Jonathan Tropper

Tropper was born in the Riverdale section of the Bronx, New York City in a liberal observant Jewish home.^[2][3] During his childhood he attended Camp Morasha, a co-ed Modern Orthodox sleepaway camp in the Poconos.^[2] At age 18, he briefly studied in Israel.^[4]

He studied English as an undergraduate at Yeshiva University and received a master's degree in creative writing at New York University (NYU).^[2]

After receiving his master's degree from NYU, Tropper 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.^[5]

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.^[6] This Is Where I Leave You was published in August 2009 and was made into the 2014 film of the same name.^[7] 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 on 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.^[8] 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.^[9]

In 2020, Tropper took over as showrunner and executive producer of the Apple TV+ science fiction series See, starring Jason Momoa, Alfre Woodard, and Dave Bautista.^[10]

Tropper has three children with his first wife Elizabeth Parker.^[11][2] In 2016, he married Stephanie Abram, with whom he has one child.

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,^[12] and was acquired by Netflix.^[13]

Tropper wrote the screenplay for The Adam Project, a science-fiction thriller starring Ryan Reynolds and directed by Shawn Levy.^[14]

• 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)