Brian Michael Lynch (born June 21, 1973) is an American film and comic book writer. Lynch was the initial writer and co-creator with

Joss Whedon Joseph Hill Whedon (; born June 23, 1964) is an American filmmaker, composer, and comic book writer. He is the founder of Mutant Enemy Productions, co-founder of Bellwether Pictures, and is best known as the creator of several television series: ...

of '' Angel: After the Fall'' for

IDW Publishing IDW Publishing is an American publisher of comic books, graphic novels, art books, and comic strip collections. It was founded in 1999 as the publishing division of Idea and Design Works, LLC (IDW), itself formed in 1999, and is regularly recog ...

, and is best known for writing the screenplays for the films ''

Puss in Boots "Puss in Boots" ( it, Il gatto con gli stivali) is an Italian fairy tale, later spread throughout the rest of Europe, about an anthropomorphic cat who uses trickery and deceit to gain power, wealth, and the hand of a princess in marriage for hi ...

'' (2011), '' Minions'' (2015), ''

The Secret Life of Pets ''The Secret Life of Pets'' is a 2016 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Illumination Entertainment and distributed by Universal Pictures. It is directed by Chris Renaud, co-directed by Yarrow Cheney (in his feature directorial d ...

'' (2016), ''

The Secret Life of Pets 2 ''The Secret Life of Pets 2'' is a 2019 American computer-animated comedy film produced by Illumination, directed by Chris Renaud, co-directed by Jonathan del Val, and written by Brian Lynch. It is the sequel to '' The Secret Life of Pets'', ...

'' (2019), and '' Minions: The Rise of Gru'' (2022). He has also written an unproduced film adaptation of ''

The Sims ''The Sims'' is a series of life simulation video games developed by Maxis and published by Electronic Arts. The franchise has sold nearly 200 million copies worldwide, and it is one of the best-selling video game series of all time. The games ...

''. In addition to the unproduced Sims film, Lynch also wrote an unproduced film for ''

The Muppets The Muppets are an American ensemble cast of puppet characters known for an absurdist, burlesque, and self-referential style of variety- sketch comedy. Created by Jim Henson in 1955, they are the focus of a media franchise that encompasses ...

'' that was titled “The Next Muppet Movie.”

Life and career

Growing up in

Middletown Township, New Jersey Middletown Township is a township in Monmouth County, New Jersey, United States. As of the 2020 United States Census, the township had a total population of 67,106, making it the most-populous municipality in the county and the state's 16th ...

, Lynch attended Middletown High School South and

William Paterson University William Paterson University, officially William Paterson University of New Jersey (WPUNJ), is a public university in Wayne, New Jersey. It is part of New Jersey's public system of higher education. Founded in 1855 and was named after American ju ...

of New Jersey. Lynch went to school with (and was friends with)

Vincent Pereira Vincent Pereira (born March 11, 1973) is an American independent filmmaker, known for his work with Kevin Smith and View Askew. He is regarded as the unofficial "View Askew Historian". Background Pereira was born and raised in New Jersey. During ...

, who worked with

Kevin Smith Kevin Patrick Smith (born August 2, 1970) is an American filmmaker, actor, comedian, comic book writer, author, YouTuber, and podcaster. He came to prominence with the low-budget comedy buddy film ''Clerks'' (1994), which he wrote, directed, co ...

at the Quick Stop/RST Video and who inspired Smith's own film career. Despite seeing himself as a writer rather than filmmaker, Lynch contributed in a non-writing capacity to Smith's early films and then wrote/directed one of three non-Smith-directed films under the View Askew label. Except for four years during early childhood spent in Indiana, Lynch lived in New Jersey all his life. In 2004, he moved to

Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...

Comics and animated series

Lynch has worked on a number of comics and animated series: *''Angry Naked Pat'' (animated series) *''

Spider-Man Unlimited ''Spider-Man Unlimited'' is an American animated series by Saban Entertainment which features the Marvel comic book superhero Spider-Man, intended as a loose sequel series to the previous '' Spider-Man: The Animated Series'', which ran from 199 ...

'' (vol 3) #1 *''Monkey Man Unleashed'' *''Patchouli One Shot'' *'' Spike: Asylum'' *'' Spike: Shadow Puppets'' *'' Angel: After the Fall'' #1–17 *'' Spike: After the Fall'' *''

Spike (IDW Publishing) ''Spike'' is a comic book series published by IDW Publishing. Written by Brian Lynch, it focuses on the character of Spike, a main character in television series ''Buffy the Vampire Slayer'' and its spin-off, ''Angel''. Uniquely, although this ...

'' *''

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles ''Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles'' is an American media franchise created by the comic book artists Kevin Eastman and Peter Laird. It follows Leonardo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Leonardo, Michelangelo (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), Miche ...

: Microseries #1-3 (IDW Publishing)'' * ''Monster Motors: The Curse of Minivan Helsing''

Filmography

*''

A Better Place ''A Better Place'' is a 1997 drama film written and directed by Vincent Pereira. It stars Robert DiPatri and Eion Bailey. It was produced in association with View Askew, Kevin Smith's production company, and released to DVD by Synapse Films. It wa ...

'' (1997) – Actor (Eddie) *''

Chasing Amy ''Chasing Amy'' is a 1997 American romantic comedy-drama film written and directed by Kevin Smith and starring Ben Affleck, Joey Lauren Adams, and Jason Lee. The film is about a male comic artist (Affleck) who falls in love with a lesbian woma ...

'' (1997) – Actor (Bryan White) (uncredited). key craft service, (miscellaneous crew) *''

Big Helium Dog ''Big Helium Dog'' is a 1999 comedy film. It is produced by Kevin Smith's View Askew production company and also features the Broken Lizard comedy troupe in starring ( Kevin Heffernan) and supporting (Jay Chandrasekhar, Steve Lemme, and Erik St ...

'' (1999) – Director, Writer, Editor, Miscellaneous Crew. Actor (Director's Assistant) *''

Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back ''Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back'' is a 2001 American satirical stoner buddy comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, the fifth to be set in his View Askewniverse, a growing collection of characters and settings that developed out of h ...

'' (2001) – Actor (Comic Book Shopper #1) (uncredited) *''

Hop A hop is a type of jump. Hop or hops may also refer to: Arts and entertainment * ''Hop'' (film), a 2011 film * Hop! Channel, an Israeli TV channel * ''House of Payne'', or ''HOP'', an American sitcom * Lindy Hop, a swing dance of the 1920s and ...

'' (2011) – Writer with Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio *''

'' (2011) – Story with Will Davies and Tom Wheeler *'' Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem'' (2012) - Writer *'' Minions'' (2015) - Writer *''Binky Nelson Unpacified'' (2015) - Writer/Director *''

'' (2016) - Writer with Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio *''

'' (2019) - Writer *'' Minions: The Rise of Gru'' (2022) - Story with Matthew Fogel *''

DC League of Super-Pets ''DC League of Super-Pets'' is a 2022 American 3D computer-animated superhero comedy film based on the DC Comics superhero team Legion of Super-Pets. Produced by Warner Animation Group and DC Entertainment and distributed by Warner Bros. ...

'' (2022) - Co-producer

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Lynch, Brian 1973 births Living people American comics writers American male film actors Male actors from New Jersey Middletown High School South alumni People from Middletown Township, New Jersey Film directors from New Jersey William Paterson University alumni Illumination (company) people