayden Panettiere, Patrick Warburton, and Jim Belushi. [4][5]