Darren Lemke

Darren Lemke
Darren Lemke
Born	1969 or 1970 (age 54–55)
Alma mater	School of Visual Arts
Occupation	Screenwriter;
Years active	1997–present

Darren Lemke (born 1969 or 1970) is an American screenwriter who has been active in the film industry since the late 1990s. With his work on the films Shrek Forever After (2010), Turbo (2013), Goosebumps (2015), Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween (2018), Shazam! (2019), and Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024), The Hollywood Reporter called Lemke "a known player in the family feature space".^[1]

Background

Lemke was born in 1969 or 1970. Raised in Carlstadt, New Jersey, he went to Paramus Catholic High School in Paramus, New Jersey. After high school, he attended the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan, New York to study screenwriting.^[2] In 1997, he sold two pitches to Touchstone Pictures for Tony Scott to direct;^[3] one of the pitches became Gemini Man, which was released in 2019.^[4] In 2004, Lemke wrote and directed the thriller film Lost.^[5] In the following year, Lemke pitched the idea of adapting the English fairy tale "Jack and the Beanstalk" with computer-generated imagery. By 2013, Jack the Giant Slayer was directed by Bryan Singer.^[6]

Lemke's first major screenwriting credit was for the 2010 film Shrek Forever After, which he wrote with Josh Klausner.^[5] Since then, he wrote and helped write for mostly family-oriented feature films.^[1] He also became one of the executive producers for the TV series The Wheel of Time (2021–present).^[7]

In 2024, Disney hired Lemke to write a script for a detective film set in Disneyland's private dining club Club 33.^[1]

Credits

Lemke's credits
Year	Title	Medium	Notes
2004	Lost	Film	Wrote, also directed
2010	Shrek Forever After	Film	Writing credit with Josh Klausner
2013	Jack the Giant Slayer	Film	Story credit with David Dobkin; screenplay credit with Christopher McQuarrie and Dan Studney
2013	Turbo	Film	Screenplay credit with Robert D. Siegel and David Soren; story credit for Soren
2015	Goosebumps	Film	Screenplay credit; story credits for Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski
2018	Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween	Film	Story credit with Rob Lieber; screenplay credit for Lieber
2019	The Parts You Lose	Film	Writing credit
2019	Shazam!	Film	Story credit with Henry Gayden; screenplay credit for Gayden
2019	Gemini Man	Film	Story credit with David Benioff; screenplay credit with Benioff and Billy Ray^{[nb 1]}
2021–present	The Wheel of Time	Television	Executive producer; 16 episodes (two seasons)
2024	Kung Fu Panda 4	Film	Writing credit with Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger

Notes

^ Despite Lemke's credits, he was not involved with the film directed by Ang Lee.^[5]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Kit, Borys (May 21, 2024). "Disney's Club 33 Getting Movie Treatment From 'Goosebumps' Writer Darren Lemke, Shawn Levy's 21 Laps (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
^ Siemaszko, Corky (July 12, 1997). "Cart of the deal screenplay lets him bag job in store". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
^ Busch, Anita M. (June 6, 1997). "Lemke hits H'w'd with 2-pic pitch". Variety. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
^ McNary, Dave (February 27, 2018). "Film News Roundup: Production Starts on Will Smith's Thriller 'Gemini Man'". Variety. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
^ ^a ^b ^c Kit, Borys (October 11, 2019). "Meet the Writer of 'Gemini Man' (Who Didn't Actually Write 'Gemini Man')". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 11, 2019.
^ Sperling, Nicole (February 27, 2013). "'Jack the Giant Slayer' director faced some towering challenges". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 23, 2018.
^ Pedersen, Erik (August 14, 2019). "'The Wheel Of Time': Amazon Adds Five To Cast Of Series Based On Fantasy Books". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 14, 2021.

External links

Darren Lemke at IMDb

[8] Despite Lemke's credits, he was not involved with the film directed by Ang Lee.^[5]

[kit20240521-1] Kit, Borys (May 21, 2024). "Disney's Club 33 Getting Movie Treatment From 'Goosebumps' Writer Darren Lemke, Shawn Levy's 21 Laps (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved June 27, 2024.

[siemaszko-2] Siemaszko, Corky (July 12, 1997). "Cart of the deal screenplay lets him bag job in store". New York Daily News. Retrieved January 23, 2018.

[3] Busch, Anita M. (June 6, 1997). "Lemke hits H'w'd with 2-pic pitch". Variety. Retrieved January 23, 2018.

[4] McNary, Dave (February 27, 2018). "Film News Roundup: Production Starts on Will Smith's Thriller 'Gemini Man'". Variety. Retrieved March 1, 2018.

[kit20191011-5] Kit, Borys (October 11, 2019). "Meet the Writer of 'Gemini Man' (Who Didn't Actually Write 'Gemini Man')". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved October 11, 2019.

[6] Sperling, Nicole (February 27, 2013). "'Jack the Giant Slayer' director faced some towering challenges". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved January 23, 2018.

[7] Pedersen, Erik (August 14, 2019). "'The Wheel Of Time': Amazon Adds Five To Cast Of Series Based On Fantasy Books". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved March 14, 2021.

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