Daley began acting when he was cast as young Tommy in the U.S. and international tours of the
Broadway hit ''
The Who's Tommy. He played Sam Weir, protagonist of the "Geeks", in the television series Freaks and Geeks, and since then he has worked continuously in television, including series such as The Geena Davis Show, Boston Public, Regular Joe, Kitchen Confidential, Judging Amy, and Spin City''. He was #94 on
VH1's 100 Greatest Teen Stars. In 2001, Daley co-directed a short film titled
What Babies Do. He also wrote and starred in the comedy short
Friday Night. In 2005, he appeared in the film
Waiting... and in the
Fox sitcom
Kitchen Confidential. In 2007, Daley joined the cast of the Fox drama series
Bones, portraying psychologist
Lance Sweets. He co-wrote the season six episode "The Truth in the Myth" with his writing partner
Jonathan Goldstein. Sweets was ultimately killed in the season 10 premiere;
Bones executive producer Stephen Nathan said Sweets was killed because Daley wanted time off to direct a movie, and he was concerned that Daley's absence would be too long, especially if the directing job led to other jobs. Daley was also featured in the music video for "Mercy Kiss" by
Abandoned Pools. In 2011, Daley and his writing partner
Jonathan M. Goldstein wrote the
black comedy Horrible Bosses. In 2013, Daley co-wrote
The Incredible Burt Wonderstone with Goldstein; Daley also has a cameo in the film as a paramedic. In 2013, the two were hired to write
Call of the Wild for
DreamWorks Studios. John plays Ben House in
Rapture-Palooza. Daley went on to write the story for the
sequel to
Horrible Bosses. Daley and Goldstein co-wrote and co-directed the 2015 film
Vacation, the latest installment of the
''National Lampoon's Vacation'' film series, starring
Ed Helms and
Christina Applegate. Daley and Goldstein wrote the screenplay for the 2017 film
Spider-Man: Homecoming with four other screenwriters, and were both considered to direct before
Jon Watts was hired. Daley and Goldstein directed the 2018 black comedy
Game Night, based on a screenplay by Mark Perez. The film, starring
Jason Bateman and
Rachel McAdams, "earned a raft of glowing reviews for its whip-smart script, energetic performances, and deliberate avoidance of modern comedy's ubiquitous tropes," and grossed $117 million at the worldwide box office, versus a $37 million budget. While Daley and Goldstein did not receive screenwriter credit, they later said they rewrote "almost all of the original script's dialogue, totally overhauled the characters — most notably a creepy cop portrayed by
Jesse Plemons — and comprehensively reworked the original script's third act." In 2018, it was announced that the duo were set to direct a film adaptation of
DC Comics'
The Flash for their
DC Extended Universe, but it was announced in July that they have left the project. Despite this, both Daley and Goldstein received story by credit alongside
Joby Harold. In July 2019, it was announced that Goldstein and Daley were entering early negotiations to direct the reboot of
Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves (2023). In January 2020, it was announced that, in addition to directing the film, Goldstein and Daley were also writing a new draft of the screenplay. ==Filmography==