Filmmaker Shawn Levy will receive this year’s CinemaCon Director of the Year Award, Mitch Neuhauser, managing director of CinemaCon, has announced. CinemaCon, the official convention of the National Association of Theatre Owners, will be held April 8-11 at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas. Levy will be presented with this special honor at the Big Screen Achievement Awards ceremony taking place on the evening of April 11 at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace and hosted by official presenting sponsor The Coca-Cola Company.
“Throughout his impressive career, Shawn Levy never fails to give audiences what they want – the most entertaining, enjoyable and crowd-pleasing films imaginable,” said Neuhauser. “As one of our most talented and leading filmmakers working today, we can’t wait to see what he brings to our theatres this summer with the eagerly anticipated Deadpool & Wolverine. It’s our honor to single Shawn out as our CinemaCon Director of the Year.”
In Levy's Marvel Cinematic Universe debut, the “merc with the mouth” is back in action with Deadpool & Wolverine, set to release exclusively in theatres nationwide on July 26. Directed, cowritten and produced by Levy, Deadpool & Wolverine stars Ryan Reynolds, Hugh Jackman, 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.
Born in Montreal, Canada, Shawn Levy began his career studying performing arts at Yale University before receiving an MFA from the USC School of Cinematic Arts. In 2005, he founded 21 Laps Entertainment, a powerhouse that has produced some of the most acclaimed and commercially successful film and television content of its time, amassing over $3.2 billion worldwide at the box office. Most recently, Levy earned DGA and PGA nominations for directing and producing the Golden Globe-nominated Netflix limited series All the Light We Cannot See, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. Levy is also set to direct 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+ and Netflix’s highly anticipated fifth season of Stranger Things.
In addition to these projects, 21 Laps boasts an impressive roster of films and series, including Academy Award-nominated Arrival, The Spectacular Now, Cheaper By The Dozen, Shadow and Bone, Last Man Standing, The Boogeyman and Unsolved Mysteries. Among Levy's directorial achievements are the blockbuster 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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