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 2014 sequel, and Independence Day: Resurgence (2016). He co-wrote, produced, and co-storied Scream (2022), its 2023 sequel and its 2026 sequel. Vanderbilt contributed as producer for 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).
Early life and education
A 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.
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 later reincorporated into Project X Entertainment as of 2019.
In May 2016, Mythology acquired intellectual property rights to Slender Man from the character's creator Eric Knudsen. Vanderbilt later produced a film adaptation of the character in 2018.
In 2020, Vanderbilt co-wrote the script for the fifth installment of the Scream franchise, starring Neve Campbell, David Arquette, Courteney Cox, Melissa Barrera, Jenna Ortega, Jack Quaid, Marley Shelton, Dylan Minnette, Mason Gooding, Kyle Gallner, Jasmin Savoy Brown, Mikey Madison and Sonia Ben Ammar. 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
Vanderbilt has been married to Amber Freeman since 2005, the couple has two children together; Jack and Charles.
Filmography
Executive producer
Altered Carbon (2018)
Suspiria (2018)
American Dream/American Knightmare (2018)
The Night Agent (2023)