Jim Gianopulos Closing New Long-Term Deal at 20th Century Fox (Exclusive)

Fox Filmed Entertainment chairman Jim Gianopulos is closing in on a new long-term contract at the News Corp.-owned studio, well-placed sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

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The move is not unexpected. News Corp. consolidated all film studio operations under Gianopulos in the wake of co-chairman Tom Rothman's departure late last year. He oversees 20th Century Fox, Fox Searchlight, Fox 2000, Fox Animation/Blue Sky Studios, Fox International Productions and Fox Home Entertainment. The deal is said to be multiyear with no change in title or responsibility.

Fox's television operations, including Fox TV Studios and Fox 21, are run by co-chairs Dana Walden and Gary Newman.

Before assuming sole control of the Fox studio, Gianopulos shared the job with Rothman for 11 years. He has been instrumental in recent deals to bring Jeffrey Katzenberg's DreamWorks Animation films to Fox and to greenlight two Avatar sequels from filmmaker James Cameron.

Outside the studio, Gianopulos has taken an active role in managing Hollywood's relationship with Silicon Valley. In an interview with THR in September, he addressed the failed effort to pass strict anti-piracy measures and how that impacted the interactions between the entertainment and tech industries. 

"After the SOPA debacle, I think the creative community realized that we should have been more engaged with the tech industry," he said. "Hollywood didn't wake up one morning and say, 'I have an idea: Let's destroy the Internet.' I think what happened after SOPA went off the rails is that both sides started discussing their common interests in having a free and open Internet."

Fox declined to comment.