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Darren Lemke

Darren Lemke

Writer · Born January 1, 1969 (57)

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". Description above from the Wikipedia article Darren Lemke, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Born
January 1, 1969 (57)
Works as
Writer
Titles
10 on MovieCove · 14 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 155 days to Oct 26Up 27% in 30 days

What are Darren Lemke's films like?

Across their 8 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Self and Bonds.

Genres

Animation4 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 54th percentile, at or above their average across these genres
: browse their Animation movies
Action2 titlesTypical Midcredits score: 36th percentile
: browse their Action movies

Their MovieCove films by primary genre. The badge is the typical Midcredits score of the genre's films, the median percentile; an up arrow marks a genre at or above their average across these genres.

Themes

share of theme weight
Self
52%
Bonds
35%
Society
8%
Morality
5%
Self-worth3 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds3 titles, browse their movies with this themePurpose2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFriendship2 titles, browse their movies with this themeAmbition2 titles, browse their movies with this themeComing of age2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 8 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Light: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their light movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

Light 6 · Serious 1 · Dark 1

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 1 · Stylized 5 · Heightened 2

Charged: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their charged movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 7 · Intense 1

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 5 · Whiplash 1

Some laughs: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their some laughs movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 1 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 3

Even-paced: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their even-paced movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 1 · Even-paced 6 · Relentless 1

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

A split, not a type: Casual 5 · Engaged 2 · Full focus 1

Affecting: How much it costs you emotionally; whether you need recovery time. Browse their affecting movies.
Demand · Emotional cost
easyheavy

A split, not a type: Easy watch 4 · Affecting 3 · Heavy 1

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 6 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
4
Thrilling
4
Hopeful
3
Triumphant
2
Warm
2
Other
8

How their films linger

Feel-good6 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteFun2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 3 with a twist

  • Happy6
  • Bittersweet2

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch Darren Lemke's films?

As of October 24, 2026, 9 of their 10 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (4).

Also on these channels

Subscription and free streaming for Darren Lemke's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

14 credits, 10 with a MovieCove page.

  • Kung Fu Panda 4(2024)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 48th percentile of all films

  • The Wheel of Time(2021)

    Show 24 episodes · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all shows

  • Gemini Man(2019)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 27th percentile of all films

  • Shazam!(2019)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 77th percentile of all films

  • The Parts You Lose(2019)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 39th percentile of all films

  • Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween(2018)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 23rd percentile of all films

  • Goosebumps(2015)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Turbo(2013)

    Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 54th percentile of all films

  • Jack the Giant Slayer(2013)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 45th percentile of all films

  • Shrek Forever After(2010)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 55th percentile of all films

  • Lost (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2004)

    Director · Writer · as Archer's Victim

  • Club 33 (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Writer

  • I.F. (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Screenplay

  • Shout It Out Loud (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)

    Screenplay

Career shape

A full career of 14 titles, 11 of them dated from 2004 to 2024.

Biggest box office

Shrek Forever After (2010)

$753M worldwide

Highest rated

Shrek Forever After (2010)

Midcredits 55th

Most popular right now

Kung Fu Panda 4 (2024)

Film career

  • 2004Screen debut· Lost

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 14: 0 only acting, 1 with another roleDirecting1 of 14: 0 only directing, 1 with another roleWriting13 of 14: 12 only writing, 1 with another role · typical Midcredits score48thProducing1 of 14: 1 only producing, 0 with another role

By decade

2000s1 · 1 acting · 1 crew2010s8 · crew2020s2 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored.

How do Darren Lemke's films land?

Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 48th percentile, the median of all 9; across their 8 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 49th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Approval · how many liked their films

47thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Reach · how many have seen their films

98thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 8

Midcredits score across 10 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up1
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th1

Shape of the crowd

5 of their 10 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Crowd Pleaser5
  • Broadly Agreed3
  • Mixed2

Most divisive · producer

The Wheel of Time (2021)

58th percentile spread · 13% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Shazam! (2019)

Midcredits 77th · 69% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 47/100 and the plot and story 42/100 in their films, across 8 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is Darren Lemke's work okay for kids?

Across up to 7 MovieCove titles with content scores, sex & nudity and alcohol & drugs run lighter than most films.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore7 titles33–55 · median 36 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity7 titles11–23 · median 19 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity7 titles18–41 · median 26 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs7 titles4–26 · median 12 · minimallighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense7 titles33–55 · median 44 · moderatenear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does Darren Lemke work with?

People who share at least 2 of Darren Lemke's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Mike Mitchell shares the most, 2.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Producers