Paramount Film Group president Adam Goodman is officially out.
In a memo sent to staff Thursday afternoon, Paramount chairman and CEO Brad Grey confirmed Goodman’s exit and said a search for his replacement is underway. Goodman was pushed out of the top job after a six-year stint but has been offered a production deal. Insiders say he hasn’t yet accepted.
Related Stories
Grey and Paramount vice chairman Rob Moore reportedly were unhappy with Paramount’s thin slate (others suggest that isn’t all Goodman’s fault). As an example, the studio’s next movie, Terminator: Genisys, doesn’t open in theaters for another five months. Paramount is releasing The Moon and the Sun on April 10, but that’s a third-party title. Also, several movies had to be reworked under Goodman’s watch, including World War Z, which cost money and time.
Goodman, who arrived at Paramount in 2008 from DreamWorks, where he ran production, also clashed with several key Paramount allies, according to sources. They included filmmaker J.J. Abrams, who has a longtime deal with Paramount, and rumored differences with David Ellison, whose Skydance Productions co-finances and co-produces the studio’s slate (Skydance brought in the Terminator reboot).
On the flip side, Goodman was a chief architect of the Transformers series and successfully rebooted the Mission: Impossible and Star Trek franchises, among other box-office successes. And World War Z went on to become a worldwide hit, grossing $540 million globally.
In terms of a replacement, Grey and Moore are looking internally and externally. Internally, president of production Marc Evans is an obvious candidate. Several veteran producers are said to have informally discussed the job with Grey, including Mary Parent and Scott Stuber, but so far, nothing has arisen from those conversations.
Grey’s memo is below:
I am writing to let you know that Adam Goodman is transitioning out of his role at Paramount Pictures. We have offered him a production deal on the lot and hope to continue our relationship moving forward.
Adam has served as President, Paramount Motion Picture Group, since 2009. During his tenure, he has shepherded a diverse and successful slate of films, which he and his team worked on tirelessly and with great passion. His skill at making our pictures as good as can be is among his many meaningful contributions to our studio, and I am truly grateful.
Adam leaves behind a deep and very strong group of talented senior creative executives who will help drive our future as we plan our precise creative management structure. To that end, I expect to have finalized our decision about a successor within the next sixty days.
I want to thank Adam and know you all join me in wishing him well in his next step.
Brad
