# Jake Kasdan

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).

## Early life

Jacob 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. His younger brother, Jon Kasdan, also works in the film and television industry as an actor and writer.

## Career

Jake Kasdan has directed nine films. 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. 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. 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.
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. Most recently, he served as executive producer of the workplace comedy pilot XYZ at ABC.

## Personal life

Kasdan 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.

## Filmography
### Film

Director
| 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 |
| 2008 | Shades of Ray | No | Executive | No |
| 2011 | Bad Teacher | Yes | Executive | No |
| 2011 | Friends with Kids | No | 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 |
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 |
| 1998 | Zero Effect | Cold and Dark in My Heart |
| 2007 | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | Walk Hard |
| 2007 | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | Take My Hand |
| 2007 | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | (Mama) You Got To Love Your Negro Man |
| 2007 | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | Cut My Brother in Half Blues |
| 2007 | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | There's a Change a'Happening (I Can Feel It) |
| 2007 | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | (You Make Me So) Hard |
Music video
* Believe by Shawn Mendes (2015)
Other credits
| Year | Title | Role |
| 1991 | Grand Canyon | Production assistant |
| 1994 | Wyatt Earp | Archivist |

### Television

| 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 pilot |
| 2006 | Cracking Up | Yes | No | No | Episode "The Fixer" |
| 2008 | Californication | Yes | No | No | Episode "In a Lonely Place" |
| 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 |
| 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 | American Born Chinese | No | Yes | No | |
TV movies
| Year | Title | Director | Executive Producer |
| 2011 | Spring/Fall | Yes | No |
| 2017 | Jalen Vs. Everybody | No | Yes |
| 2019 | Heart of Life | No | Yes |
| 2023 | Prom Pact | No | Yes |
Acting credits
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
| 2021 | Young Rock | Tyler the Director | Episode "A Christmas Peril" |

## Awards

| 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 for "Walk Hard" |
| 2008 | Golden Globe | Best Original Song | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | Nominated | shared with Judd Apatow, Marshall Crenshaw and John C. Reilly for "Walk Hard" |
| 2009 | Grammy | Best Song Written for Visual Media | Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story | Nominated | shared with Judd Apatow, Marshall Crenshaw and John C. Reilly for "Walk Hard" |
| 2012 | Primetime Emmy Award | Outstanding Directing for a Comedy Series | New Girl | Nominated | for "Pilot" |