Jake Kasdan

Jake Kasdan (birthname: Jacob Kasdan) is a busy director/producer/writer in television and movies, making his feature debut with Castle Rock’s mystery comedy Zero Effect (1998), which Kasdan adapted from Arthur Conan Doyle’s first Sherlock Holmes story, A Scandal in Bohemia, and which co-starred Bill Pullman and Ben Stiller, premiered in the Cannes Film Festival’s Un Certain Regard competition, and released to poor box office by Columbia Pictures.

Kasdan was director only of the comedy Orange County (2002), written by Mike White, produced by Scott Rudin, co-starring Colin Hanks and Jack Black, and released by Paramount Pictures with solid box office results (over $43 million returns on $18 million costs).

Kasdan was the director/writer/producer of perhaps his most personal movie (about a writer battling creative wars in the TV industry), The TV Set (2006), with David Duchovny, Sigourney Weaver, Ioan Gruffudd, and Judy Greer, premiering at the Tribeca Film Festival and released to weak box office by THINKFilm. Kasdan was a director as well as co-writer and co-producer (with Judd Apatow) of the well-reviewed but commercially disappointing comedy For Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Releasing, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story (2007), co-starring John C. Reilly, Tim Meadows, Jenna Fischer, and Kristen Wiig, and gaining a durable fan base despite only a $20.6 million gross (against $35 million costs).

Jake Kasdan returned to moviemaking and Columbia/Sony four later as director/executive producer of his most successful comedy to date, Bad Teacher (2011), co-starring Cameron Diaz (in the title role), Justin Timberlake, and Jason Segel, grossing $216 million on a $20 million budget. Kasdan was producer only the same year of director/writer/producer/co-star Jennifer Westfeldt’s rom-com, Friends with Kids (2011), with the ensemble of Adam Scott, Jon Hamm, Kristen Wiig, Maya Rudolph, Chris O’Dowd, Megan Fox and Edward Burns, and which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival but earned only $13 million for co-distributors Lionsgate and Roadside Attractions.

Kasdan was director and executive producer and reunited with star Cameron Diaz—and once again, Sony Pictures/Columbia Pictures–for the sex comedy, Sex Tape (2014), co-starring Jason Segel, Rob Corddry, Ellie Kemper and Rob Lowe, and earning a healthy return of over $126 million worldwide. Kasdan stayed in the Sony/Columbia fold and carried this success over to the Jumanji franchise, first as director and executive producer of the series’ third entry, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle (2017), grossing over $962 million globally, and immediately followed by Jumanji: The Next Level (2019), for which Kasdan was director/writer/producer with the regular company of actors—Dwayne Johnson, Jack Black, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, and Nick Jonas—with new cast members Awkwafina, Alex Wolff, Danny Glover, and Danny DeVito, and grossing a solid $801.7 million.

Jake Kasdan returned to features after five years of producing and directing television to direct and produce the Santa-Is-Kidnapped action comedy, Red One (2024), reuniting with star Dwayne Johnson, and with Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, and J.K. Simmons, produced by Amazon MGM Studios and released by MGM.