Viacom CEO Heads to LA, Sets Interim Paramount Leadership After Brad Grey
Division heads will prop up studio while Grey’s replacement search gets underway
Matt Donnelly | February 21, 2017 @ 11:39 AM
Last Updated: February 21, 2017 @ 12:26 PM
Viacom CEO Bob Bakish has mobilized four division heads to stabilize Paramount Pictures as longtime chief Brad Grey heads toward the exit door, two individuals familiar with the matter told TheWrap.
Bakish will arrive at Paramount’s Hollywood lot on Wednesday, one of the insiders said, to meet with a group of interim leaders he’s called on to help with operations while a permanent replacement for Grey is found.
Paramount TV and Digital Head Amy Powell will take a spot on the temporary committee, as TheWrap previously reported, alongside Motion Picture President Marc Evans, Worldwide Distribution and Marketing President Megan Colligan and Paramount COO of four months Andrew Gumpert.
More names are expected to join the committee in coming days, all from within the studio, the insider added. Viacom’s CFO Wade Davis, whom Bakish said in December was spending “about half his time” at the L.A. studio focusing on triaging operations, is also expected to stay in place and help ease $445 million in reported losses from 2016.
It is presently unclear if Bakish will address only senior leadership, or hold a town hall for all employees on the lot. Bakish will most likely remain in Los Angeles to attend Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony, where many conglomerate heads rub elbows with their executives and stars.
Grey and top Viacom leadership were said to be discussing a new role for the prolific producer and former talent manager, but talks fell apart last week. Grey has nearly three years left on his contract, an individual familiar with the matter said.
Paramount has finished last in market share among the six major studios for the last five straight years. Last year was particularly painful with misses like “Whiskey Tango Foxtrot,” “Zoolander 2,” Martin Scorsese’s “Silence” and “Monster Trucks” — an effects-driven action film on which the studio took a $115 million write-down months before its unceremonious arrival in theaters.
In the last few weeks, the studio announced a slew of new movie projects, including the spy thriller “A Woman of No Importance” starring “Star Wars” breakout Daisy Ridley, the comedy “Action Park” for producer-star Johnny Knoxville and a possible sci-fi franchise with Jerry Bruckheimer.
Under Grey’s 12-year leadership, the studio procured some heavyweight franchise material like the “Transformers” and “Mission: Impossible” series, not to mention prestige titles — Paramount has 18 Academy Award nominations this year alone, and two in the Best Picture category.
9 Potential Brad Grey Replacements at Paramount Pictures (Photos)
TheWrap reported Friday that Paramount Chairman and CEO Brad Grey was in negotiations with Paramount parent company Viacom to depart from the position he’s held for 12 years. Here are eight potential replacements.
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Jeff Robinev
The hard-charging movie exec made a splashy deal with Singapore's Fosun International for his label Studio 8. While a planned 24 films have not come to fruition, Robinov is decisive -- and largely speculated to be in the running for Michael Lynton's chairman job at Sony.
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Jim Gianopulos
The former Fox Film chief is perhaps the hottest free agent in town. His years of experience and position as Hollywood elder statesman makes him a prime target to run a studio -- and he reportedly already has a job offer from the Dalian Wanda Group top head their new mega-studio WQS.
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Janice Min
It’s a very far left-field choice, but the word around town is that Min is gunning for a Hollywood job now that she’s stepping down as co-president of The Hollywood Reporter-Billboard. While she has little-to-no experience with filmed entertainment, she certainly has the taste, the proximity to high-calibre executives and the knowledge of how to spend on premium content.
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John Landgraf
Sure, it’s television, but Landgraf has made a stunning success out of Fox cable property FX. Couple that with his scholarly knowledge of storytelling and his preachy, must-see lectures on the content bubble, and he’s a safe bet to run a successful ship and innovate at the same time.
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Greg Silverman
By no stretch of the imagination did Silverman leave Warner Bros. in a cloud of triumph, but the studio’s troubled DC Comics division can hardly be blamed solely on the longtime movie executive. Silverman has experience in both development and overseeing global production, and has seen great success on film franchises without spandex and capes — like the raunchy “Hangover” series.
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Rob Friedman
The veteran movie executive was so instrumental in expanding Summit Entertainment with the blockbuster "Twilight Saga," that Lionsgate named him Co-Chairman when they acquired Summit in 2012. He stepped down from the position last September, so he's available. It doesn't hurt that he knows where to park at Paramount -- Friedman previously served as COO and Vice Chairman at the studio for almost 10 years.
Bryan Burk
Another interesting possibility is Burk, producing partner to J.J. Abrams. Their Bad Robot label has become of vital importance to the studio, as the pair have a hand in everything from “Mission: Impossible” to “Star Trek” tentpoles, and will be developing a film-a-year movie universe in Abrams’ original “Cloverfield” series.
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Peter Liguori
The former Tribune honcho is seeking a Hollywood job, multiple insiders have previously told TheWrap, and he could be an easy fit for Grey's empty chair.
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Andrew Gumpert
Gumpert is a well-liked and effective executive who just joined Paramount in November after leaving Sony. He might not have the lay of the land yet, but Gumpert is more than capable of such a high-ranking job.
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On Friday, TheWrap reported that Grey was in talks to step away from his role as Paramount Pictures Chairman and CEO
TheWrap reported Friday that Paramount Chairman and CEO Brad Grey was in negotiations with Paramount parent company Viacom to depart from the position he’s held for 12 years. Here are eight potential replacements.