Shawn Levy Named CinemaCon Director Of Year

EXCLUSIVE: In a year in which the prolific Shawn Levy director turned out the upcoming Deadpool & Wolverine, and the lauded limited series All The Light We Cannot See, he has been tapped to receive the Director of the Year Award at the upcoming CinemaCon in Las Vegas.

CinemaCon Managing Director Mitch Neuhauser confirmed that Levy will be honored at the NATO convention on Aprill 11, as part of the Big Screen Achievement Awards ceremony at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace.

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“Throughout his impressive career, Shawn Levy never fails to give audiences what they want – the most entertaining, enjoyable and crowd-pleasing films imaginable,” noted Neuhauser. “As one of our most talented and leading filmmakers working today, we can’t wait to see what he brings to our theaters this summer with the eagerly anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine. It’s our honor to single Shawn out as our CinemaCon Director of the Year.”

Wannasee is particularly high for Deadpool & Wolverine, which opens in theaters July 26, and broke records with 365 million viewings of its first trailer after it was teased during a Super Bowl spot. Directed, cowritten and produced by Levy, Deadpool & Wolverine reunites Marvel Universe stalwarts Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman as the title characters, and co-stars Emma Corrin, Morena Baccarin, Rob Delaney, Leslie Uggams, Karan Soni and Matthew Macfadyen. Kevin Feige, Ryan Reynolds, Levy and Lauren Shuler Donner produce with Louis D’Esposito, Wendy Jacobson, Mary McLaglen, Josh McLaglen, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, George Dewey, Simon Kinberg and Jonathon Komack Martin serving as executive producers. Deadpool & Wolverine is written by Ryan Reynolds, Rhett Reese, Paul Wernick, Zeb Wells and Levy.

The Montreal-born Levy studied performing arts at Yale and got his MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. His 21 Laps Entertainment quickly became a prolific generator of film and TV, and that includes the final season of the signature Netflix series Stranger Things, which is now in production.

Levy earned DGA and PGA nominations for directing and producing All The Light We Cannot See, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, and he’s directing an upcoming Star Wars film and an international heist comedy starring Ryan Reynolds. Among the array of upcoming 21 Laps projects are the Lionsgate feature film Never Let Go, starring Halle Berry; the Netflix limited series The Perfect Couple, starring Nicole Kidman and Liev Schreiber; Alexander And The Terrible, No Good Very Bad Road Trip starring Eva Longoria for Disney+.

Past 21 Laps and Levy projects include Arrival, The Spectacular Now, Cheaper By The Dozen, Shadow and Bone, Last Man Standing, The Boogeyman, and Unsolved Mysteries. Levy directed the Night At The Museum franchise, Reel Steel, The Internship, Date Night, This Is Where I Leave You, Free Guy and The Adam Project.

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