Darren Lemke

Last updated
Darren Lemke
Born1969or1970(age 54–55)
Alma mater School of Visual Arts
Occupation
Years active1997–present

Darren Lemke (born 1969or1970) 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]

Contents

Background

Lemke was born in 1969or1970. 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 (2021–2025). [7]

In 2024, Disney hired Lemke to write a script for a detective film set in Disneyland's private dining club Club 33. [1] In the same year, Lemke worked on a draft of a script for Shout It Out Loud, a biopic in development about the band Kiss with McG attached to direct. [8]

Credits

Lemke's credits
YearTitleMediumNotes
2004 Lost FilmWrote, also directed
2010 Shrek Forever After FilmWriting credit with Josh Klausner
2013 Jack the Giant Slayer FilmStory credit with David Dobkin; screenplay credit with Christopher McQuarrie and Dan Studney
2013 Turbo FilmScreenplay credit with Robert D. Siegel and David Soren; story credit for Soren
2015 Goosebumps FilmScreenplay credit; story credits for Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski
2018 Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween FilmStory credit with Rob Lieber; screenplay credit for Lieber
2019 The Parts You Lose FilmWriting credit
2019 Shazam! FilmStory credit with Henry Gayden; screenplay credit for Gayden
2019 Gemini Man FilmStory credit with David Benioff; screenplay credit with Benioff and Billy Ray [nb 1]
2021–2025 The Wheel of Time TelevisionExecutive producer; 24 episodes (three seasons)
2024 Kung Fu Panda 4 FilmWriting credit with Jonathan Aibel and Glenn Berger

Notes

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

References

  1. 1 2 3 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.
  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.
  5. 1 2 3 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.
  8. ↑ Grobar, Matt (September 12, 2024). "McG In Final Talks To Direct KISS Biopic 'Shout It Out Loud' As Project Lands At STX Entertainment". Deadline Hollywood . Retrieved June 2, 2025.
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