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John Thomas

Writer and producer

Primetime Emmy nominee

John C. Thomas is an American screenwriter based in California. With his brother Jim Thomas, he wrote and/or was substantially involved with the screenplays of numerous films, including Predator (1987), Predator 2 (1990),  Executive Decision (1996), Wild Wild West (1999), and Behind Enemy Lines (2001), which spawned a franchise. Description above from the Wiki John Thomas (screenwriter), licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

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Biography from TMDB.

Works as
Writer and producer
Titles
16 on Motif · 19 credits in all
Links
IMDb (opens in a new tab)TMDB (opens in a new tab)Wikidata (opens in a new tab)

Known for

TMDB popularity, last 157 days to Oct 28Down 33% in 30 days

What are John Thomas' films like?

Across their 15 Motif titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Survival and Morality.

Themes

share of theme weight
Survival
43%
Morality
21%
Self
13%
Bonds
11%
Power
5%
Society
5%
Ideas
2%
Survival10 titles, browse their movies with this themeSacrifice3 titles, browse their movies with this themeIdentity2 titles, browse their movies with this themePower2 titles, browse their movies with this themeFamily bonds2 titles, browse their movies with this themeDuty2 titles, browse their movies with this themeViolence2 titles, browse their movies with this theme

What they feel like to watch

their average across 15 films
ToneFeelDemandtheir average · filled zone: the category
Serious: How heavy the subject matter and outlook get. Browse their serious movies.
Tone · Weight
lightdark

A split, not a type: Light 4 · Serious 4 · Dark 7

Stylized: How far its world departs from everyday reality. Browse their stylized movies.
Tone · Style
naturalisticheightened

Grounded 3 · Stylized 9 · Heightened 3

Intense: How hard the emotional peaks hit while you watch. Browse their intense movies.
Feel · Intensity
gentleintense

Gentle 0 · Charged 4 · Intense 11

Shifting: How much it swings between very different feelings. Browse their shifting movies.
Feel · Swings
steadyswings

Steady 2 · Shifting 11 · Whiplash 2

Straight-faced: How much of the runtime is played for laughs. Browse their straight-faced movies.
Feel · Humor
noneconstant

Straight-faced 11 · Some laughs 4 · Funny 0

Relentless: How fast it moves from scene to scene. Browse their relentless movies.
Demand · Pace
slowrelentless

Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 5 · Relentless 10

Engaged: How much focus it asks of you — look away and lose the thread? Browse their engaged movies.
Demand · Attention
casualfull focus

Casual 2 · Engaged 13 · Full focus 0

Resolved: How much is left for you to interpret. Browse their resolved movies.
Demand · Resolution
resolvedambiguous

Resolved 14 · Open-ended 1 · Ambiguous 0

Moods and endings

endings are an aggregate; no title is named

Dominant moods · mentions across their titles

Tense
13
Thrilling
12
Dread
6
Absurd
4
Hopeful
3
Other
2

How their films linger

Fun8 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteRousing7 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteHopeful5 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteBittersweet4 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteCathartic3 titles, browse their movies with this aftertasteUnsettling2 titles, browse their movies with this aftertaste

How their films end · 6 with a twist

  • Happy4
  • Bittersweet8
  • Ambiguous3

AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.

Where can I watch John Thomas' films?

As of October 24, 2026, 14 of their 16 Motif titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Disney+ (8).

Subscription and free streaming for John Thomas' titles on Motif; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.

Filmography

19 credits, 16 with a Motif page; 2 appearances as themselves are hidden until asked for.

  • Predator: Badlands(2025)

    Characters · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 88th percentile of all films

  • Predator: Killer of Killers(2025)

    Characters · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 95th percentile of all films

  • Prey(2022)

    Characters · Executive Producer

    Midcredits score: 87th percentile of all films

  • The Predator(2018)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 16th percentile of all films

  • Predators(2010)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 53rd percentile of all films

  • Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem(2007)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 8th percentile of all films

  • Alien vs. Predator(2004)

    Characters

    Midcredits score: 31st percentile of all films

  • Behind Enemy Lines(2001)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 56th percentile of all films

  • Mission to Mars(2000)

    Screenplay · Story

    Midcredits score: 30th percentile of all films

  • Tales from the Crypt: The Robert Zemeckis Collection (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1999)

    Writer

  • Wild Wild West(1999)

    Story

    Midcredits score: 12th percentile of all films

  • Centerfold Men (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1999)

    as Psychologist Gymnast

  • Executive Decision(1996)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 61st percentile of all films

  • Asuran (not in the Motif catalog yet)(1995)

    Original Story

  • Two-Fisted Tales(1992)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films

  • Predator 2(1990)

    Characters · Writer

    Midcredits score: 50th percentile of all films

  • Tales from the Crypt(1989)

    Show 1 episode · Screenplay

    Midcredits score: 90th percentile of all shows

  • The Rescue(1988)

    Producer · Writer

    Midcredits score: 36th percentile of all films

  • Predator(1987)

    Writer

    Midcredits score: 96th percentile of all films

Career shape

A full career of 19 titles from 1987 to 2025.

Biggest box office

Wild Wild West (1999)

$222M worldwide

Highest rated

Predator (1987)

Midcredits 96th

Most popular right now

Predator: Badlands (2025)

By role

only this rolewith another role
Acting1 of 19: 1 only acting, 0 with another roleWriting18 of 19: 14 only writing, 4 with another role · typical Midcredits score52ndProducing4 of 19: 0 only producing, 4 with another role

19 titles, 4 with more than one role — writing and producing overlap on 4 of them.

By decade

1980s3 · crew1990s7 · 1 acting · 6 crew2000s4 · crew2010s2 · crew2020s3 · crew

Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on Motif, shown from 5 scored.

Awards

Nominated for a Primetime Emmy in 2023, Outstanding Television Movie.

Major bodies only: the Oscars, Primetime Emmys, Golden Globes, BAFTAs and Screen Actors Guild Awards are named; Cannes, Venice, the Berlinale, Sundance, the directors', writers' and producers' guilds, the Grammys, Critics Choice and the Independent Spirit Awards count as other major bodies. Festival and regional prizes are not counted. Source: IMDb.

How do John Thomas' films land?

Their typical Motif film has a Midcredits score in the 50th percentile, the median of all 15; across their 15 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 50th percentile for acclaim.

Acclaim · how much people like their films

50thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Approval · how many liked their films

49thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Reach · how many have seen their films

98thpercentile
Typical film, the median of 15

Midcredits score across 16 titles, by percentile

  • 75th and up5
  • 50th to 74th4
  • 25th to 49th4
  • Below 25th3

Shape of the crowd

7 of their 16 titles are Crowd Pleasers.

  • Universally Loved2
  • Crowd Pleaser7
  • Mixed7

Most divisive · writer, producer

The Rescue (1988)

61st percentile spread · 27% rated it 4 or lower

Most loved · writer

Predator (1987)

Midcredits 96th · 87% liked

Reviewers score the dialogue 37/100 and the plot and story 39/100 in their films, across 15 reviewed titles. The element that speaks to their work as a writer.

Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on Motif; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their Motif titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.

Is John Thomas' work okay for kids?

Across up to 13 Motif titles with content scores, violence & gore, profanity and frightening / intense run heavier than most films and sex & nudity lighter.

Their medianMedian of all filmsMiddle 80% of their titles
Violence & Gore13 titles60–93 · median 86 · severeheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 44
Sex & Nudity13 titles5–54 · median 17 · mildlighter than most filmsMedian of all films: 32
Profanity13 titles30–87 · median 60 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 36
Alcohol & Drugs13 titles11–40 · median 26 · mildnear the median of all filmsMedian of all films: 33
Frightening / Intense13 titles54–84 · median 64 · intenseheavier than most filmsMedian of all films: 39

Severity 0–100 from the Content Guide. Categories with under 10 votes on a title are not counted. The band's colour is the severity of their median, named beside it.

Who does John Thomas work with?

People who share at least 2 of John Thomas' Motif titles, grouped by what they did on them; Jim Thomas shares the most, 15.

Directors

Writers

Actors

Composers, cinematographers and editors

Producers

Mixed roles