Community hub
0 subscribers7 pages, 0 posts
Recent from talks
All channels
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Contribute something
Welcome to the community hub built to collect knowledge and have discussions related to Jonathan Lemkin.
Nothing was collected or created yet.
Jonathan Lemkin
View on Wikipediafrom Wikipedia
 |
Jonathan Lemkin is an American screenwriter. He has written for the television series 21 Jump Street, Beverly Hills, 90210, and Hill Street Blues. He has also written the films Showdown in Little Tokyo (uncredited, production script), Lethal Weapon 4, Red Planet, and adapted The Devil's Advocate and Shooter from novels.
Lemkin was the first (of many) writers who wrote unused scripts for the defunct film Superman Lives. He has also written a screenplay for the Vince Flynn novel Consent to Kill which is currently being shopped around.
Lemkin and actress Kiersten Warren-Acevedo were married in 1990 and divorced in 2005.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
   | This article about an American screenwriter is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information. |
Jonathan Lemkin
View on Grokipediafrom Grokipedia
Career
Early television work
Jonathan Lemkin was born on April 25, 1961, in the United States, which positioned his entry into professional screenwriting during the mid-1980s as a young writer in his early twenties.[2] He began his television career as a staff writer and story editor on the acclaimed police procedural Hill Street Blues, contributing to its ensemble-driven narratives that explored urban law enforcement challenges through interconnected character arcs.[10] Lemkin's early credits on the series included story contributions to the episode "The Best Defense" (season 7, episode 3, aired October 16, 1986), co-written by Steve Bello and Robert Ward, which depicted the station house grappling with an influx of suspects amid a public defenders' strike, emphasizing procedural tensions and discretionary arrests.[3] Similarly, he provided story material for "Slum Enchanted Evening" (season 6, episode 21, aired March 27, 1986), teleplayed by Walon Green and Robert Ward, focusing on a judge's innovative sentencing of a negligent landlord and an investigation into a suspicious death, highlighting social justice themes within the show's gritty ensemble storytelling.[11] Transitioning to youth-oriented programming, Lemkin wrote several episodes for 21 Jump Street, a series centered on undercover operations targeting teenage crime, where his scripts often delved into the moral ambiguities of adolescent rebellion and law enforcement infiltration.[12] His credits included "Blindsided" (season 1, episode 9, aired May 31, 1987), in which officers pose as bikers to bust a drug ring, underscoring risks in high-stakes disguises; "Besieged: Part 2" (season 2, episode 3, aired October 4, 1987), resolving a tense hostage situation with themes of redemption and team dynamics; and "Best Years of Your Life" (season 2, episode 20, aired May 16, 1988), exploring nostalgia and regret through a high school reunion sting operation.[4][13][5] These episodes exemplified Lemkin's ability to blend procedural elements with character-driven youth subplots, building his reputation as a freelancer in action-drama formats.[14] In 1990, Lemkin made his directorial debut on the short-lived coming-of-age series Glory Days, where he also wrote and directed the episode "Whattya Wanna Do Tonight?" (season 1, episode 3, aired August 23, 1990), centering on a character's reluctant romance with an overweight woman amid small-town antics, showcasing his versatility in handling lighthearted relational conflicts.[15][16] By 1992, he contributed to the teen drama Beverly Hills, 90210 with co-writing duties on "Meeting Mr. Pony" (season 2, episode 25, aired April 2, 1992), alongside Karen Rosin and Charles Rosin, which wove interpersonal tensions and family secrets into the affluent high school milieu, further demonstrating his skill in youth-focused narratives.[6] These early television efforts, spanning procedural and coming-of-age genres, laid the groundwork for Lemkin's shift toward feature film screenplays in the late 1990s.[12]Feature film screenplays
Jonathan Lemkin's transition from television writing to feature films in the late 1990s marked his entry into high-stakes Hollywood productions, where he contributed to screenplays in the action, thriller, and science fiction genres, often involving intricate plots of moral ambiguity, conspiracy, and survival. His credited works during this period, spanning 1997 to 2007, emphasized character-driven narratives adapted from novels or original concepts, frequently undergoing Writers Guild of America (WGA) arbitrations to determine final credits amid collaborative rewrites. These films achieved varying commercial success, with several grossing over $100 million worldwide despite mixed critical responses that praised their entertainment value but critiqued narrative pacing or originality. Lemkin's first major feature credit was on The Devil's Advocate (1997), directed by Taylor Hackford and starring Keanu Reeves as ambitious lawyer Kevin Lomax and Al Pacino as the enigmatic firm head John Milton. Lemkin received story and screenplay credit for conceiving the supernatural legal thriller, which follows Lomax's relocation to New York and gradual realization that Milton is the Devil tempting him with power and ethical compromises, adapted from Andrew Neiderman's novel Bailey's Prayer. The screenplay was further developed by Tony Gilroy, who polished the dialogue and structure while retaining Lemkin's core premise of a Faustian bargain in a corporate law setting. The film grossed $60.9 million domestically and $153 million worldwide against a $57 million budget, becoming a commercial hit. Critically, it holds a 65% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, with reviewers noting its thrilling pace and Pacino's charismatic villainy despite some melodramatic excess. In 1998, Lemkin earned a story credit on Lethal Weapon 4, directed by Richard Donner and starring Mel Gibson and Danny Glover as the veteran LAPD partners Roger Murtaugh and Martin Riggs. The screenplay by Channing Gibson built on Lemkin's story—co-written with Alfred Gough and Miles Millar—centering on the duo's investigation into Chinese triad smuggling and counterfeit operations, incorporating high-octane action sequences and personal stakes like Murtaugh's family. Based on characters created by Shane Black, the project involved multiple writers, but Lemkin, Gough, and Millar secured shared story credit following WGA arbitration that evaluated contributions to the plot's escalation from routine crime to international conspiracy. The film earned $130.4 million domestically and $285.4 million worldwide on a $140 million budget, performing solidly at the box office as the franchise's final theatrical entry. It received mixed reviews, with a 53% Rotten Tomatoes score, commended for its buddy-cop chemistry but faulted for formulaic elements and overlength. Lemkin co-wrote the screenplay for Red Planet (2000) with Chuck Pfarrer, directed by Antony Hoffman and starring Val Kilmer as astronaut Rob Chantilas. The sci-fi tale depicts a 2025 mission to Mars to terraform the planet amid Earth's oxygen crisis, where the crew battles a malfunctioning robot and environmental hazards after their ship crashes, drawing on Pfarrer's original story for its exploration of human ingenuity and isolation. Production faced significant hurdles, including a ballooning budget from $60 million to $80 million due to extensive visual effects and location shooting in Australia simulating Martian terrain. The film underperformed, grossing $17.5 million domestically and $33.5 million worldwide, marking it as a box-office disappointment. Critics gave it a harsh 14% on Rotten Tomatoes, criticizing the thin characters and predictable plot despite appreciating the ambitious visuals. Lemkin's screenplay for Shooter (2007), directed by Antoine Fuqua and starring Mark Wahlberg as expert marksman Bob Lee Swagger, adapted Stephen Hunter's novel Point of Impact into a conspiracy thriller about a framed former Marine uncovering a government assassination plot during an Ethiopian mission. As the final writer among several, Lemkin retained sole screenplay credit after WGA arbitration, focusing on Swagger's tactical expertise and moral reckoning against corrupt officials in a narrative blending sniper action with political intrigue. The film grossed $47 million domestically and $95.7 million worldwide against a $61 million budget, achieving moderate financial success. It garnered a 47% Rotten Tomatoes rating, with praise for Wahlberg's performance and tense set pieces but criticism for implausible twists and right-wing undertones.Other contributions and unproduced projects
Lemkin contributed uncredited script revisions to the 1991 action film Showdown in Little Tokyo, directed by Mark L. Lester and starring Dolph Lundgren and Brandon Lee, where he refined the action sequences during production from January to March 1991.[17] He also performed uncredited rewrites on the 1993 science fiction action film Demolition Man, directed by Marco Brambilla and starring Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes, contributing to the script's development alongside other writers.[18] In the 1990s, Lemkin developed an unproduced screenplay titled Superman Reborn for Warner Bros., adapting the "Death of Superman" comic storyline from 1992, which featured Doomsday as the primary antagonist battling Superman; the script, dated March 1995, explored themes of resurrection and cosmic threats but was ultimately rejected and not greenlit for production.[19] In July 2014, Lemkin was hired by Paramount Pictures to write a script for a potential third G.I. Joe film, centering on the Roadblock character portrayed by Dwayne Johnson in a sequel following G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013); however, the project underwent multiple changes in direction, including a new director and writer, and Lemkin's version was not utilized as the film stalled in development.[20] Lemkin's creative influences, as discussed in a 2003 IGN interview, included classic films like The Godfather (1972) and a preference for rock music such as Led Zeppelin, which informed his approach to unproduced action genre spec scripts and TV pilot concepts that did not advance to full production.[12]Filmography
Films
- The Devil's Advocate (1997): screenplay[21]
- Lethal Weapon 4 (1998): story[22]
- Red Planet (2000): screenplay[23]
- Shooter (2007): screenplay, based on the novel Point of Impact by Stephen Hunter[24]
Television
| Year | Show | Episode Title | Role |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1986 | Hill Street Blues | The Best Defense | Writer (story by)[3] |
| 1986 | Hill Street Blues | Slum Enchanted Evening | Writer (story by)[11] |
| 1987 | Hill Street Blues | Norman Conquest | Writer (story by)[25] |
| 1987 | 21 Jump Street | Blindsided | Writer[4] |
| 1987 | 21 Jump Street | Besieged: Part 2 | Writer[13] |
| 1987 | 21 Jump Street | Mean Streets and Pastel Houses | Writer[26] |
| 1988 | 21 Jump Street | Best Years of Your Life | Writer[5] |
| 1990 | Glory Days | Whattya Wanna Do Tonight? | Writer and Director[15] |
| 1992 | Beverly Hills, 90210 | Meeting Mr. Pony | Writer (story by)[6] |