Paramount appointed former New Line Cinema executive Daria Cercek and former 20th Century Studios executive Michael Ireland as co-chairmen, reporting to Paramount Pictures Motion Picture Group president Emma Watts. Ireland joined the studio at the end of November, and Cercek will begin his role from January 11th.
Deadline first reported in November that Ireland was in line for work, along with the news that Jeremy Kramer would run Paramount Players.
As co-chairs of Paramount Pictures, Cercek and Ireland will work alongside Watts to oversee the operations of the studio and the film, from development to production, including upcoming high-profile projects like the latest film in the Transformers and Star Trek franchises, Lost City of D, and a sequence of success Sonic the Hedgehog among others.
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“I am thrilled to be working with Daria and Mike again. The key to success is having the right team, and having seen Daria and Mike grow over the years, I’m pretty confident that their combination of creativity, enthusiasm and extensive talent relationships will be a big hit for Paramount, ”said Watts . “They passionately believe in people and projects that contribute to better films.”
Cercek joined Paramount from the New Line, where he served as Production and Development EVP. In her role, she oversaw a wide range of projects, including Olivia Wilde’s upcoming film Do not worry, dear (starring Florence Pugh, Harry Styles, Chris Pine and Olivia Wilde).
“I am absolutely delighted to join the incredible team at Paramount and work again with some of my most esteemed and beloved friends and colleagues,” said Cercek. “It is truly an honor to take on this role alongside Mike in such a historic studio and continue the legacy of making world-class films with world-class talent.”
Cercek was previously senior vice president of production and development at 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios), having moved up her career after starting as a creative executive in 2010. During her eight years there, she oversaw films such as The heat, the other woman and Spy, as well as the last three films of the X-Men franchise. Previously, she was an executive at Scott Stuber when he had his production company at Universal, and before that he worked for Paula Wagner during his time as CEO of United Artists.
She began her career as a literary assistant at William Morris in New York before moving to the CAA’s film literature department.
Ireland, who graduated from the USC script, began his career as a network executive at MTV in 2003. He joined Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company Appian Way in 2007, where he helped develop projects, including the wolf of Wall Street. He left the Appian Way to join the then 20th Century Fox in 2012, where he was most recently senior vice president of production and oversaw a number of big-budget films, including the upcoming action comedy Ryan Reynolds. Free face.
“I wanted to avoid saying that I’m excited and excited because that’s what everyone says, but I’m really excited and excited to be meeting Emma, Jim [Gianopulos, chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures] and Daria at Paramount, ”said Ireland. “Like the studio itself, they have a history of embracing big ideas and taking risks with new talent. I couldn’t ask for anything more. I feel like I’m at home. “