Nathan Kahane, President of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, will leave the studio by the end of this year when his contract expires. Insiders report that he will then take on a new role as a producer at Lionsgate. Lionsgate itself would not comment on this.
Following the reorganisation, Erin Westerman will take over the entire film production. She is currently President of Film Production and will then report directly to Studio Chairman Adam Fogelson.
Although Kahane will work as a producer in the future, there have recently been rumours that he could also sign on with another company, such as the TPG-backed global entertainment company The Initial Group. However, sources from both camps denied that an agreement had already been reached.
Kahane has decades of experience as a producer and film manager and is considered entrepreneurial. His return to producing is described by insiders as a "return to his roots" - after all, he has already founded two successful companies: Good Universe and Mandate Pictures.
Kahane has been President of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group since May 2018. At that time, Lionsgate took over Good Universe, the production company he had founded together with Joe Drake. He had previously co-founded Mandate Pictures, which was sold to Lionsgate in 2007. After the sale, Kahane remained President of Mandate, while Joe Drake moved to Lionsgate as President of the Motion Picture Group and Co-COO.
During his time at Lionsgate, Kahane oversaw the production and acquisition of numerous films, including successful series such as John Wick, The Hunger Games, The Expendables and Saw. He also initiated the The Strangers-franchise as a horror trilogy. Under his direction, the studio produced films such as Knives Out, Bombshell, Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar, Jesus Revolution, Sisu and Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis out.
Before becoming Lionsgate President, Kahane founded the company Good Universe in 2012, which, among other things Bad Neighbours, The Night Before, Don't Breathe, The Disaster Artist and Blockers produced. Mandate Pictures, which he founded in 2003, was responsible for, among other things Junowhich Harold & Kumar-series, 50/50 and Drag Me to Hell (in co-operation with Sam Raimi's Ghost House Pictures).
Prior to Mandate Pictures, Kahane held management positions at The Canton Company and Senator International. He began his career in the agent programme at ICM.
Lionsgate still has some exciting films in its programme for this year, including the female-led John Wick-offshoot Ballerina (6 June), the Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk (12 September), The Strangers - Chapter 2 (26 September), Aziz Ansari's directorial debut Good Fortune (17 October), Now You See Me: Now You Don't (14 November) and the psychological thriller The Housemaid (25 December) with Sydney Sweeney, Amanda Seyfried and Brandon Sklenar.
Deadline reports in detail.