DNEG, the visual effects and animation studio behind work on films like Dune and the Oscar-winning Tenet, has named Josh Jaggars to the newly created role of group president, VFX and stereo. He assumes his new role on Nov. 8.
Reporting to DNEG chairman and CEO Namit Malhotra, Jaggars will be based in Los Angeles and lead the company’s global VFX and stereo conversion teams, including for its ReDefine division.
He joins DNEG from Legendary Entertainment, where he served as senior vp, VFX and stereo production since 2017. In this role, Jaggars has worked on films including Dune, Godzilla vs. Kong, Godzilla: King of the Monsters and Pokémon Detective Pikachu. Prior to that, Jaggars was VFX producer at Warner Bros., having worked on productions including Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice, Justice League and Man of Steel. Additional VFX producer credits include Hancock, 2012 and Fast Five.
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“I have had the pleasure of working with Josh for many years, including most recently on Dune, for which DNEG was the lead VFX partner,” Malhotra said. “I am excited that Josh will be onboard to lead our creative engagement and provide new production solutions.” He emphasized that Jaggars “has come on board to help to be that partner with filmmakers.”
DNEG currently has an estimated 8,000 employees in based in the U.S., UK, Canada and India, and Malhotra aims to expand to 10,000 during the next year. The company, which is also growing its capabilities in virtual production and volumetric capture, announced in August that Novator Capital Advisers had invested $250 million in subsidiaries of Prime Focus Limited, the parent company of DNEG.
The company is currently working on VFX for films including The Matrix Resurrections, Uncharted, Moonfall and Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom.
“After many years as a freelance producer, and more recently as a studio executive, I am thrilled to be returning to my roots to take on this new challenge with Namit and the DNEG team,” Jaggars said, noting that DNEG “is forging a path that elevates it beyond the traditional facility / vendor relationship.”
DNEG’s credits also include First Man, Blade Runner 2049,, Interstellar and Inception, all of which won VFX Oscars.
