
The Hollywood Reporter: “Emma Watts has resigned as chief of 20th Century Studios less than a year after the Disney merger closed in March 2019.
Her existing team remains in place at 20th Century and a successor is expected to be named in the coming weeks.”
“I am writing to you today to share that, after much reflection, I’ve made the difficult decision to step away from Twentieth Century,” Watts said in a note sent to staff Thursday morning.
“Over the past many months, it has been my top priority to continue to foster great filmmaking while leading this team successfully through the integration period with Disney. After reaching this point, I approached [Walt Disney Studios co-chairmen] Alan [Horn] and Alan [Bergman], realizing that it was now time for me to pursue new opportunities,” she continued.
The Hollywood Reporter
It’s interesting to see what Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds has to say about her departure:
“Deadpool would never have happened without Emma Watts. And certainly wouldn’t have been as good.“
James Cameron said:
“It’s hard to imagine Fox without Emma. Her creative input and support were invaluable on Avatar, and even more so on the sequels. She deeply understands movies in her DNA — how they work, what’s wrong when it’s not working, how to fix it.“
Steven Spielberg said:
“Emma is a studio executive in title, but a filmmaker at heart. Her support and willingness to take risks is what this business has always thrived on.“
So what does this mean for Cameron and the potential for an Alita sequel at 20th Century Pictures and Disney?
Disney is for the film industry what EA is for the gaming industry. Eat and swallow –in order to get full control of the market. So, her getting fired – I mean, her being made realizing it’s “time […] to pursue new opportunities” is bad news. Still, I think the Alita Army just has to keep up politely knocking doors.
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