Jake Kasdan | |
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 Kasdan in 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 |
| Parent |
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| Relatives |
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Jacob Kasdan (born October 28, 1974) is an American filmmaker and actor. He is best known for directing Walk Hard (2007), Bad Teacher (2011), Sex Tape (2014), Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017) and Jumanji: The Next Level (2019).
Kasdan was born and raised in a Jewish family, with little religious education[1] in Detroit, Michigan, the son of Meg (née Goldman), a writer, and writer-director Lawrence Kasdan.[2] His younger brother, Jon Kasdan, also works in the film and television industry as an actor and writer.
Kasdan has directed seven theatrical 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 also directed numerous stage productions. He is attached to direct John Grisham novel Calico Joe to a family film adaptation.
In 2008, Kasdan received his first Golden Globe nomination for Walk Hard in the Best Original Song category (shared with John C. Reilly, Judd Apatow, and Marshall Crenshaw), but lost to "Guaranteed" from Into the Wild (written by Eddie Vedder).
As a child, he made several 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, that he had signed a deal with 20th Century Fox Television, through The Detective Agency, to pursue own projects.[3]
In February 2015, Fox announced 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 Jake 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 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]
Kasdan is married to singer-songwriter Inara George of The Bird and the Bee. They have three children, including twins.[8]
| 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 |
| 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–present | 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" |
| 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 |
