These Nepo Baby directors dragged their last names into the mud

Nepo babies are a dime a dozen in Hollywood. They don’t stop at the film industry either. But not only in front of the camera, but also behind the camera, children of famous parents are taking on more and more important roles.

But when you have successful parents who know how to make a film, the expectations are pretty high. Not everyone can follow in their parents’ footsteps.

Jake Kasdan (50) is the son of four-time Oscar winner Lawrence Kasdan (75). She directed films like “The Big Chill” and “Body Heat”. Kasdan-Junior’s Christmas film “Red One” will be released in Swiss cinemas on November 7th. The film with Dwayne Johnson (52) and Chris Evans (43) is about the rescue of Saint Nick, who is kidnapped from the North Pole on Christmas Eve. Despite an immense budget of $250 million, it has only grossed $175 million worldwide so far. The reviews for “Red One” explain the lack of revenue: “Unfunny and visually repulsive, even the action lacks excitement and entertainment,” wrote one user on X and was not alone in his opinion.

For her directorial debut, 25-year-old Ishana Night Shyamalan secured a budget of $30 million for the supernatural horror film “The Watchers” – an extraordinary sum for a debut film. Her father is the Oscar-nominated M. Night Shyamalan (54), who directed horror films such as “The Visit” and “Split”.

His daughter’s film, which he also co-produced, only grossed $33 million worldwide in the summer. Even the experienced actress Dakota Fanning (30) was unable to convince with her performance in the role. «The film felt slow and lengthy at times. “The horror aspect of the film just wasn’t there,” wrote one X-user on the platform. “I love horror movies but this war is so boring,” said another on Tiktok.

Zelda Williams (35), daughter of the late comedy icon Robin Williams, released her first film in cinemas at the beginning of the year. The rom-com horror film called “Lisa Frankenstein” cost $13 million, well beyond the budget of a first-time director. After its US launch in February, it grossed almost ten million dollars worldwide. “The script is completely confused, the film’s humor is dull and boring,” reads a review on IMDb (Internet Movie Database). The director tries to imitate the Tim Burton style from the 80s – without success, the critics agree.

Destry Allyn Spielberg (28) worked on her feature film debut “Please Don’t Feed the Children” with a budget of 4.4 million dollars, which is more in line with the standard for a newcomer. Despite this, the film was plagued by negative headlines. Variety magazine reported that suppliers complained that they still hadn’t been paid six months after production in New Mexico was completed in November. Although the payments were made later, the project still left a bitter aftertaste for the employees.