Jason Constantine, co-president of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, has passed away at the age of 55 following a long battle with cancer, the studio announced on Thursday.
A beloved figure whose skill and kindness extended beyond the executive suite to every corner of the studio and industry, Constantine has been a member of the Lionsgate family almost from the studio’s inception, beginning his career more than 25 years ago as a director of acquisitions at Lionsgate’s predecessor company, Trimark Pictures.
“With his fearless spirit, creative energy and enduring talent relationships, Jason embodied the very best of our studio and our industry,” Lionsgate said in a statement. “His influence will continue to be felt in many of our most successful franchises. His career was built around the principles that a great idea can come from anywhere, a box office triumph is meant to be shared by an entire team and our creative choices need to be bold and daring. We mourn the passing of a highly respected executive, a trusted partner and a cherished friend, and we extend our deepest condolences to his wife Kristin, his three children and his entire family.”
His tenure at Lionsgate has spanned many of the studio’s biggest franchises and critically-acclaimed box office hits, including the “John Wick” and “Saw” franchises, which have each grossed over $1 billion at the global box office. He was a champion of the “Saw” franchise from its earliest days, when he led the studio’s push to acquire it after watching a brief concept short.
Beyond “John Wick” and “Saw,” he is closely associated with “The Expendables” franchise, Paul Haggis’ Academy Award Best Picture winner “Crash,” Lee Daniels’ “Precious,” nominated for five Academy Awards and winner of two Oscars, Rian Johnson’s Oscar-nominated “Knives Out,” the Erwin Brothers’ faith-based smash “I Can Only Imagine,” worldwide action hits “The Hitman’s Bodyguard,” “Kick-Ass,” “Rambo: Last Blood,” “Angel Has Fallen” and the breakout success “Plane,” critical gems like “The Girl With the Pearl Earring,” “Arbitrage,” “Margin Call” and “Dear White People” and horror classics including “Cabin in the Woods,” “Cabin Fever” and the Rob Zombie “Rejects” trilogy.
Constantine embodied Lionsgate’s entrepreneurial spirit, relentlessly championing new ideas, emerging creative voices and bold, original properties that defied the conventional wisdom. Knowing from an early age that he wanted a career in the movie business, he was genuinely passionate about and had an encyclopedic knowledge of film and could cheerfully rattle off facts, figures and anecdotes about Lionsgate’s movies and everything else in the marketplace.
Outside the office, Constantine was well-known for his generous spirit. Every year at Christmas, he created a model train village in his yard that captured the true holiday spirit and touched people far beyond his neighborhood community.
A native Californian, Constantine received his B.A. from Princeton University and his M.F.A in film production from Loyola Marymount University. He wrote and directed two short films: “For Whom The Wedding Bell Tolls,” a romantic comedy, and “Ashes,” a drama, which won the Producers Guild of America Award for best student short film.
He is survived by his wife, Kristin, and his sons Lucas, Xander and Nicholas.
Please note that a “boombox” account has been set up for people to send written stories and photos for the Constantine family. Please upload any written stories or photos to the following link here.
In lieu of flowers, the Constantine family requests those who wish to make gifts in Jason’s memory consider funding the brain cancer research conducted by Jason’s neurosurgeons. Please consider one of the two following options: visit https://medicalgiving.stanford.edu/.
On the landing page, click “make a gift” at the top right. Choose one-time gift or recurring gift. Please direct your gift to Stanford Medicine, and in the next box, choose “other Stanford designation.” That will open a space to type in “Support for Dr. Michael Lim’s Research” or help fund the brain cancer research conducted by Jason’s neuro-oncology team at UCLA led by Dr. Tim Cloughesy and Dr. Robert Chong: https://giving.ucla.edu/JasonConstantine .
