1. Shawn Adam Levy is a Canadian filmmaker and actor.
46 Facts About Shawn Levy
1. 2.
Shawn Levy's work has spanned numerous genres, and his films as a director have grossed a collective $3.5 billion worldwide.
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Shawn Levy then found further success as the director of the first three films in the Night at the Museum film franchise.
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Shawn Levy was a producer on the 2016 sci-fi film Arrival, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
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Since 2016, Shawn Levy has been an executive producer on the Netflix original series Stranger Things.
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Shawn Levy has directed the third and fourth episodes of each of the show's four seasons.
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Shawn Levy directed the Netflix limited series All the Light We Cannot See.
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Shawn Levy was born to a Jewish family with two siblings, Jodi and Debby, in Montreal, Quebec.
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Shawn Levy received an MFA degree from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1994.
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Shawn Levy began his professional career while pursuing his undergraduate and graduate degrees in the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s.
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Shawn Levy appeared in the 1988 film Liberace: Behind the Music.
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Shawn Levy pursued his MFA in production, during which time he continued to act with a guest spot on 21 Jump Street and a recurring role on Beverly Hills, 90210.
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Shawn Levy was the primary director and executive producer of the Disney Channel coming-of-age show The Famous Jett Jackson and its companion film.
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Shawn Levy made his feature film directorial debut in 1997 with the family films Address Unknown and Just in Time.
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Shawn Levy directed and produced the 2010 comedy Date Night starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey.
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Shawn Levy executive produced the short-lived ABC sitcoms Cristela and Imaginary Mary.
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Outside of 20th Century Fox, Shawn Levy worked to expand 21 Laps' range outside of primarily family-friendly comedies; this included producing the A24 drama The Spectacular Now, the ensemble dramedy This Is Where I Leave You, and the Academy Award-winning sci-fi film Arrival.
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In 2021, Shawn Levy produced the film adaptation of the slasher novel There's Someone Inside Your House by Stephanie Perkins under his 21 Laps Entertainment label, alongside James Wan's Atomic Monster studio for Netflix.
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Shawn Levy directed The Adam Project for Netflix starring Ryan Reynolds in the lead role.
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On September 1,2005, it was announced that Shawn Levy had been offered a pay-or-play deal by Sony Pictures to direct 21, after original director Brett Ratner departed the project to direct X-Men: The Last Stand.
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On November 27,2006, Shawn Levy was set to direct a film adaptation of the Alex Williams fantasy novel The Talent Thief for Universal Pictures, with Shawn Levy producing through his 21 Laps Entertainment company and Matt Manfredi and Phil Hay writing the screenplay.
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Pictures and producers Charles Roven and Alex Gartner; Levy replaced David S Goyer, who had been attached to write and direct the film but had dropped out several months before, with elements of Goyer's script expected to be retained while Levy oversaw the writing of a new script.
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In October 2007, Shawn Levy left the project, which led to David Dobkin retooling the project as a spinoff of George Miller's cancelled Justice League: Mortal film.
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In September 2011, Shawn Levy said he had still not been able to "crack" the script, and described the project as his "long-gestating tragedy".
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On December 4,2008, it was announced that Shawn Levy would produce the feature film adaptation of the Adena Halpern novel The Ten Best Days of My Life alongside Amy Adams for 20th Century Fox, with Adams set to star in the project and Shawn Levy potentially directing.
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Shawn Levy discussed the project in February 2012, stating that he and Adams were looking to find the right screenplay for the project before moving forward with it.
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The film was ultimately directed by Akiva Schaeffer and released on July 27,2012 as The Watch, with Shawn Levy serving as a producer.
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On January 22,2009, it was reported that Shawn Levy would produce the film adaptation of Alec Greven's book How to Talk to Girls for 20th Century Fox, and would develop the project as a potential directing vehicle.
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However, on February 22,2012, Shawn Levy declared the project was "not for me to direct".
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On September 16,2010, it was announced that Shawn Levy would produce a feature film based on the Spike TV television series Deadliest Warrior for Paramount Pictures, and was eyeing the project as a potential directing vehicle.
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In February 2012, Shawn Levy told Collider that a script had just been turned in to Paramount, and that he would likely only serve as producer, though he expressed hope that the film could enter production that year.
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On February 3,2011, it was announced that 20th Century Fox had acquired an original action adventure pitch by Carlton Cuse for Hugh Jackman to star and Shawn Levy to produce and direct.
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On February 7,2011, it was announced that Shawn Levy had been selected to direct a remake of the science fiction film Fantastic Voyage by producer James Cameron and 20th Century Fox, with Laeta Kalogridis polishing a screenplay by Shane Salerno; Shawn Levy was to have replaced Paul Greengrass.
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In February 2012, Shawn Levy said the project was more difficult to move forward, but reiterated his intentions to direct it.
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In February 2012, during an interview with Collider, Shawn Levy described the project as being more difficult to move forward due to complexities surrounding casting, scripting, and its larger budget.
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On February 24,2012, during an interview with Collider, Shawn Levy stated that he did not know if he would direct the project himself, and that he had met with other directors about the project.
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On October 18,2011, it was reported that Shawn Levy had expressed interest in directing a reboot of The Cannonball Run for Warner Bros.
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On February 24,2012, Levy confirmed he had been interested in two years prior, and had discussed the project with original producer Albert S Ruddy with plans to cast Stiller and Owen Wilson, but that it was not something he was now involved in.
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On December 19,2018, it was announced Shawn Levy had departed the film in order to prioritize working on Free Guy.
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On November 8,2017, it was announced that Crater, a science fiction spec script by John Griffin, had been acquired by 20th Century Fox and that Shawn Levy was in negotiations to direct and produce the project.
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On January 12,2021, it was announced that Kyle Patrick Alvarez would direct the project instead, with Shawn Levy only serving as a producer, with the film moving to a Disney+ release after the acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney.
42.
On January 13,2022, it was announced that a series adaptation of Real Steel was in the early stages of development at Disney+, with Shawn Levy serving as executive producer alongside Robert Zemeckis, Jack Rapke, Jacqueline Levine, Susan Montford and Don Murphy.
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In September 2023, Shawn Levy said the story for the sequel was being revised in response to the film Barbie.
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In February 2023, it was announced Shawn Levy would produce the comedy Boy Band for Paramount Pictures alongside Ryan Reynolds, who would co-write and star in the project.
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Shawn Levy was confirmed as the film's director in February 2024.
46.
Shawn Levy turned down the offer due to scheduling concerns with his role as a director and executive producer on the fifth season of Stranger Things that would keep him busy until 2025.