Paramount Players is a film production company and division of Paramount Pictures that mainly produces films based on ViacomCBS properties (specifically from Nickelodeon, MTV and BET). The company was launched in 2017. Its name is a loose reference to the Famous Players Film Company, one of the predecessors of Paramount Pictures.
The company itself is also focusing on "contemporary properties" while working with other Paramount Global brands. The name alludes to the company's earliest origins as Famous Players Film Company, before its 1914 founding by William Wadsworth Hodkinson.
History[]
On June 7, 2017, Jim Gianopulos, who joined Paramount Pictures as the Chairman and CEO in March, announced the launch of the Paramount Players division with Brian Robbins, the founder and former CEO of AwesomenessTV, as president. Robbins will work with Viacom’s Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central and BET operations to generate projects while the new division focuses on "contemporary properties." The division was created after Paramount and Viacom expressed disappointment at Comedy Central stars Jordan Peele and Amy Schumer producing their own films (2017's Get Out and 2015's Trainwreck, respectively) for Universal Pictures due to feeling "unwelcome" by Paramount's former executives.[1]
On August 17, 2017, Paramount Players acquired its first project, which is a film adaptation of the book Vacation Guide to the Solar System by Jonathan Goldstein and John Francis Daley.[2]
On October 1, 2018, Brian Robbins left his position as the president of Paramount Players after Viacom tapped him to be the president of Nickelodeon, ending his 16-month run at the studio. Despite leaving the studio, he will remain involved with Paramount Players' Nickelodeon films (Dora and the Lost City of Gold and Playing with Fire). Wyck Godfrey, the president of Paramount Motion Picture Group, is serving as interim and will oversee day-to-day operations with support from Robbins until Paramount finds a new president for the studio.[3]
On June 30, 2020, Emma Watts replaced Wyck Godfrey as the president of Paramount Motion Picture Group and began on July 20 (Godfrey returned to producing).[4] In October, Watts tapped Jeremy Kramer as president.[5]
On March 8, 2022, Kramer stepped down and the studio's operations were merged into the purview of Mike Ireland and Daria Cercek, the head executives of the Paramount Pictures Motion Picture Group, though Paramount Players and its current film inventory remains otherwise unaffected.[6]
Gallery[]
Films[]
Released films[]
| Release date | Title | Notes | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| November 2, 2018 | Nobody's Fool | Co-produced by Tyler Perry Studios and BET Films | |
| February 8, 2019 | What Men Want | Co-produced by Will Packer Productions and BET Films | |
| August 9, 2019 | Dora and the Lost City of Gold | Co-produced by Nickelodeon Movies, Walden Media, Media Rights Capital and Burr! Productions | |
| October 18, 2019 | Eli | Distributed by Netflix; co-produced by MTV Films, Intrepid Pictures and Bellevue Productions | [7] |
| November 8, 2019 | Playing with Fire | Co-produced by Nickelodeon Movies, Walden Media and Broken Road Productions | [8] |
| May 19, 2020 | Body Cam | Co-produced by Ace Entertainment and BET Films | |
| October 30, 2020 | Spell | [9] | |
| October 29, 2021 | Paranormal Activity: Next of Kin | Distributed by Paramount+; co-produced with Blumhouse Productions | [10] |
| February 11, 2022 | The In Between | Distributed by Paramount+ in United States and Netflix in all other regions | [11] |
| May 13, 2022 | Senior Year | Distributed by Netflix; co-produced with Broken Road Productions | [12][13][14] |
| June 17, 2022 | Jerry & Marge Go Large | Distributed by Paramount+; co-produced with Landline Films and Levantine Films | [15] |
| August 19, 2022 | Orphan: First Kill | Co-produced by Dark Castle Entertainment, Entertainment One and Sierra/Affinity | [16] |
| September 23, 2022 | On the Come Up | Distributed by Paramount+; co-produced with Temple Hill Entertainment and State Street Pictures | [17] |
| September 30, 2022 | Smile | Co-produced by Temple Hill Entertainment | [18] |
| October 7, 2022 | Significant Other | Distributed by Paramount+ |
Upcoming films[]
| Release date | Title | Notes | Reference(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | Untitled Pet Sematary prequel | Distributed by Paramount+; co-produced by Di Bonaventura Pictures and Room 101, Inc | [10] |
| Apartment 7A | Co-produced by Sunday Night Productions and Platinum Dunes | [19] |
In development[]
| Title | Notes |
|---|---|
| Fashionista | Co-produced by Ethea Entertainment and Kellagio Entertainment[20] |
| Mean Girls the Musical | Co-produced by Broadway Video and Little Stranger[21] |
| Pumpkinhead | [22] |
| Quinceanerx | Co-produced by 'Twas Entertainment[23] |
| Shhh | Co-produced by Ace Entertainment[24] |
| Slime | [25] |
| Untitled H. G. Wells film | Co-produced by and OddBall Entertainment[26] |
Highest-grossing films[]
| Rank | Title | Year | Worldwide gross | Budget |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Smile | 2022 | $169.3 million | $17 million |
| 2 | Dora and the Lost City of Gold | 2019 | $120.6 million | $49 million |
| 3 | What Men Want | 2019 | $72.2 million | $20 million |
| 4 | Playing with Fire | 2019 | $68.6 million | $30 million |
| 5 | Nobody's Fool | 2018 | $33.5 million | $19 million |
References[]
- ↑ "Paramount Pictures CEO says struggling studio is 'poised for a renaissance.' Inside Jim Gianopulos' first year", Los Angeles Times, April 24, 2018.
- ↑ "Paramount's New Banner Lands 'Vacation Guide to the Solar System'", The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ "Viacom Names Brian Robbins President of Nickelodeon", The Hollywood Reporter, October 1, 2018.
- ↑ "Paramount Pictures Names Emma Watts President of the Motion Picture Group", The Hollywood Reporter, June 30, 2020.
- ↑ "Jeremy Kramer to Head Paramount Players". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (March 8, 2022). "Paramount Players Merged Under Studio Co-Heads Mike Ireland and Daria Cercek; Jeremy Kramer Departing". Deadline.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (December 12, 2018). "Netflix Buys Horror Pic 'Eli' From Paramount". Deadline Hollywood.
- ↑ "Paramount Dates 'Crawl' & 'Playing With Fire', Moves 'Loud House' Off Schedule". Deadline (18 January 2019).
- ↑ Prange, Stephanie (October 1, 2020). "Thriller ‘Spell’ Coming to PVOD and Digital Oct. 30". Media Play News.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Welk, Brian (February 24, 2021). "New 'Pet Sematary' and 'Paranormal Activity' Films Headed to Paramount+". TheWrap.
- ↑ "Joey King Romance 'The In Between' Sets Paramount Plus Premiere — Film News in Brief". Variety (12 January 2022).
- ↑ Kinane, Ruth (August 2, 2021). "Rebel Wilson transforms into '90s Britney Spears for Netflix movie".
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (February 25, 2021). "Rebel Wilson To Star in Paramount Players Comedy 'Senior Year'".
- ↑ Chuba, Kirsten (2022-05-13). "Events of the Week: ‘Hacks,’ ‘Good Mourning’ and More" (en-US). The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ Grobar, Matt (April 26, 2022). "'Jerry And Marge Go Large' Premiere Date, First-Look Photos: Bryan Cranston & Annette Bening Lead Paramount+ Comedy".
- ↑ Kit, Borys (September 9, 2021). "Paramount Picks Up Horror Thriller ‘Orphan: First Kill’ From eOne, Dark Castle (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter.
- ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (2022-07-27). "‘On The Come Up’: Paramount+ Sets Autumn Drop Date For Sanaa Lathan’s Toronto Film Festival World Premiere" (en-US). Deadline.
- ↑ Galuppo, Mia (October 8, 2021). "Kyle Gallner, Kal Penn Join Paramount Players Horror 'Something's Wrong with Rose'".
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (March 14, 2022). "Dianne Wiest Joins Julia Garner In Paramount Thriller 'Apartment 7A'".
- ↑ Renner, Brian D.. "Everything You Need to Know About Fashionista Movie (Development): Feb. 27, 2022 - changed the title from "Fashionistas" to "Fashionista"" (en). Movie Insider.
- ↑ Kroll, Justin (September 21, 2021). "'Mean Girls the Musical': Arturo Perez Jr. and Samantha Jayne Tapped To Direct Adaptation For Paramount Players".
- ↑ Hamman, Cody (2022-04-01). "Pumpkinhead remake coming from Paramount Players?".
- ↑ Fleming, Mike Jr.. "Paramount Players Steps To 'Quinceanerx,' Kevin Lima-Directed Musical On A 14-Year Old Genderfluid Youth Determined To Celebrate A Rite Of Passage", 2021-03-31. (in en-US)
- ↑ Borys Kit (October 17, 2018). "Paramount Players Picks Up Horror Project 'Shhh' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved on October 19, 2018.
- ↑ Mike Fleming Jr (January 15, 2019). "'Slime' Time For Paramount Players, Steve Pink & Jeff Morris". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved on January 19, 2019.
- ↑ Grobar, Matt (2022-03-28). "Paramount Developing H.G. Wells Project From Wes Ball’s OddBall Entertainment; Laura Gillis Tapped To Write Latest Draft Of The Script" (en-US). Deadline.
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