Brian Michael Lynch (born June 21, 1973) is an American film and comic book writer. Lynch was the initial writer and co-creator of Angel: After the Fall for IDW Publishing alongside Joss Whedon, and is best known for writing the screenplays for the films Puss in Boots (2011), Minions (2015), The Secret Life of Pets (2016), The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019), and Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022). He has also written unproduced film adaptations of both The Sims and The Muppets.
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Life and career
Growing up in Middletown Township, New Jersey, Lynch attended Middletown High School South and William Paterson University of New Jersey.
Lynch went to school with (and was friends with) Vincent Pereira, who worked with Kevin Smith 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 Big Helium Dog.
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.
On September 2010, Lynch made an overall deal with Illumination Entertainment to produce scripts for their animated films.
Comics and animated series
Lynch has worked on a number of comics and animated series:
Angry Naked Pat (animated series)
Spider-Man Unlimited (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)
Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Microseries #1-3 (IDW Publishing)
Monster Motors: The Curse of Minivan Helsing
Bill & Ted's Most Triumphant Return #1–6 (IDW Publishing)
Filmography
A Better Place (1997) – Actor (Eddie)
Big Helium Dog (1999) – Director, Writer, Editor, Miscellaneous Crew. Actor (Director's Assistant)
Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back (2001) – Actor (Comic Book Shopper #1) (uncredited)
Hop (2011) – Writer with Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio
Puss in Boots (2011) – Story with Will Davies and Tom Wheeler
Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem (2012) - Writer
Minions (2015) - Writer
Binky Nelson Unpacified (2015) - Writer, Director
The Secret Life of Pets (2016) - Writer with Cinco Paul and Ken Daurio
The Secret Life of Pets 2 (2019) - Writer
Minions: The Rise of Gru (2022) - Story with Matthew Fogel
The Fantastic Four: First Steps (2025) - Additional Literary Material
Minions & Monsters (2026) - Screenplay, Executive producer