Filmmaker Shawn Levy is no stranger professionally to stranger things. In fact, he’s shown an affinity for them and most anything that’s atypical, spanning the horror, sci-fi, dramatic and comedy genres. He has brought exhibits to life in the wildly successful Night At The Museum franchise, directing and producing all three of those family comedy films which collectively earned in excess of $1.3 billion in global box office.
He then explored as a director the quirkiness and strangeness of people in This Is Where I Leave You, a blend of comedy and drama centering on an at times dysfunctional yet somehow endearing family based on Jonathan Topper’s best-selling novel of the same title. The cast included Jason Bateman, Tina Fey, Jane Fonda, Rose Byrne, Corey Stoll, Kathryn Hahn, Connie Britton, Adam Driver, Timothy Olyphant and Abigail Spencer. This Is Where I Leave You marked Levy’s first R-rated picture
Levy’s company 21 Laps Entertainment later greatly extended its creative reach with the production of director Denis Villeneuve’s lauded Arrival, a multi-faceted, intelligent, emotional form of science-fiction that touches the heart and mind, departing from the Hollywood norm in depicting alien lifeforms and telling otherworldly stories.
And now on the TV side, Levy and 21 Laps have literally embraced Stranger Things, the Netflix series he is exec producing for its creators, the Duffer brothers. Stranger Things is a hybrid sci-fi/horror/drama that’s been embraced by audiences worldwide. Winona Ryder portrays Joyce Byers, who lives in a small Indiana town in 1983. When her 12-year-old son, Will, goes missing, she launches what proves to be a terrifying investigation into his disappearance, working in concert with local authorities. Searching for answers, they confront a series of extraordinary mysteries involving secret government experiments, unnerving supernatural forces, and a very unusual little girl, Eleven, with psychokinetic powers.
Levy recalled his mindset entering 2015, just before he was approached with Stranger Things. He had wrapped a pair of movies–the last in the Museum franchise, and This Is Where I Leave You, at the end of 2014. “I came into the new year determined to take a breather. I said ‘no’ to directing more family films and was looking to avail myself of different types of stories, to really broaden 21 Laps’ repertoire of drama. Dan Cohen, my company VP, came into my office and asked me to read this pilot from two brothers no one’s every heard of. It was immediately clear to me that this project was incredible. We brought the brothers [Matt and Ross Duffer] into my office and we bonded instantly. I remember saying, ‘I get what this can be. I want to back your vision. Let’s link arms and get things going.’ Literally our first pitch together was at Netflix. The next morning we had sold them the entire season. This is a show that wanted to be creepy, stylistic, with characters both on page and on screen that felt authentic and multi-dimensional.”
An "older brother"
Levy’s relationship with the Duffers has evolved into a strong kinship. “They were new talent with great stories to tell,” said Levy. “I felt like an older brother to these twins and my job was to be their defender, their advocate, their partner.”
In that vein, Levy offered to take on directing duties for episodes three and four of season one to give the Duffers some breathing room at the outset. “I needed them to write, for the good of the show,” explained Levy. “In the big picture, Dan [EP Cohen] and I wanted the brothers to direct and write as much as possible. To make that happen, I had to take on a wide range of responsibilities on Stranger Things. What started out as a ‘hobby’ between movies grew into a semi-full-time job which I love a great deal.”
Levy also found an unexpected passion for directing select episodes (thus far four) of Stranger Things. “I stumbled into complete inspiration while directing this show,” said Levy. “There are elements of horror, sci-fi, drama, mystery–all with new shadings. The challenge was that I wanted to direct in a style consistent with the brothers’ vision. Still, I decided to move the camera quite a bit more in the third and fourth episodes. The brothers continued with that in episodes five through eight which they directed. We had a fluid back-and-forth creative brotherhood as directors. I remember turning down quite a few movies because they didn’t feel like new and inspiring challenges. Stranger Things, though, rejuvenated me. I want to continue that spirit in whatever movies I decide to do next.”
While Stranger Things has informed what he hopes for in the next chapter of his moviemaking career, Levy found conversely that his feature experience made him well suited for Stranger Things. “Having made eleven films, I’m able to impart occasional tidbits of wisdom to the brothers–at least some advice. And thanks to the good fortune I’ve had as a director, I’m not looking for ego stroking in everything I do on Stranger Things. I felt comfortable kind of working in service of someone else’s vision–in this case the Duffer brothers’ vision. My movie life made my a better collaborator at this stage of my career.”
Netflix has also proven helpful, continued Levy. “True to its reputation, Netflix makes the producer’s job much easier. They empower creativity.”
On the TV side, Stranger Things is Lap 21’s first drama series–and its first Netflix show. “The infrastructure on this show is smaller than any movie or series I’ve ever seen,” related Levy. “The circle of decision-makers is tiny. It means creative control is in our hands. The success of this show has been deeply gratifying.”
That success has already been reflected on the awards show circuit as Stranger Things has garnered a pair of Golden Globe nominations (Best TV Series Drama, Best Actress for Ryder), a BAFTA TV Award nomination, a Screen Actors Guild Award win for Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series, a Producers Guild Award win for Outstanding Producer of Episodic TV, Drama, a DGA Award nomination for the Duffers on the strength of the “Chapter One: The Vanishing of Will Byers” episode, a Writers Guild Award nomination in the Dramatic Series category, and an AFI Award win as TV Program of the Year.
The AFI Award honor described Stranger Things as a series that “unearths a monster built from nightmarish nostalgia–and reveals horrors wholly original. As the series’ dungeon masters, the Duffer brothers turn genre upside down with this homage to the 1980s inhabited by icons of the era–including a masterful, maternal turn by Winona Ryder. At the heart of this heart-pounding mystery, however, is the marvelous motley crew of misfit kids and the indelible arrival of Eleven–played by Millie Bobby Brown.”
This is the fifth installment of a 15-part series of feature stories that explores the field of Emmy contenders, and then nominees spanning such disciplines as directing, cinematography, producing, editing, music, animation, Visual effects and production design. The series will then be followed up by coverage of the Creative Arts Emmy ceremonies on September 9 and 10, and the primetime Emmy Awards live telecast on September 17.
