Jonathan Tropper

Jonathan Tropper (born February 19, 1970) is an American screenwriter, novelist, and producer.[1] He is the internationally best-selling author of six novels that have been translated into over thirty languages. His last two novels, This Is Where I Leave You and One Last Thing Before I Go were both New York Times best-sellers. He is the co-creator and executive producer of the Cinemax television series Banshee (2013–2016) and the creator of the Cinemax television series Warrior (2019–2020).

Jonathan Tropper
Born	(1970-02-19) February 19, 1970 Riverdale, New York, U.S.
Occupation	Screenwriter, author, producer
Residence	New York City, New York, U.S.
Nationality	American
Period	2000 - present
Subject	fiction, humor
Notable works	This Is Where I Leave You, Banshee, Warrior
Spouse	Stephanie Abram
Children	4
Website
www.jonathantropper.com

Life and career

Tropper was born in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, New York City. He studied English as an undergraduate at Yeshiva University and received a master's degree in creative writing at New York University, after which he spent eight years running a Manhattan-based company that manufactured displays for jewelry companies. He wrote at night and on weekends, ultimately publishing his first novel, Plan B, which attracted the attention of an agent, allowing him to leave his job and become a full-time writer. Five of Tropper's six books have been optioned at auction within a week of publication (The Book of Joe, How to Talk to a Widower, Everything Changes, One Last Thing Before I Go, and This Is Where I Leave You).

The themes of his books appear to stem from his personal experiences: they deal with topics such as being single, growing up, getting married, being married, getting divorced, and living in suburbia. Tropper's hometown of New Rochelle in Westchester County, New York, is a main source of inspiration when creating the characters and settings in his books.[2]

How to Talk to a Widower was a 2007 selection for The Richard and Judy Show in the United Kingdom. Everything Changes was a Booksense selection. Three of Tropper's books are currently being adapted into movies. Tropper co-wrote the film adaptation of The Book of Joe with Ed Burns, who will direct.[3] This Is Where I Leave You was published in August 2009 and was a New York Times bestseller.[4] It was made into the 2014 film of the same name. Tropper's most recent novel, One Last Thing Before I Go, was published in August 2012. The novel was optioned by Paramount Pictures for J. J. Abrams.

Tropper co-created the television series Banshee with David Schickler. The show aired on Cinemax; Tropper served as an executive producer on the show.

In October 2017, it was announced that his series Warrior, based off Bruce Lee's original idea and set against the Tong Wars of 19th century San Francisco, received a straight-to-series order at Cinemax. The series debuted on Cinemax in April 2019 to critical acclaim.[5] Tropper served as showrunner and executive producer. Justin Lin, director of multiple Fast and Furious films and Bruce Lee's daughter, Shannon Lee, served as executive producers.[6]

In 2020, Tropper took over as showrunner and executive producer of the Apple TV+ science fiction series See (2019–present), starring Jason Momoa, Alfre Woodard, and Dave Bautista.[7]

Tropper lives with his wife and four children in New York City.[8]

Films

Tropper wrote the screenplay for the 2014 film adaptation of his novel This is Where I Leave You. Shawn Levy directed, and the film co-starred Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver and Jane Fonda. Tropper later produced and wrote the screenplay for Kodachrome (2017), starring Jason Sudeikis, Ed Harris, and Elizabeth Olsen. The film debuted at the Toronto International Film Festival to rave reviews[9], and was acquired by Netflix.[10]

Tropper recently wrote the screenplay for The Adam Project, a science-fiction thriller set to star Ryan Reynolds and to be directed by Shawn Levy.[11]

Filmography

Film

Title	Year	Notes
This Is Where I Leave You	2014	writer and executive producer
Kodachrome	2017	writer and producer
Irreplaceable You	2018	producer
The Adam Project	2021	writer

Television

Creator

Year	Title	Network	Notes
2013–2016	Banshee	Cinemax	Created with David Schickler
2019–2020	Warrior	Cinemax

Producer

Year	Title	Notes
2013–2016	Banshee	Co-creator and showrunner; Executive producer
2013–2014	Banshee Origins	Executive producer (seasons 1–2; 23 episodes)
2019–2020	Warrior	Creator and showrunner; Executive producer
2019–2020	See	Executive producer and showrunner

Director

Year	Title	Notes
2016	Banshee	1 episode: "Only One Way a Dogfight Ends"
2020	Warrior	1 episode

Writer

Year	Title	Notes
2013–2016	Banshee	17 episodes
2013–2014	Banshee Origins	23 episodes (seasons 1–2)
2017	Vinyl	1 episode: "Whispered Secrets"
2019–2020	Warrior	1 episode
2019–present	See	3 episodes

Bibliography

• 2000 – Plan B (ISBN 978-0312272760)
• 2004 – The Book of Joe (ISBN 978-0385338103)
• 2005 – Everything Changes (ISBN 978-0385337427)
• 2007 – How to Talk to a Widower (ISBN 978-0385338912)
• 2009 – This Is Where I Leave You (ISBN 978-0525951278)
• 2012 – One Last Thing Before I Go (ISBN 978-0525952367)

References

1. Manhattanville Faculty Bio Archived 2013-01-29 at the Wayback Machine
2. Muchnick, Jeanne (January 2010). "Tropper Uses New Rochelle as His Muse". Westchester Magazine.
3. Steigrad, Alexandra (May 2, 2012). "Ed Burns' Indy Streak". Wwd.com. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
4. Lussier, Germain (May 29, 2012). "All-Star Cast Joins Adam Shankman's 'This Is Where I Leave You'". Film. Retrieved February 22, 2013.
5. Nguyen, Hanh; Nguyen, Hanh (2019-04-05). "'Warrior' Review: Bruce Lee's Vision of Chinese in the Old West Comes to Rowdy, Violent Life on Cinemax". IndieWire. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
6. Andreeva, Nellie (2017-10-11). "'Warrior': Cinemax Sets Cast & Director For Bruce Lee-Inspired Martial Arts Series". Deadline. Retrieved 2017-10-20.
7. Andreeva, Nellie; Andreeva, Nellie (2020-01-13). "'See': Dave Bautista Joins Season 2 Of Apple Drama Series". Deadline. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
8. Gorce, Tammy La. "Writing as Vicarious Experience". Nytimes.com. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
9. Kenigsberg, Ben (2018-04-19). "Review: 'Kodachrome,' an Ode to Color Film, Now Streaming Near You". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
10. "Toronto: Netflix Acquires Elizabeth Olsen-Starrer 'Kodachrome'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-06-09.
11. "Ryan Reynolds, Shawn Levy Reteam for Time-Travel Adventure Movie From Skydance (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved 2020-06-09.

External links

• Jonathan Tropper's personal website
• Jonathan Tropper on IMDb
• New York Times book review, This Is Where I Leave You
• New York Times, excerpt from This Is Where I Leave You