20th Century Fox Film CEO Stacey Snider is staying home to rally her troops.
After Thursday’s announcement that Disney would acquire her division, in addition to the Fox TV studio and other assets, Snider canceled a planned trip to Washington, D.C., for the scheduled premiere of the studio’s awards player “The Post,” an individual familiar with the matter told TheWrap.
Snider is passing on the invite-only event and remaining in L.A. to comfort a rattled staff with a series of meetings and informal talks instead of joining director Steven Spielberg and stars Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks.
“Her door has been open all day,” the individual said, adding that in one meeting she said her division will continue to operate as usual with “high-level excellence and swagger” during a transition that’s expected to take 12 to 18 months to complete.
Fox Film President of Production Emma Watts and distribution chief Chris Aronson are also giving pep talks, another insider said.
Larger town hall meetings are being held throughout the day, TheWrap previously reported, hosted by 21st Century Fox President Peter Rice.
While everyone from lot producers to the home entertainment staff are worries over the fate of their jobs to the TheWrap, there are no indicators the acquisition will be a rush job.
For employees who work on the Fox lot, “life won’t be that different. If you come to work here, that’s not going to change anytime soon,” a third individual familiar with transition plans said.
Once the deal is complete, Disney will be leasing a space on the Fox lot for the employees and productions it is acquiring, an agreement that will span seven years, TheWrap reported on Thursday.
Snider assumed her top position in last fall, succeeding Jim Gianopulos, who now runs Paramount.
A veteran executive, Snider’s top priorities in the coming days are the release of the Hugh Jackman movie “The Greatest Showman,” the wide rollout of the aforementioned Pentagon Papers drama “The Post,” Jennifer Lawrence’s “Red Sparrow” and a sequel to Ryan Reynolds’ perverse superhero smash “Deadpool.”