Stephen Gaghan (/ˈɡeɪɡən/ GAY-gən; born May 6, 1965) is an American screenwriter and director. He is noted for writing the screenplay for Steven Soderbergh's film Traffic, based on a Channel 4 series, for which he won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and Syriana, which he wrote and directed. He also wrote and directed the thriller Abandon, the family film Dolittle, and the drama Gold.