Head of Nickelodeon Takes over as Paramount Pictures Chairman, CEO

This is a fairly strange bit of news. It would appear that Jim Gianopulos is leaving his position as Chairman and CEO of Paramount. His sudden departure means a new face in the role, Brian Robbins, who currently runs Nickelodeon.

A Wall Street Journal report indicates Paramount as a studio may be looking to refocus. Obviously this week we saw the studio’s streaming service Paramount+ unveil more of their premiere franchise “Star Trek” tv plans, so we know that’ll remain an important focus. But, what about the film franchises?

A look at the movie release calendar reveals a handful of titles under the Paramount banner. There’s “Mission: Impossible,” with films 7 and 8 originally going to be filmed back to back. That is no longer the case, as ongoing Covid-19 issues have pushed production and release windows. “Top Gun: Maverick” (another Tom Cruise-starring vehicle) has also suffered it’s fair share of date changes. Also on the docket are yet-another “Transformers” live-action title, and the much-delayed “Star Trek 4.“

The Hollywood Reporter indicates that sources close have told them Paramount is indeed looking to step away from the large-scale theatrical releases, reportedly to focus more on the Paramount+ content and offerings.

This’ll certainly be interesting to keep an eye on in the weeks and months to come.