It's common for children to follow in their parent's footsteps and go into the family business. This is true even in Hollywood families. Of course, Hollywood is a tougher business to get into, and sometimes nepotism is an entranceway for a lot of celebrities' family members. However, sometimes, there are Hollywood kids who prove they don't need the connection to get where they are: they have the talent.
Being around the industry has to rub off on the children, and despite possibly considering a different career avenue initially, it's hard to escape the industry they were born into. These filmmaker-children of famous filmmakers prove that talent definitely runs in the family.
Jake, Luke, and Jordan Scott
Alien and Blade Runner director Ridley Scott's children have all followed in their father's (and late Uncle Tony's) filmmaking footsteps. Ridley's oldest son, Jake, has a long history directing music videos for artists like U2 and The Rolling Stones. Jake has also directed feature films like Plunkett & Macleane and Welcome To The Rileys, which stars James Gandolfini and Kristen Stewart.
Ridley's younger son, Luke, has been a second unit director on several of his father's films before directing his first feature, the sci-fi thriller Morgan with Kate Mara. In addition, Ridley's youngest child, Jordan, has directed commercials for brands like Nike and Amazon and made her feature film debut with Cracks, starring Eva Green.
Jonás Cuarón
Acclaimed Y Tu Mama Tambien director, Alfonso Cuarón's son, Jonás, co-wrote with him the Oscar-winning film Gravity. Jonas has since directed a few films himself, including Year Of The Nail which is a story told in photographs, as well as Desierto, which was about a migrant worker, Moises, (Gael Garcia Bernal), who is trying to cross the U.S. border. However, Moises soon finds his life in danger when a "vigilante" (Jeffrey Dean Morgan) decides to hunt him down.
Currently, Jonás is developing a Zorro reboot set in an apocalyptic future, which will star Gael Garcia Bernal as the masked hero.
Alison Eastwood
Actor and director, Clint Eastwood's daughter, Alison, has followed in his footsteps - both in front of and behind the camera. She started off as an actress starring in Friends & Lovers and even her father's films The Mule and Midnight In The Garden Of Good And Evil.
She then began directing, with her first feature Rails and Ties (which starred Kevin Bacon and Marcia Gay Harden) and Battlecreek (with Bill Skarsgard and Delroy Lindo).
Brandon Cronenberg
The Fly and History of Violence director David Cronenberg's son, Brandon, has not only followed in his father's footsteps as a filmmaker but also as a successful horror filmmaker, making him one to watch.
His father pioneered the body-horror genre and Brandon tackled it with his debut feature Antiviral, which was about fans wanting the viruses their favorite celebrities have been afflicted with. His most recent film, Possessor, is about an assassin who takes over people's bodies in order to execute targets. The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival to wide acclaim.
Goro Miyazaki
Hayao Miyazaki has created some of the most acclaimed animated films of all time. As the founder of Studio Ghibli, he directed Howl's Moving Castle, Princess Mononoke, and others. His son, Goro, was at first reluctant to follow in his father's footsteps, fearing "he would never be able to reach the level his father attained." He, instead, became a landscape planner for parks and gardens.
However, Goro couldn't ignore the calling for long, eventually becoming a filmmaker like his dad, adapting Tales From Earthsea for Studio Ghibli and recently Earwig and The Witch.
Mario Van Peebles
Melvin Van Peebles' Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song is one of the most famous blaxploitation films. Made for just $150,000, it eventually grossed over $15 million. One of the actors in it is Melvin's son, Mario, who has had a long acting career since, appearing in Solo and Ali.
But Mario is also a director, directing the classic Wesley Snipes ensemble New Jack City and even co-directing Gang in Blue, with his father. He later chronicled his father's journey, making Sweet Sweetback in the acclaimed biopic Baadasssss! which he wrote, directed, and starred in, playing none other than his own dad.
Nick Cassavetes
John Cassavetes was an actor, and famously a director, who pioneered early independent cinema. His films, Faces and A Woman Under The Influence, inspired a generation of filmmakers with no money to pick up a camera. His son, Nick, spent his early life around the industry but pursued baseball instead. However, an injury ended that, so he decided to go into the film business after all.
Nick first appeared as an actor in such films as Face/Off before turning to direct with John Q starring Denzel Washington and the romance classic The Notebook with Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.
Sofia Coppola
After Winona Ryder dropped out of, Francis Ford Coppola (and Sofia's father's) The Godfather Part III, Sofia was cast in the role last-minute. When the film was released, critics and audiences ripped her performance to shreds and she pretty much retired from acting.
However, Sofia found acclaim as a director instead. In 1999, she made her directorial debut, the Kirsten Dunst coming-of-age drama, The Virgin Suicides, and followed that up with the classic Lost in Translation, where she was nominated for the Best Directing Oscar and won for Best Original Screenplay. She has since directed many more highly praised films like her recent one, On The Rocks with Bill Murray.
Jason Reitman
Son of Ivan Reitman, director of comedy classics like Ghostbusters, Twins, and Kindergarten Cop, Jason Reitman started out playing small parts in his father's movies, like Ghostbusters II, and later became a production assistant on his father's films. Despite initially going to school for pre-med, he eventually decided to follow in his father's footsteps and made his debut feature Thank You For Smoking, which received universal acclaim.
He followed that with Up In The Air, which earned Reitman a Best Director Oscar nomination. He would be nominated for the same award for his next film, the box-office hit, Juno. He will come full circle with his upcoming directorial effort, Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the long-awaited sequel to his father's first two classics.
Rob Reiner
The late Carl Reiner was a comedy legend known for creating The Dick Van Dyke Show before directing Steve Martin-comedy classics, The Jerk and All of Me. His son, Rob Reiner, started off as an actor starring on the classic sitcom All In The Family. His attention would soon turn to directing and, as a director, has made several classics.
His directorial debut was This Is Spinal Tap, the classic mockumentary. He would also direct the coming-of-age Stephen King adaptation Stand By Me, before helming The Princess Bride. However, his classics wouldn't end there. He directed the romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally before changing genres with another Stephen King adaptation, Misery, then tackled the Aaron Sorkin-written courtroom drama A Few Good Men. Like his father, Rob Reiner is one talented man.