Shawn Adam Levy ( ; born July 23, 1968) is a Canadian and American filmmaker and actor. He is the founder of 21 Laps Entertainment. As a producer, he has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globe Awards, and three Primetime Emmy Awards. His work has spanned numerous genres, and his films as a director have grossed a collective $3.5 billion worldwide.
Following early work as a television director, most notably for The Famous Jett Jackson, Levy gained recognition in the 2000s for directing comedy films like Big Fat Liar (2002), Just Married (2003), Cheaper by the Dozen (2003) and The Pink Panther (2006). He then found further success as the director of the first three films in the Night at the Museum film franchise (2006–14). In the early 2010s, he directed films including Date Night (2010), Real Steel (2011), and The Internship (2013), developed several comedy television pilots, and executive produced the first five seasons of the ABC sitcom Last Man Standing. Levy was a producer on the 2016 sci-fi film Arrival, which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture.
Levy was an executive producer through the entire run of the Netflix original series Stranger Things. He directed the third and fourth episodes of each of the show's first four seasons, as well as the sixth and seventh episodes of the final season. He also directed the Netflix limited series All the Light We Cannot See (2023). Levy has collaborated with Ryan Reynolds by directing Free Guy (2021), The Adam Project (2022), and Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), with the latter emerging as his highest-grossing film and the second highest-grossing R-rated film of all time.
Early life Levy was born to a Jewish family with two siblings, Jodi and Debby, in Montreal, Quebec. As a teenager, he attended St. George's High School in Montreal and trained at the Stagedoor Manor Performing Arts Training Center in New York's Catskills. Pursuing a career in acting, he attended the performing arts program at Yale University, graduating in 1989; during his time there, he became interested in directing and moved to Los Angeles to study film directing. He received an MFA degree from the USC School of Cinematic Arts in 1994.
Career
1985–1994: Early career Levy began his professional career while pursuing his undergraduate and graduate degrees in the mid-1980s through the mid-1990s. While studying performing arts, he made his acting debut in Zombie Nightmare (1987), a low-budget horror film in which he portrayed the character Jim Bratten, the leader of a group of teenagers. The film is best known for being featured in an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000. He also appeared in the 1988 film Liberace: Behind the Music.
He 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. Since this time, he has acted in primary small and cameo roles as well, like on 30 Rock as TV producer Scottie Shofar.
1995–2014: Directorial career and 20th Century Fox Through the end of the 1990s, Levy worked primarily as a television director of teen dramas, like Nickelodeon's The Secret World of Alex Mack and Animorphs. He was the primary director and executive producer (season 3) of the Disney Channel coming-of-age show The Famous Jett Jackson (1998–2002) and its companion film (2001).He made his feature film directorial debut in 1997 with the family films Address Unknown and Just in Time. This was followed by the 2002 teen comedy Big Fat Liar, his first theatrical release, and the 2003 rom com Just Married, which made more than $100 million in the box office. For the remainder of the decade, Levy worked successfully on big-budget family films, namely directing Cheaper by the Dozen (2003), The Pink Panther (2006), and Night at the Museum franchise (2006–2014)—and produced all of their sequel films. The first Night at the Museum film was Levy's most commercially successful project at the time, and one of the highest-grossing films of 2006. During this time he also produced the 2008 films What Happens in Vegas and The Rocker and executive produced The WB dramedy Pepper Dennis (2006).
Levy directed and produced the 2010 comedy Date Night starring Steve Carell and Tina Fey. The same year, he began directing the sci-fi drama Real Steel (2011), starring Hugh Jackman. Executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the film received mixed critical reviews and was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Visual Effects.
In the mid-2000s, Levy and his company 21 Laps signed a production deal with 20th Century Fox; it was renewed in 2010. Following this deal, Levy created a new television company with Marty Adelstein at 20th Century Fox TV to develop comedy series. Levy and 21 Laps were with the company until 2020. Since 2011, he has been the executive producer of the Tim Allen sitcom Last Man Standing. He also executive produced the short-lived ABC sitcoms Cristela (2014–2015) and Imaginary Mary (2017). Film projects with FOX include the 2012 Ben Stiller, Vince Vaughn, Jonah Hill comedy The Watch (directed by Akiva Schaffer), Levy's comedy The Internship (2013), Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb (2014), Why Him? (2016), and The Darkest Minds (2018).
Outside of 20th Century Fox, Levy worked to expand 21 Laps' range outside of primarily family-friendly comedies; this included producing the A24 drama The Spectacular Now (2013), the ensemble dramedy This Is Where I Leave You (2014), and the Academy Award-winning sci-fi film Arrival (2016). For his role in Arrival, Levy was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture.
2015–present: Stranger Things and Netflix
In December 2017, Levy signed a four-year contract with Netflix to create TV projects exclusively for the streaming entertainment company. In 2020, 21 Laps extended its deal with Netflix and signed a first look deal.
In 2021, 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. Alongside Eric Heisserer, he also executive produced the 2021 Netflix series Shadow and Bone, an adaptation of the fantasy book series The Grisha Trilogy and the Six of Crows Duology starring Jessie Mei Li, under Netflix's deal with 21 Laps. Levy directed The Adam Project for Netflix starring Ryan Reynolds in the lead role.
Levy directed Deadpool & Wolverine for Marvel Studios. In November 2022, Levy entered talks to direct a Star Wars movie for Lucasfilm following the conclusion of his work on Deadpool & Wolverine and the fifth and final season of Stranger Things.
In February 2023, A24, who successfully bid on the Backrooms film, announced that work had begun on a film adaptation of the Backrooms based on Parsons' videos, with Parsons directing. Roberto Patino is set to write the screenplay, while Levy, James Wan, Michael Clear from Atomic Monster, Dan Cohen, and Dan Levine from 21 Laps Entertainment, Peter Chernin from Chernin Entertainment are set to produce.
In August 2023, Levy was the inaugural recipient of the Norman Jewison Award for career achievement at the TIFF Tribute Awards.Jeremy Kay, "Shawn Levy to receive inaugural TIFF Norman Jewison Career Achievement Award". Screen Daily, August 16, 2023.
On April 17, 2025, Lucasfilm announced Star Wars: Starfighter, a film directed by Levy that stars Ryan Gosling and set to be released in theaters on May 28, 2027. It takes place five years after the events of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker. In June 2026, it was reported that Levy was attached to executive produce a television adaptation of the Japanese role-playing game series Persona for Netflix with his 21 Laps Entertainment partner Robert Atwood.
In July 2026, it was announced that Levy would direct a Ghost Rider movie for Marvel Studios, with Ryan Gosling playing the titular hero. Ghost Rider will be released in 2028.
Unrealized projects
Personal life Levy has been married to his wife Serena since 1995. They have four daughters together; Sophie, Tess, Charlie, and Colette. He became a U.S. citizen in 2008. Following many years living in Los Angeles, the Levy family moved to Manhattan in the early 2020s. Since 2009, he has also maintained a family home in the Hudson Valley community of New Paltz, New York.
Filmography Film
Year Title Director Producer Writer1997 Address Unknown Just in Time 2002 Big Fat Liar 2003 Just Married Cheaper by the Dozen 2006 The Pink Panther Night at the Museum 2009 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian 2010 Date Night 2011 Real Steel 2013 The Internship 2014 This Is Where I Leave You Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb 2021 Free Guy 2022 The Adam Project 2024 Deadpool & Wolverine 2027
Producer only Year Title Director Notes 2001 I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus John Shepphird 2005 Cheaper by the Dozen 2 Adam Shankman2008 What Happens in Vegas Tom Vaughan The Rocker Peter Cattaneo 2009 The Pink Panther 2 Harald Zwart Executive producer 2012 The Watch Akiva Schaffer 2013 The Spectacular Now James Ponsoldt 2014 Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible,No Good, Very Bad Day Miguel Arteta2016 Arrival Denis Villeneuve Nominated – Academy Award for Best PictureNominated – AACTA International Award for Best FilmNominated – BAFTA Award for Best Film Why Him? John Hamburg2017 Fist Fight Richie Keen Table 19 Jeffrey Blitz2018 The Darkest Minds Jennifer Yuh Nelson Kin Jonathan BakerJosh Baker2020 The Violent Heart Kerem Sanga Love and Monsters Michael Matthews 2021 There's Someone Inside Your House Patrick Brice2022 Cheaper by the Dozen Gail Lerner Executive producer Rosaline Karen Maine Night at the Museum: Kahmunrah Rises Again Matt Danner2023 Crater Kyle Patrick Alvarez The Boogeyman Rob Savage 2024 Never Let Go Alexandre Aja 2025 Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible,No Good, Very Bad Road Trip Marvin Lemus 2026 Backrooms Kane Parsons2027 Dave McCary Drew Hancock TBA Kay Cannon
Acting credits Year Title Role Notes 1987 Wild Thing Paul Zombie Nightmare Jim Batten 1988 Liberace: Behind the Music Glenn The Kiss Terry O'Connell 1991 Our Shining Moment J.J. 1993 Made in America Dwayne 1997 Address Unknown Just in Time Photographer 2002 Big Fat Liar Wolf Party Guest 2003 Cheaper by the Dozen Press/Room Reporter 2005 Cheaper by the Dozen 2 Hospital Intern 2009 Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian Guy in Commercial 2013 The Internship Guy in Nap Pod 2021 All Too Well: The Short Film Her Dad Short film
Television Year Title Director ExecutiveProducer Notes 1996–1998 The Secret World of Alex Mack 6 episodes 1997–1998 The Journey of Allen Strange 3 episodes 1998–1999 Lassie 4 episodes 1998 First Wave Episode: "Marker 262" 1998–1999 Animorphs 5 episodes 1998–2001 The Famous Jett Jackson Directed 47 episodes 1999 So Weird 1 episode 2000 In a Heartbeat 2 episodes 2001 Jett Jackson: The Movie TV movie2002 Do Over Episode: "The Block Party" Birds of Prey Episode: "Nature of the Beast" 2006 Pepper Dennis Directed pilot episode 2012 Family Trap Unaired FOX pilot 2016 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt Episode: "Kimmy Drives a Car!" 2016–2025 Stranger Things Directed 10 episodes 2017 Imaginary Mary Directed 2 episodes 2023 All the Light We Cannot See Miniseries
Executive producer only Last Man Standing (2011–2016) Cristela (2014) I Am Not Okay with This (2020) Dash & Lily (2020) Unsolved Mysteries (2020) Shadow and Bone (2021–2023) Lost Ollie (2022) The Perfect Couple (2024) Stranger Things: Tales from '85 (2026)
Acting roles