James Vanderbilt

James Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt at the 2025 Zurich Film Festival
Born
James Platten Vanderbilt

November 17, 1975 (1975-11-17) (age 50)
EducationUniversity of Southern California
Occupations
  • Screenwriter
  • director
  • producer
Spouse
Amber Freeman
​
(m. 2005)​
Children2
FatherAlfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III
RelativesVanderbilt family

James Platten Vanderbilt (born November 17, 1975) is an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He is best known for writing the films Zodiac (2007), The Amazing Spider-Man (2012) and its sequel The Amazing Spider-Man 2 (2014), and Independence Day: Resurgence (2016). He co-wrote, produced, and co-storied Scream (2022), Scream VI (2023) and Scream 7 (2026). Vanderbilt produced several films, including The House with a Clock in Its Walls (2018), Ready or Not (2019) and Ready or Not 2: Here I Come (2026). He also wrote, directed, and co-produced Truth (2015) and Nuremberg (2025).

Early life and education

A sixth-generation member of the Vanderbilt family of New York, James is the son of Alison Campbell (née Platten) and Alfred Gwynne Vanderbilt III. 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. Journalist Anderson Cooper is his second cousin through Cooper's mother, Gloria Vanderbilt.

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

Career

His production company, Mythology Entertainment, started in 2011. It was reincorporated as Project X Entertainment in 2019.

In May 2016, Mythology acquired intellectual property rights to Slender Man from the character's creator Eric Knudsen. Vanderbilt produced the film Slender Man in 2018.

In 2020, Vanderbilt co-wrote the script for Scream, the fifth installment of the Scream franchise. The film was released on January 14, 2022. Vanderbilt's most recent project, Nuremberg, is about the Nuremberg trials and was released on November 7, 2025.

Personal life

In May 2005 Vanderbilt married Amber Freeman, daughter of Air Force Pilot Allan Freeman and actress Gunilla Hutton. Amber Vanderbilt is the Board Chair and Founder of the Malibu Education Foundation.

The couple have three sons.

Filmography

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
2025 Fountain of Youth Yes Yes Guy Ritchie
Nuremberg Yes Yes Himself
2026 Scream 7 Story Yes Kevin Williamson
Ready or Not 2: Here I Come No Yes Matt Bettinelli-Olpin
Tyler Gillett		 Cameo, Mr. Le Bail
2027 The Mummy: Book of the Dead No Yes
TBA White Elephant No Yes Eli Craig

Executive producer

References

  1. 1 2 3 Saroyan, Strawberry (May 22, 2005). "Amber Freeman and Jamie Vanderbilt". The New York Times.
  2. 1 2 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. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved June 5, 2010.
  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.
  15. 1 2 "Leadership". Malibu Education Foundation. Retrieved October 18, 2026.
  16. ↑ "Allan Freeman Obituary (2014) - Los Angeles, CA - Los Angeles Times". Legacy.com. Retrieved November 18, 2025.
  17. ↑ Paul, Arielle (July 20, 2019). "Screenwriter James Vanderbilt's home office leaves room for play". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved October 18, 2026.