Jacob Kasdan (born October 28, 1974) is an American filmmaker and actor. He is best known for directing Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), Bad Teacher (2011), Sex Tape (2014), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), and Red One (2024).
Jake Kasdan | |
|---|---|
 Kasdan promoting New Girl in March 2012 | |
| Born | Jacob Kasdan October 28, 1974 Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Occupations |
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| Years active | 1983–present |
| Spouse | Inara George |
| Children | 3 |
| Father | Lawrence Kasdan |
| Relatives |
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Early life
editJacob Kasdan was born to Meg (née Goldman), a writer and Lawrence Kasdan, a writer and director in Detroit. Jacob grew up in a Jewish family with little religious education.[1] [2] His younger brother, Jon Kasdan, also works in the film and television industry as an actor and writer.
Career
editJake Kasdan has directed seven films: Zero Effect (1998), Orange County (2002), The TV Set (2006), Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), Bad Teacher (2011), Sex Tape (2014), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019). He has also worked in television, most notably with Judd Apatow as a consulting producer and director on Freaks and Geeks and as a director on Undeclared. He has directed numerous stage productions. He is attached to direct a family film adaption of a John Grisham novel, Calico Joe.
In 2008, Kasdan received his first Golden Globe nomination for Walk Hard in the Best Original Song category (shared with John C. Reilly, Apatow, and Marshall Crenshaw), but lost to "Guaranteed" from Into the Wild (written by Eddie Vedder). As a child, Kasdan made appearances in his father's movies such as The Big Chill and Silverado (in the former he is an autograph seeker at a funeral and in the latter a stable boy).
After the success of New Girl, Kasdan announced that on July 11, 2012, he had signed a deal with 20th Century Fox Television, through The Detective Agency to pursue his own projects.[3] In February 2015, Fox announced that it had greenlit a pilot for the comedy The Grinder to be directed by Kasdan and starring Rob Lowe.[4] On March 26, 2019, The Detective Agency's producing partners Kasdan and Melvin Mar reupped, and signed a new overall deal at 20th Century Fox Television.[5]
In October 2021, it was announced that Disney+ had given a series order to a television adaptation of the graphic novel American Born Chinese. It will be produced by 20th Century Fox Television with Kelvin Yu and Charles Yu as writers and executive producers, Marvin Mar and Kasdan as executive producers, and Destin Daniel Cretton as director and executive producer.[6] Most recently, he served as executive producer of the workplace comedy pilot XYZ at ABC.[7]
Personal life
editKasdan is married to singer-songwriter Inara George of The Bird and the Bee. They have three children including twins, Beau and Lorelei Kasdan and older son Otis Kasdan.[8]
Filmography
editFilms
edit| Year | Title | Director | Producer | Writer |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Zero Effect | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2002 | Orange County | Yes | No | No |
| 2006 | The TV Set | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2007 | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2011 | Bad Teacher | Yes | Executive | No |
| 2014 | Sex Tape | Yes | Executive | No |
| 2017 | Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle | Yes | Executive | No |
| 2019 | Jumanji: The Next Level | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| 2024 | Red One | Yes | Yes | No |
Producer
| Year | Title | Producer |
|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Shades of Ray | Executive |
| 2011 | Friends with Kids | Yes |
Acting credits
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1983 | The Big Chill | Autograph Seeker |
| 1985 | Silverado | Stable Boy |
| 1988 | The Accidental Tourist | Scott Canfield |
| 1998 | Zero Effect | Bank Teller (voice) |
| 2008 | Shades of Ray | Director # 3 |
Soundtrack credits
| Year | Title | Song |
|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Zero Effect | Let's Run Off and Get Married |
| Cold and Dark in My Heart | ||
| 2007 | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | Walk Hard |
| Take My Hand | ||
| (Mama) You Got To Love Your Negro Man | ||
| Cut My Brother in Half Blues | ||
| There's a Change a'Happening (I Can Feel It) | ||
| (You Make Me So) Hard |
Other credits
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 1991 | Grand Canyon | Production assistant |
| 1994 | Wyatt Earp | Archivist |
Television
edit| Year(s) | Title | Director | Executive Producer |
Writer | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999–00 | Freaks and Geeks | Yes | No | No | Director (5 episodes) / Also consulting producer (15 episodes) |
| 2000 | Grosse Pointe | Yes | No | No | 2 episodes |
| 2001 | Undeclared | Yes | No | No | Episode: "Prototype" |
| 2002 | Zero Effect | Yes | Co-Executive | Yes | Unsold television pilot |
| 2006 | Cracking Up | Yes | No | No | Episode: "The Fixer" |
| 2008 | Californication | Yes | No | No | Episode: "In a Lonely Place" |
| 2011 | Spring/Fall | Yes | No | No | Television film |
| 2011–18 | New Girl | Yes | Yes | No | Director (7 episodes) / Executive producer (146 episodes) |
| 2012–13 | Ben and Kate | Yes | Yes | No | Director (2 episodes) / Executive producer (16 episodes) |
| 2015 | Weird Loners | Yes | Yes | No | Director (2 episodes) / Executive producer (6 episodes) |
| 2015–16 | The Grinder | Yes | Yes | No | Director (2 episodes) / Executive producer (22 episodes) |
| 2015–20 | Fresh off the Boat | Yes | Yes | No | Director (Episode: "The Shunning") / Executive producer (116 episodes) |
| 2016–19 | Speechless | No | Yes | No | 63 episodes |
| 2017 | Jalen Vs. Everybody | No | Yes | No | Television film |
| 2019 | Heart of Life | No | Yes | No | Television film |
| 2019–20 | Bless This Mess | No | Yes | No | 26 episodes |
| 2021–2023 | Doogie Kamealoha, M.D | Yes | Yes | No | Director (Episode: "Aloha – The Hello One") / Executive producer (10 episodes) |
| 2023 | Prom Pact | No | Yes | No | Television film |
| 2023 | American Born Chinese | No | Yes | No | [9] |
Acting credits
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Young Rock | Tyler the Director | Episode: "A Christmas Peril" |
Music video
edit- Believe by Shawn Mendes (2015)
Awards
edit| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | Sierra Award | Best Song | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | Won | Shared with Judd Apatow, Marshall Crenshaw and John C. Reilly |
| 2008 | Golden Globe | Best Original Song | Nominated | ||
| 2009 | Grammy | Best Song Written for Motion Picture Television or Other Visual Media |
Nominated | ||
| 2012 | Emmy Award | Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series |
New Girl | Nominated | Pilot |
References
edit- ^ Jewish Daily Forward: "What's a Nice Jewish Boy Like Jake Kasdan Doing Making a 'Sex Tape?'" by Curt Schleier July 18, 2014
- ^ Lawrence Kasdan Biography (1949–)
- ^ Marechal, A. J. (2012-07-12). "Kasdan signs deal with 20th TV". Variety. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
- ^ Wagmeister, Elizabeth (12 February 2015). "Fox Orders Rob Lowe Comedy 'The Grinder' To Pilot". Variety.
- ^ Thorne, Will (2019-03-26). "Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar Sign New Overall Deal at 20th Century Fox". Variety. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (October 4, 2021). "Disney+ Greenlights 'American Born Chinese' Series From Melvin Mar, Kelvin Yu & Jake Kasdan; 'Shang-Chi's Destin Daniel Cretton To Direct". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved October 4, 2021.
- ^ White, Peter (2021-12-15). "'Doogie Kameāloha, M.D.' Duo Alison Bennett & Melvin Mar Set Workplace Comedy 'XYZ' At ABC". Deadline. Retrieved 2021-12-16.
- ^ Audio commentary to Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 7, 2022). "'Shang-Chi's Michelle Yeoh & Destin Daniel Cretton Reunite For Disney+ Series 'American Born Chinese;' Chin Han, Yeo Yann Yann & Daniel Wu Also Star". Retrieved February 7, 2022.
External links
edit- Jake Kasdan at IMDb
- The Director Interviews: Jake Kasdan, The TV Set Archived 2009-12-12 at the Wayback Machine at Filmmaker Magazine
- The Director Interviews: Jake Kasdan, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story at Filmmaker Magazine