Tom J. Astle

Biography

Tom J. Astle is an American screenwriter and television producer whose career spans television, live-action films, and animated features. Born on April 8, 1960, he developed a successful career as a writer, working on a variety of comedy and family-oriented projects.

Early Career

Astle began his writing career in television, contributing to popular series such as Coach, Dave's World, Clueless, Fudge, Brother's Keeper, and The Twilight Zone. He also worked on The Outer Limits and Stargate SG-1, demonstrating his ability to write for different genres.

One of his notable early achievements was his work on the children's television series Adventures in Wonderland. He later created the Disney Channel series So Weird, on which he also served as a writer and executive producer.

Career as a Screenwriter

Astle became particularly recognized for his feature-film screenwriting partnership with Matt Ember. Together, they wrote several successful movies, including Failure to Launch (2006), Get Smart (2008), Epic (2013), Home (2015), and The War with Grandpa (2020).

Get Smart, starring Steve Carell, Anne Hathaway, and Dwayne Johnson, was an adaptation of the classic television series. Astle and Ember also wrote the spin-off Get Smart's Bruce and Lloyd: Out of Control.

His work in animation includes Epic and Home, two family-oriented films featuring fantasy and adventure themes. He also received a screenplay credit for The War with Grandpa, a family comedy starring Robert De Niro.

Television and Producing

Alongside screenwriting, Astle has worked as a producer and executive producer. His television producing credits include So Weird, The Hughleys, The Tracy Morgan Show, Brother's Keeper, and Florida Man.

His career shows considerable versatility, moving between children's television, sitcoms, science fiction, comedy, and feature-film projects.