---
name: "Jake Kasdan"
canonical: "https://film.one/person/jake-kasdan"
fi1m_id: "jake-kasdan"
imdb_id: "nm0440458"
tmdb_id: 51851
wikidata_id: "Q1678831"
roles: ["Director","Producer","Writer"]
born: "28 October 1974"
reviewed_on_fi1m: 8
average_fi1m_score: 69
average_as: "director"
average_over: 6
updated: "2026-10-21T04:29:06.770569+00:00"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Jake Kasdan

## Identity

Jake Kasdan

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/person/jake-kasdan
- **Type:** Person
- **Fi1m ID:** jake-kasdan
- **IMDb ID:** nm0440458
- **TMDB ID:** 51851
- **Wikidata ID:** Q1678831
- **Same entity:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Kasdan, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1678831, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0440458/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/51851

Director and producer. Born 28 October 1974 in Detroit, Michigan, USA.

## Details

- **Work:** Director, Producer, Writer
- **Born:** 28 October 1974, Detroit, Michigan, USA
- **Active:** 1983–present
- **Also known as:** Jacob Kasdan
- **Titles on Fi1m:** 8: 2 acting, 6 directing
- **Frequently works with:** [Dwayne Johnson](https://film.one/person/dwayne-johnson.md), [Jack Black](https://film.one/person/jack-black.md), [Jeff Pinkner](https://film.one/person/jeff-pinkner.md), [Karen Gillan](https://film.one/person/karen-gillan.md), [Kevin Hart](https://film.one/person/kevin-hart.md), [Scott Rosenberg](https://film.one/person/scott-rosenberg.md), [Awkwafina](https://film.one/person/awkwafina.md), [Dany Garcia](https://film.one/person/dany-garcia.md)
- **Average Fi1m score:** 69, as director, over 6 titles
- **Fi1m score by decade:** 1980s 72 (2), 1990s 88 (1), 2000s 63 (1), 2010s 72 (3), 2020s 44 (1)
- **Fi1m against the critics:** 65 to 59 across 5 titles
- **Score spread:** 2 at 80+, 3 at 60–79, 1 under 60
- **Genres:** Comedy 6, Adventure 3, Fantasy 3, Drama 2, Action 1
- **Screen time:** 6 hours of reviewed films
- **Box office:** $1,983m across 3 films with figures
- **Elsewhere:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jake_Kasdan, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1678831, https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0440458/, https://www.themoviedb.org/person/51851

## Coming up

- *Jumanji: Open World* (2026-12-23), Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/jumanji-open-world.md)

## Streaming the US now

- **Hulu:** [*Jumanji: The Next Level*](https://film.one/film/jumanji-the-next-level.md) (65), [*Californication*](https://film.one/tv/californication.md) (63)
- **Paramount+:** [*Freaks and Geeks*](https://film.one/tv/freaks-and-geeks.md) (88)
- **Disney+:** [*New Girl*](https://film.one/tv/new-girl.md) (80)
- **The Roku Channel:** [*Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle*](https://film.one/film/jumanji-welcome-to-the-jungle.md) (72)
- **Amazon Prime Video:** [*Red One*](https://film.one/film/red-one.md) (44)

For United States; add `?region=XX` for another country.

## Fi1m on Jake Kasdan

> Jake Kasdan gets comedy from people struggling to know how to behave. We value that patience, especially in *Freaks and Geeks*; his action films suffer when elaborate premises leave the actors with too little to play.

Linda Cardellini takes a moment to decide how Lindsay Weir should respond in *Freaks and Geeks* (1999), and Kasdan lets the uncertainty remain on her face. He does not insist that every reaction explain itself, which gives the young actors room to make school life uncomfortable without making it false. We worried about Lindsay because Cardellini makes the effort of choosing how to behave so painfully visible. The pace sometimes drags, but we would rather have that extra hesitation than a brisker scene that loses what she is doing.

His debut as writer-director, *Zero Effect* (1998), was a detective comedy; the later *Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story* (2007), co-written with Judd Apatow, parodied music biopics. Studio comedies such as *Bad Teacher* (2011) and *Sex Tape* (2014) came next, before the shift into large-scale action. It is a progression that makes his patient television direction easy to overlook. We want him to keep watching what his actors are doing, even when there is more happening around them.

*Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle* (2017) shows why the move into action need not be a mistake. Kasdan gives Dwayne Johnson a joke he can play against himself, rather than expecting his presence to be amusing on its own. The video-game premise supplies an opportunity for performance, and the film keeps its attention on character.

*Red One* (2024) forgets it, putting Johnson's North Pole security chief alongside Chris Evans's hired tracker and waiting for chemistry that never arrives. The kidnapping of Santa provides plenty of business, but the elves with earpieces are too mild a joke to sustain this Christmas action-comedy. J.K. Simmons gives Santa some welcome warmth, yet Kasdan cannot get comparable life into the central pairing. We found the result dispiriting because a film about saving Christmas appears to take more interest in its security arrangements. For a first encounter with Kasdan, we would choose *Freaks and Geeks* and allow for the occasional slow stretch.

## Biography

Jake Kasdan is an American film and television director, producer, screenwriter and occasional actor. Born in Detroit, he is the son of screenwriter and director Lawrence Kasdan and began his career with small acting roles in his father's films.

Kasdan directed his first feature, *Zero Effect*, in 1998 and went on to helm comedies including *Orange County* (2002), *Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story* (2007), *Bad Teacher* (2011) and *Sex Tape* (2014). He has directed episodes of series such as *Freaks and Geeks* (1999) and *New Girl*, and collaborated with Dwayne Johnson on the *Jumanji* films (2017 and 2019) and *Red One* (2024).

*Sources: en.wikipedia.org, imdb.com.*

## On Fi1m (8)

### Performed in (2)

- *The Accidental Tourist* (1988), Fi1m 78, as Scott Canfield — [page](https://film.one/film/the-accidental-tourist.md)
- *The Big Chill* (1983), Fi1m 67, as Autograph Seeker — [page](https://film.one/film/the-big-chill.md)

### Directed (6) — the average rests on these

- *Red One* (2024), Fi1m 44, Director, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/red-one.md)
- *Jumanji: The Next Level* (2019), Fi1m 65, Director, Writer, Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/jumanji-the-next-level.md)
- *Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle* (2017), Fi1m 72, Director, Executive Producer — [page](https://film.one/film/jumanji-welcome-to-the-jungle.md)
- *New Girl* (2011), Fi1m 80, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/new-girl.md)
- *Californication* (2007), Fi1m 63, Director — [page](https://film.one/tv/californication.md)
- *Freaks and Geeks* (1999), Fi1m 88, Director, Consulting Producer — [page](https://film.one/tv/freaks-and-geeks.md)

## Complete filmography (30)

Every credit, newest first. Titles without a page can be requested for review on the HTML page.

- *Jumanji: Open World* (2026), Producer, Director, Writer — coming soon, [page](https://film.one/film/jumanji-open-world.md)
- *Red One* (2024), Director, Producer — Fi1m 44, [page](https://film.one/film/red-one.md)
- *American Born Chinese* (2023), series, Executive Producer
- *Prom Pact* (2023), Executive Producer
- *Doogie Kamealoha, M.D.* (2021), series, Executive Producer
- *Jumanji: The Next Level* (2019), Director, Producer, Writer — Fi1m 65, [page](https://film.one/film/jumanji-the-next-level.md)
- *Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle* (2017), Director, Executive Producer — Fi1m 72, [page](https://film.one/film/jumanji-welcome-to-the-jungle.md)
- *Speechless* (2016), series, Executive Producer
- *Weird Loners* (2015), series, Director, Executive Producer
- *Fresh Off the Boat* (2015), series, Director
- *Sex Tape* (2014), Director, Executive Producer
- *Ben and Kate* (2012), series, Director
- *Friends with Kids* (2012), Producer
- *New Girl* (2011), series, Director, Executive Producer — Fi1m 80, [page](https://film.one/tv/new-girl.md)
- *Bad Teacher* (2011), Director, Executive Producer
- *Shades of Ray* (2008), as Director #3
- *Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story* (2007), Director, Producer, Screenplay
- *Californication* (2007), series, Director — Fi1m 63, [page](https://film.one/tv/californication.md)
- *The TV Set* (2007), Director, Writer, Producer
- *Orange County* (2002), Director
- *Undeclared* (2001), series, Director
- *Grosse Pointe* (2000), series, Director
- *Freaks and Geeks* (1999), series, Director, Consulting Producer — Fi1m 88, [page](https://film.one/tv/freaks-and-geeks.md)
- *Zero Effect* (1998), Director, Producer, Writer
- *The Accidental Tourist* (1988), as Scott Canfield — Fi1m 78, [page](https://film.one/film/the-accidental-tourist.md)
- *Silverado* (1985), as Stable Boy
- *The Big Chill* (1983), as Autograph Seeker — Fi1m 67, [page](https://film.one/film/the-big-chill.md)
- *Foster the Snowman*, Producer
- *John Henry and the Statesmen*, Director
- *Untitled Jake Kasdan LEGO Movie*, Director, Producer

## Gallery

- ![Jake Kasdan](https://film.one/media/person/10519/gallery-d8c55f148b0d.jpg) Jake Kasdan — Genevieve719, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/2/29/Jake_Kasdan.jpg/1280px-Jake_Kasdan.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Dave Finkel, Brett Baer, Elizabeth Meriwether, Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone, Jake Kasdan, Katherine Pope (2012)](https://film.one/media/person/10519/gallery-0e10375c3559.jpg) Dave Finkel, Brett Baer, Elizabeth Meriwether, Zooey Deschanel, Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone, Jake Kasdan, Katherine Pope (2012) — Genevieve, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/8d/Flickr_-_Genevieve719_-_Dave_Finkel%2C_Brett_Baer%2C_Elizabeth_Meriwether%2C_Zooey_Deschanel%2C_Jake_Johnson%2C_Max_Greenfield%2C_Lamorne_Morris%2C_Hannah_Simone%2C_Jake_Kasdan%2C_Katherine_Pope.jpg/1280px-thumbnail.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Hannah Simone, Jake Kasdan, Katherine Pope (2012)](https://film.one/media/person/10519/gallery-3ac903edaecf.jpg) Hannah Simone, Jake Kasdan, Katherine Pope (2012) — Genevieve, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/e/e5/Flickr_-_Genevieve719_-_Hannah_Simone%2C_Jake_Kasdan%2C_Katherine_Pope.jpg/1280px-Flickr_-_Genevieve719_-_Hannah_Simone%2C_Jake_Kasdan%2C_Katherine_Pope.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Hannah Simone, Jake Kasdan (2012)](https://film.one/media/person/10519/gallery-1a9e6a76551e.jpg) Hannah Simone, Jake Kasdan (2012) — Genevieve, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/34/Flickr_-_Genevieve719_-_Hannah_Simone%2C_Jake_Kasdan.jpg/1280px-Flickr_-_Genevieve719_-_Hannah_Simone%2C_Jake_Kasdan.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Jake Kasdan](https://film.one/media/person/10519/gallery-f5cc18846f34.jpg) Jake Kasdan — Image via TMDB
- ![Jake Kasdan](https://film.one/media/person/10519/gallery-6b21fdac7cbc.jpg) Jake Kasdan — Image via TMDB
- ![Jake Kasdan](https://film.one/media/person/10519/gallery-8f7f0726ae75.jpg) Jake Kasdan — Image via TMDB
- ![Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone, Jake Kasdan (2012)](https://film.one/media/person/10519/gallery-f7680fcdf43a.jpg) Jake Johnson, Max Greenfield, Lamorne Morris, Hannah Simone, Jake Kasdan (2012) — Genevieve, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/7f/Flickr_-_Genevieve719_-_Jake_Johnson%2C_Max_Greenfield%2C_Lamorne_Morris%2C_Hannah_Simone%2C_Jake_Kasdan.jpg/1280px-Flickr_-_Genevieve719_-_Jake_Johnson%2C_Max_Greenfield%2C_Lamorne_Morris%2C_Hannah_Simone%2C_Jake_Kasdan.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)
- ![Jake Kasdan (2012)](https://film.one/media/person/10519/gallery-2e10a9ffe9b7.jpg) Jake Kasdan (2012) — Genevieve, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1c/Flickr_-_Genevieve719_-_Jake_Kasdan.jpg/1280px-Flickr_-_Genevieve719_-_Jake_Kasdan.jpg?utm_source=commons.wikimedia.org&utm_campaign=imageinfo&utm_content=thumbnail)

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/person/jake-kasdan