James Platten Vanderbilt (born November 17, 1975)[2][3] is an American screenwriter and producer. He is best known for writing the films Zodiac (2007),[4] The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and its 2014 sequel, and Independence Day: Resurgence (2016). He also co-wrote and produced Scream (2022) and its 2023 sequel. Vanderbilt also contributed as producer for several films, including The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018) and Ready or Not (2019).

James Vanderbilt
Born
James Platten Vanderbilt

November 17, 1975 (1975-11-17) (age 49)
Occupations
  • Screenwriter
  • director
  • producer
Spouse
Amber Freeman
(m. 2005)
[1]
ParentAlfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III (father)
RelativesVanderbilt family

Early life and education

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A member of the Vanderbilt family of New York, James Vanderbilt is the son of Alison Campbell (née Platten) and Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III.[5] His paternal great-grandfather Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Sr. died on the RMS Lusitania in the 1915 sinking, his paternal grandfather, Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt Jr., once chaired the New York Racing Association, and his maternal grandfather, Donald Campbell Platten, was the chief executive and chairman of Chemical Bank.[1][2][6]

Vanderbilt was raised in Norwalk, Connecticut, and attended school at New Canaan Country School.[7] He is a graduate of St. Paul's School and the University of Southern California.[1]

Career

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His production company, Mythology Entertainment, started in 2011.[8] It was later reincorporated into Project X Entertainment as of 2019.[9]

In May 2016, Mythology acquired intellectual property rights to Slender Man from the character's creator Eric Knudsen.[10] Vanderbilt later produced a film adaptation of the character in 2018.

In 2020, Vanderbilt co-wrote the script for the fifth installment of the Scream franchise, starring Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Dylan Minnette, Mason Gooding, Kyle Gallner, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mikey Madison and Sonia Ben Ammar.[11] The film was released on January 14, 2022.[12][13] Vanderbilt's next project, Nuremberg is about the Nuremberg trials.[14]

Filmography

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Year Title Writer Producer Director Notes
2003 Darkness Falls Yes No Jonathan Liebesman
Basic Yes Yes John McTiernan
The Rundown Yes No Peter Berg
2007 Zodiac Yes Yes David Fincher
2010 The Losers Yes No Sylvain White
2012 The Amazing Spider-Man Yes No Marc Webb
2013 White House Down Yes Yes Roland Emmerich
2014 The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Story No Marc Webb
2015 Truth Yes Yes Himself Directorial debut
2016 Independence Day: Resurgence Yes No Roland Emmerich
2018 Slender Man No Yes Sylvain White
The House with a Clock in Its Walls No Yes Eli Roth
2019 Murder Mystery Yes Yes Kyle Newacheck
Ready or Not No Yes Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
Tyler Gillett
Cameo, Mr. Le Bail
2022 Scream Yes Yes
Ambulance No Yes Michael Bay
Bed Rest No Yes Lori Evans Taylor
2023 Scream VI Yes Yes Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
Tyler Gillett
Murder Mystery 2 Yes Yes Jeremy Garelick
2024 Abigail No Yes Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
Tyler Gillett
TBA Nuremberg Yes Yes Himself
Fountain of Youth Yes Executive Guy Ritchie Post-production

Executive producer

References

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  1. ^ a b c Saroyan, Strawberry (May 22, 2005). "Amber Freeman and Jamie Vanderbilt". The New York Times.
  2. ^ a b Johnston, Laure (December 6, 1975). "Notes on People". The New York Times. Retrieved June 4, 2010.
  3. ^ "Sps.edu". Archived from the original on October 4, 2015. Retrieved November 6, 2009.
  4. ^ "James Vanderbilt goes back in time for David Fincher's Zodiac". www.moviemaker.com. Archived from the original on August 21, 2007. Retrieved September 6, 2024.
  5. ^ Familytreemaker.genealogy.com
  6. ^ Barron, James (August 27, 1991). "Donald C. Platten, Ex-Chairman Of Chemical Bank, Is Dead at 72". The New York Times.
  7. ^ "Hersam Acorn Newspapers Archives". The New Canaan Advertiser. May 5, 2005.
  8. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 18, 2011). "Phoenix Co-President Bradley Fischer Forms Mythology With Scribes Laeta Kalogridis And James Vanderbilt". Deadline. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  9. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 30, 2019). "James Vanderbilt, William Sherak & Paul Neinstein Launch Project X Entertainment With Spyglass Deal". Deadline. Retrieved October 15, 2020.
  10. ^ Rogers, Katie (May 6, 2016). "'Slender Man,' a Horror Meme, Gets Ready to Step Out of the Shadows". The New York Times.
  11. ^ D'Alessandro, Anthony (May 18, 2020). "Scream: David Arquette Returning As Dewey Riley In Spyglass Media Group Reboot". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 4, 2020.
  12. ^ Miska, Brad (August 28, 2020). "Relaunch of 'Scream' Slashing Into Theaters on January 14, 2022!". BloodyDisgusting. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  13. ^ Kroll, Justin (June 24, 2020). "New Scream Movie From Spyglass Media Will Be Released by Paramount (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved June 24, 2020.
  14. ^ Brew, Caroline (December 7, 2023). "Russell Crowe, Rami Malek and Michael Shannon to Star in Nazi Drama 'Nuremberg'". Variety.
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