Shawn Levy

Shawn Adam Levy is a Canadian‑American filmmaker, producer, screenwriter, and occasional actor known for his versatile career across big‑budget studio films, hit streaming projects, and television. He is the founder and CEO of the production company 21 Laps Entertainment, which has been behind many of his own projects as well as others in film and TV.

Levy first made his mark directing television in the 1990s before transitioning into feature films. He gained early recognition in the 2000s with mainstream comedies such as Big Fat Liar, Just Married, Cheaper by the Dozen, and The Pink Panther. He achieved major commercial success directing the first three installments of the Night at the Museum franchise, helping solidify his reputation as a dependable director of broadly appealing studio entertainment.

In the 2010s and early 2020s Levy broadened his range, directing genre‑mixing titles like Real Steel and the Ryan Reynolds–led Free Guy, and serving as a producer on critically acclaimed films like Arrival (which earned him an Academy Award nomination for Best Picture). He also played a key creative role on the Netflix phenomenon Stranger Things as an executive producer and occasional director of episodes.

In recent years Levy has expanded into franchise filmmaking at the highest level, directing Deadpool & Wolverine (2024), one of the most commercially successful R‑rated films ever, and moving into the Star Wars universe as director of the upcoming Star Wars: Starfighter (set for release in 2027).

Levy continues to balance large‑scale genre work with character‑driven storytelling and remains a prominent Hollywood filmmaker with both mainstream hits and award‑quality productions in his body of work.