John Davis (producer)

John Davis
John Davis
Born	John Andrew Davis; July 20, 1954 (age 67); Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Bowdoin College; Harvard Business School
Occupation	Film producer
Known for	Founder of Davis Entertainment
Spouse(s)	Jordan
Children	Jack, Catherine, Jensen
Parent(s)	Marvin Davis; Barbara Davis

John Andrew Davis (born July 20, 1954) is an American film producer and founder of Davis Entertainment.

Background[]

Davis was born and raised in Denver, Colorado, the son of Barbara Davis (née Levine), a philanthropist, and former 20th Century Fox owner Marvin Davis (1925–2004).^[1] His interest in cinema began as a youth when his father purchased the neighborhood film theater, where he sold popcorn and subsequently viewed up to 300 films a year. Davis graduated from Bowdoin College, attended Amherst College and received an M.B.A. from the Harvard Business School. Davis is of Jewish descent.^[2]

Career[]

Davis, Chairman of Los Angeles-based Davis Entertainment, has been a producer on more than 100 feature films and movies for television that have earned more than $5 billion worldwide.^[3]

Davis Entertainment produces projects for all studios, mini-majors, and several broadcast networks.

Davis Entertainment produced the reimagining of the Predator series, The Predator, by filmmaker Shane Black, and a sequel to Shaft, directed by Tim Story, and including the return of both Samuel L. Jackson and Richard Roundtree. They are also worked on Jungle Cruise at Disney starring Dwayne Johnson, and the Paramount drama Ness, with Paul Greengrass attached to direct.

Some of Davis's many feature film productions include Game Night, a New Line comedy starring Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams; the animated Ferdinand, directed by Carlos Saldanha; five time Oscar-nominated director David O. Russell's biographical comedy-drama Joy (2015), starring Jennifer Lawrence, Robert De Niro, and Bradley Cooper, for 20th Century Fox; a big screen version of the 1960s TV series The Man from U.N.C.L.E., starring Henry Cavill and Armie Hammer, for Warner Bros.;^[4] Victor Frankenstein, a re-imagining of the horror classic Frankenstein, starring Daniel Radcliffe and James McAvoy for Fox;^[5] the $100 million plus-grossing, micro-budgeted Chronicle; the sci-fi thriller I, Robot, starring Will Smith; the Jim Carrey starrer Mr. Popper's Penguins; Norbit, the comedy starring Eddie Murphy for DreamWorks/Paramount Pictures; the blockbuster The Firm, starring Tom Cruise; the two Dr. Dolittle films, starring Eddie Murphy; the Garfield franchise series for Fox; Waterworld, starring Kevin Costner; the Eddie Murphy comedy Daddy Day Care; Predator, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger; the Jack Lemmon/Walter Matthau trilogy Out to Sea, Grumpy Old Men, and Grumpier Old Men; Behind Enemy Lines, starring Owen Wilson and Gene Hackman; Predator 2, John Woo's Paycheck, starring Ben Affleck and Uma Thurman, for Paramount Pictures; and Alien vs. Predator, an action thriller combining the two iconic cinematic aliens, among many others.

New television projects include Alex, Inc., an ABC comedy starring Zach Braff and Michael Imperioli set to debut this upcoming television season.

For past television, Davis Entertainment developed and executive produced the NBC hour long drama The Blacklist, a Sony Television production,^[6] as well as NBC's action drama Timeless and ABC's hit comedy Dr. Ken starring Ken Jeong.

Davis was honored as The Hollywood Reporter’s Producer of the Year in 2015^[7] and ShoWest’s Producer of the Year in 2004.^[8] He also won two People’s Choice Awards, for The Firm and Grumpy Old Men, and his films have received several Academy Award nominations.

Other projects[]

Apart from his entertainment career, Davis’ successful business ventures include Wetzel's Pretzels and casual pizza franchise Blaze Pizza, one of the fastest growing restaurant company in America. His partners include basketball star LeBron James, and Boston Red Sox co-owner Tom Werner. His newest food venture is Dave’s Hot Chicken, which opened in Hollywood in May 2017, now has 14 stores and will have 45 by the end of 2021 and will open 75 new stores in 2022.

Personal life[]

Davis is married to Jordan Davis. They have three children: Jack, Catherine and Jensen, as mentioned in the Garfield: The Movie DVD commentary.^[9] Davis's three children said that the CG version of Garfield looked "evil" when they first saw him.^{[citation needed]}

Filmography[]

He was a producer in all films unless otherwise noted.

Feature films[]

Producer

Predator (1987)
Three O'Clock High (1987) (Co-producer)
License to Drive (1988)
Little Monsters (1989)
The Last of the Finest (1990)
Enid Is Sleeping (1990)
Predator 2 (1990)
Shattered (1991)
Fortress (1992)
The Firm (1993)
The Thing Called Love (1993)
Grumpy Old Men (1993)
Gunmen (1994)
Richie Rich (1994)
The Hunted (1995)
Waterworld (1995)
The Grass Harp (1995)
Grumpier Old Men (1995)
Courage Under Fire (1996)
The Chamber (1996)
Daylight (1996)
Out to Sea (1997)
Digging to China (1997)
Dudley Do-Right (1999)
Heartbreakers (2001)
Dr. Dolittle 2 (2001)
Behind Enemy Lines (2001)
Life or Something Like It (2002)
Daddy Day Care (2003)
Paycheck (2003)
Garfield: The Movie (2004)
I, Robot (2004)
Alien vs. Predator (2004)
First Daughter (2004)
Fat Albert (2004)
Flight of the Phoenix (2004)
When a Stranger Calls (2006)
Garfield: A Tail of Two Kitties (2006)
Eragon (2006)
Norbit (2007)
Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem (2007)
Marmaduke (2010)
Predators (2010)
Gulliver's Travels (2010)
A Little Bit of Heaven (2011)
Mr. Popper's Penguins (2011)
Chronicle (2012)
Devil's Due (2014)
The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015)
Victor Frankenstein (2015)
Joy (2015)
Ferdinand (2017)
Game Night (2018)
The Predator (2018)
Shaft (2019)
Dolemite Is My Name (2019)
Jungle Cruise (2021)
Skull (TBA)

Executive producer

Storyville (1992)
Denise Calls Up (1995)
Lewis and Clark and George (1997)
Bad Manners (1997)
Dr. Dolittle (1998)
The Settlement (1999)
Rites of Passage (1999)
Labor Pains (2000) (Co-executive producer)
29 Palms (2002)
Happy Hour (2003)
At Last (2005)
Daddy Day Camp (2007)
The Heartbreak Kid (2007)
The Express: The Ernie Davis Story (2008)
Our House (2018)

Special thanks

Texasville (1990)

Direct-to-video movies[]

Producer

Devil's Pond (2003)
Dr. Dolittle 3 (2006)
Garfield Gets Real (2007)
Dr. Dolittle: Million Dollar Mutts (2009)
Garfield's Pet Force (2009)

Executive producer

Dr. Dolittle: Tail to the Chief (2008)
Garfield's Fun Fest (2008)
Behind Enemy Lines: Colombia (2009) (Direct-to-video)

TV series[]

Executive Producer

Wild Card (1992)
Jump In! (2007)
The Blacklist (2013−present)
Ironside (2013)
The Player (2015)
Dr. Ken (2015−17)
Timeless (2016−18)
The Blacklist: Redemption (2017)
Alex, Inc. (2018)
Magnum P.I. (2018−present)
The Equalizer (2021)
Rebel (2021)

Producer

Locke & Key (2011)

Production supervisor

The Two Mrs. Grenvilles (1987)

TV movies[]

Executive Producer

Dangerous Passion (1990)
Curiosity Kills (1990)
Silhouette (1990)
Caught in the Act (1993)
This Can't Be Love (1994)
Asteroid (1997)
Volcano: Fire on the Mountain (1997)
Miracle at Midnight (1998)
The Jesse Ventura Story (1999)
Little Richard (2000)
Bobbie's Girl (2002)
Nadine in Date Land (2005)
Life Is Ruff (2005)

Producer

Voyage (1993)
The Last Outlaw (1993)
Tears and Laughter: The Joan and Melissa Rivers Story (1994)
One Christmas (1994)
Kidnapped (1995)

Production manager

Doomsday Gun (1994)

References[]

^ Lyman, Rick (May 15, 2003). "A Movie Mogul's Son Who Is All Business". The New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
^ Shapiro, Edward S. (May 30, 2005). We Are Many: Reflections On American Jewish History And Identity. Syracuse University Press. pp. 116–. ISBN 978-0-8156-3075-3. Retrieved March 15, 2012.
^ Coakley, Jacob (July 11, 2013). "20th Century Fox Commits to Turning Films into Musicals". Stage Directions. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
^ Burlingame, Jon (July 31, 2013). "Guy Ritchie, Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer Try to Crack 'U.N.C.L.E.' Movie Challenge". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 25, 2013). "James McAvoy Tapped By Fox To Play Victor Von Frankenstein". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
^ Rose, Lacey (July 29, 2013). "'The Blacklist' Producers Ink First Look Deal at Sony TV (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 29, 2019.
^ https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/joy-producer-john-davis-reveals-849093/
^ https://www.screendaily.com/john-davis-named-producer-of-the-year-at-showest-2004/4017300.article
^ Lyman, Rick (May 15, 2003). "A Movie Mogul's Son Who Is All Business". The New York Times.

External links[]

John Davis at IMDb

[1] Lyman, Rick (May 15, 2003). "A Movie Mogul's Son Who Is All Business". The New York Times. Retrieved March 29, 2019.

[Shapiro2005-2] Shapiro, Edward S. (May 30, 2005). We Are Many: Reflections On American Jewish History And Identity. Syracuse University Press. pp. 116–. ISBN 978-0-8156-3075-3. Retrieved March 15, 2012.

[3] Coakley, Jacob (July 11, 2013). "20th Century Fox Commits to Turning Films into Musicals". Stage Directions. Retrieved March 29, 2019.

[4] Burlingame, Jon (July 31, 2013). "Guy Ritchie, Henry Cavill, Armie Hammer Try to Crack 'U.N.C.L.E.' Movie Challenge". Variety. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 29, 2019.

[5] Fleming, Mike Jr. (July 25, 2013). "James McAvoy Tapped By Fox To Play Victor Von Frankenstein". Deadline Hollywood. Penske Media Corporation. Retrieved March 29, 2019.

[6] Rose, Lacey (July 29, 2013). "'The Blacklist' Producers Ink First Look Deal at Sony TV (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 29, 2019.

[7] ttps://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-features/joy-producer-john-davis-reveals-849093/

[8] ttps://www.screendaily.com/john-davis-named-producer-of-the-year-at-showest-2004/4017300.article

[9] Lyman, Rick (May 15, 2003). "A Movie Mogul's Son Who Is All Business". The New York Times.

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John Davis
Born	John Andrew Davis (1954-07-20) July 20, 1954 (age 67) Denver, Colorado, U.S.
Nationality	American
Alma mater	Bowdoin College Harvard Business School
Occupation	Film producer
Known for	Founder of Davis Entertainment
Spouse(s)	Jordan
Children	Jack, Catherine, Jensen
Parent(s)	Marvin Davis Barbara Davis