Film

Wadlow's short film, tHE tOWeR oF BabBLe (2002), received more than two dozen awards, including: Best Short Film at the New York International Independent Film and Video Festival, Best Short Film at the St. Louis International Film Festival, the George Méliès Cinematography Award at the Taos Talking Picture Festival, and a Student Award at USA Film Festival.^[9][10]

In 2005, Wadlow came up with the idea for his theatrical directorial debut Cry Wolf with the money Wadlow won in the 2002 Chrysler Million Dollar Film Competition.^[1][11]

In 2008, Wadlow directed the film Never Back Down, starring Djimon Hounsou and Sean Faris.^[9] The movie went on to beat out big budget competition to win the MTV movie award for "Best Fight."^[1]

In 2013, Wadlow also wrote and directed Kick-Ass 2, the sequel to the 2010 black comedy superhero film Kick-Ass.^[12][13] Quentin Tarantino called Kick Ass 2 among the ten best films of 2013, and said “Jeff Wadlow wrote and directed it with a real auteur approach.”^[14]

Wadlow wrote and directed True Memoirs of an International Assassin in 2016, starring Kevin James and Andy Garcia, which was among the first original feature films for Netflix.^[15]

Wadlow directed, executive produced and co-wrote the horror film, Truth or Dare, starring Lucy Hale and Tyler Posey, in 2018.^[16] The premise of the movie surrounds the popular party game, Truth or Dare, and the deadly results that ensue from a group of friends playing while on a spring break trip to Mexico.^[17]

In 2020, Wadlow directed, produced and co-wrote the film Fantasy Island, inspired by a 1970s television show with the same name.^[18] That same year, Wadlow wrote the story and co-wrote the screenplay for the action thriller Bloodshot, starring Vin Diesel and based on the 1990s comic book.^[19][20]

In 2022, Wadlow directed and executive produced The Curse of Bridge Hollow, a Halloween movie streaming on Netflix starring Marlon Wayans.^[21]

Wadlow's forthcoming horror film, Imaginary, which he directed, produced and co-wrote, is scheduled to be released in 2024.^[22] The film grapples with the idea of a childhood imaginary friend, in this case a Teddy bear, turning evil.^[23] The film is Wadlow's third collaboration with Jason Blum and is financed by Blumhouse Productions and Lionsgate Films.^[16]

Wadlow has directed short films and public service announcements with actors including Danny DeVito, Meryl Streep, and Vanessa Williams.^[24][1]

Television

Wadlow was a writer and executive producer for the television series, Bates Motel, starring Freddie Highmore and Vera Farmiga, and also for the final season of the series, The Strain.^[17][25] He wrote two pilots picked up by CBS, The Odds in 2010 and Hail Mary in 2011, on which he was also an executive producer.^[26]

In 2017, Wadlow directed and executive produced YouTube Premium series, Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes on Television, starring Ryan Hansen and Samira Wiley.^[27]

In 2021, Wadlow directed and executive produced the re-boot of the classic 1990's television show, Are You Afraid of the Dark? for Paramount/Nickelodeon.^[28][29] Wadlow was nominated for a DGA award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Television, Commercials and Documentary for his work on the series.^[2]