Shawn Levy

Producer, Writer, Director

Birthdate: July 23, 1968 (57 Years Old)

Birthplace: Montreal, Quebec, Canada

Shawn Levy (birthname: Shawn Adam Levy) is a diverse producer, director, and screenwriter whose movies have blended high-concept with mainstream entertainment vehicles, expanding his portfolio as director-producer from television to features with—first—two family-oriented films that didn’t receive theatrical releases (Address Unknown and Just in Time in 1997). Levy was director of Universal Pictures’ $53-million-grossing teen comedy, Big Fat Liar (2002), with Frankie Muniz, Paul Giamatti, Amanda Bynes, and Lee Majors, and then followed as director with two back-to-back high-earning comedies: 20^th Century Fox’s rom-com hit ($101.6 million gross) co-starring Ashton Kutcher and Brittany Murphy, Just Married (2003); and Fox’s $190.5-million-grossing Steve Martin remake, Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), with Bonnie Hunt and Hilary Duff. Levy continued with Steve Martin as director of the reboot, The Pink Panther (2006), featuring Kevin Kline, Jean Reno, Emily Mortimer, and Beyoncé, earning a mild $164 million, and then the same year, Levy became a movie director-producer by launching the successful franchise for 20^th Century Fox, Night at the Museum (2006), followed by the sequels Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian (2009) and Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014), all starring Ben Stiller and grossing a cumulative $1.35 billion worldwide. Levy directed and produced another hit comedy for Fox with the snarky rom-com, Date Night (2010), starring Steve Carell, Tina Fey, Taraji P. Henson, Common, and Mark Wahlberg and earning $152 million worldwide on a $55 million budget. Shawn Levy’s strong box-office streak as director-producer continued with Disney/DreamWorks Pictures’ robots vs. boxers movie, Real Steel (2011), based on a Richard Matheson short story and starring Hugh Jackman, and grossing a strong $300 million globally. Levy returned as director-producer of the Vince Vaughn (as star, co-writer, co-producer) comedy for 20^th Century Fox, The Internship (2013), co-starring Owen Wilson, Rose Byrne, and Max Minghella, earning a weak $93 million. Levy then directed and produced the ensemble comedy-drama, This is Where I Leave You (2014), based on screenwriter Jonathan Tropper’s novel, and co-starring Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Adam Driver, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, and Jane Fonda, grossing a decent $41.3 million global number for distributor Warner Bros. Levy took a break from the big screen to devote energies to producing and also directing multiple episodes of the smash hit series, Stranger Things (2016-present) before returning to the movies as a producer and the director of the Ryan Reynolds-starring action comedy, Free Guy (2021), with Jodie Comer, Lil Rei Howery, and Taika Waititi, premiering at the Locarno film festival and then grossing a solid $331.5 million worldwide for 20^th Century Fox. Shawn Levy reunited as director-producer with Ryan Reynolds for Netflix’s streaming action comedy, The Adam Project (2022), and then returned to the big screen with two of his favorite stars—Reynolds and Hugh Jackman—for his first Marvel Cinematic Universe movie, Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), on which director-producer Levy also co-wrote the script with four other credited writers including Reynolds (who also produced), and which was released by Disney. Levy, as director-producer, continued his run with star and writer Reynolds on the musical comedy, Boy Band (date to be announced), co-written by Jesse Reynolds. Levy has served as a big-screen producer on several movies he did not direct, including: Cheaper by the Dozen 2 (2005), The Rocker (2008), James Ponsoldt’s The Spectacular Now (2013), Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day (2014), the Oscar-nominated sci-fi adventure Arrival (2016), Why Him? (2016), Fist Fight (2017), Table 19 (2017), Love and Monsters (2020), The Boogeyman (2023), Disney’s Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Road Trip (date to be announced), and Alexandre Aja’s horror movie, Never Let Go (2024), Dollhouse (2024), Sovereign (date to be announced), The Backrooms (2025), The Defender (date to be announced), and Night of the Ghoul (date to be announced).

Personal Life
Movies
Facts

Personal life

Shawn Levy was raised in Montreal, Canada, by his parents. Levy has two sisters, Jodi and Debby. Levy graduated from St. George’s High School, and studied acting at the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in the Catskills. Levy attended and graduated from the Yale School of Drama in 1989. Levy then studied filmmaking at the USC School of Cinematic Arts, earning his MFA degree in 1994. Levy has been married to Serena Levy; the couple has four children, Sophie, Tess, Charlie, and Colette. Levy’s height is 5’ 11”. Levy’s estimated net worth is $60 million.

Known For

Deadpool & Wolverine

Director (2024)

Free Guy

Director (2021)

Awards

Nominee, Best Picture, Academy Awards (2017); Nominee, Best Film, BAFTA Awards (2017); Nominee, Best International Program, BAFTA TV Awards (2017); Three-time Nominee, Best Drama Series, Emmy Awards (2017, 2018, 2020); Two-time Nominee, Best TV Series-Drama, Golden Globe Awards (2017, 2018); Winner, Best Episodic Drama, Producers Guild of America Awards (2017).

Oscar

Oscar

Academy Awards, USA

BAFTA Film Award

BAFTA Film Award

BAFTA Awards

BAFTA TV Award

BAFTA TV Award

BAFTA Awards

Shawn Levy Movies

Director

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Previous (5)

2021 |
Free Guy
Free Guy
2021
Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi
When Guy, a bank teller, learns that he is a non-player character in a bloodthirsty, open-world video game, he goes on to become the hero of the story and takes the responsibility of saving the world.
More Info
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This Is Where I Leave You
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Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
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The Internship
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Real Steel

Producer

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Previous (19)

2024 |
Never Let Go
Never Let Go
2024
Horror, Thriller
A family that has been haunted by an evil spirit for years. Their safety and their surroundings come into question when one of the children questions if the evil is real.
More Info
2024 |
Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool & Wolverine
2024
Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Deadpool is offered a place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by the Time Variance Authority, but instead recruits a variant of Wolverine to save his universe from extinction.
More Info
2023 |
The Boogeyman
The Boogeyman
2023
Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Two sisters grieving the recent death of their mother without receiving much support from their father, a therapist who is dealing with his own grief, must face a supernatural entity that feeds on the suffering of its victims.
More Info
2021 |
Free Guy
Free Guy
2021
Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Romance, Sci-Fi
When Guy, a bank teller, learns that he is a non-player character in a bloodthirsty, open-world video game, he goes on to become the hero of the story and takes the responsibility of saving the world.
More Info
2020 |
Love and Monsters
Love and Monsters
2020
Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, Sci-Fi
Seven years after he survived the monster apocalypse, lovably hapless Joel leaves his cozy underground bunker behind on a quest to reunite with his high school sweetheart.
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2020 |
The Violent Heart
The Violent Heart
2020
Drama, Thriller
Fifteen years after the murder of his older sister, Daniel finds himself falling for Cassie, a vivacious high school senior.
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2018 |
The Darkest Minds
The Darkest Minds
2018
Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance, Sci-Fi, Thriller
After a disease kills 98% of children, the survivors develop powers and are declared a threat. 16-year-old Ruby, escapes the government facility and joins a group of rebel teenagers ready to fight the government forces out to get them.
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2018 |
Kin
Kin
2018
Action, Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller
Chased by a vengeful criminal, the feds and a gang of otherworldly soldiers, an ex-con and his adopted teenage brother go on the run with a weapon of mysterious origin as their only protection.
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2017 |
Table 19
Table 19
2017
Comedy, Drama, Romance
Eloise, having been relieved of maid of honor duties after being unceremoniously dumped by the best man via text, decides to attend the wedding anyway, only to find herself seated with five fellow unwanted guests at the dreaded Table 19.
2017 |
Fist Fight
Fist Fight
2017
Comedy
When one school teacher unwittingly causes another teacher's dismissal, he is challenged to an after-school fight.
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2016 |
Arrival
Arrival
2016
Drama, Mystery, Sci-Fi
Linguist Louise Banks leads a team of investigators when gigantic spaceships touch down around the world. As nations teeter on the verge of global war, Banks and her crew must find a way to communicate with the extraterrestrial visitors.
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2016 |
Why Him?
Why Him?
2016
Comedy
A holiday gathering threatens to go off the rails when Ned Fleming realizes that his daughter's Silicon Valley millionaire boyfriend is about to pop the question.
More Info
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This Is Where I Leave You
-- |
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day
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Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb
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The Spectacular Now
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The Internship
-- |
The Watch
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Real Steel

Writer

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Previous (1)

2024 |
Deadpool & Wolverine
Deadpool & Wolverine
2024
Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi
Deadpool is offered a place in the Marvel Cinematic Universe by the Time Variance Authority, but instead recruits a variant of Wolverine to save his universe from extinction.
More Info

Facts About Shawn Levy

Multi-Lingual: Shawn Levy is fluent in English, French, and Hebrew. Shingle: Levy’s production company is named 21 Laps Entertainment. Classmate: Shawn Levy had Paul Giamatti as a classmate at the Yale School of Drama, and then directed Giamatti in 2002 with Big Fat Liar.

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