Andrew Cripps, the industry veteran who recently stepped down as Warner Bros. Discovery’s president of international theatrical distribution, is in early talks to head Amazon MGM Studios’ new international distribution division, TheWrap has exclusively learned.
TheWrap is told that other candidates are also being considered, but Cripps is coming off a successful run at WBD where he helped launch “Barbie” to over $810 million at the international box office.
Cripps is a highly regarded film distribution executive with more than three decades of experience in leading overseas theatrical distribution for a number of major Hollywood studios, including United International Pictures, Paramount and IMAX before his tenure at Warner Brothers.
The move comes as Amazon MGM Studios is looking to launch its own international theatrical distribution arm, with its current foreign distribution deal with Warner Bros. set to expire at the end of this year. The studio aims to have the division operational in 2026.
Cripps departed Warner Bros. Discovery in January after five and a half years with the studio, where he helped navigate the global theatrical business through the COVID-19 pandemic. During his tenure, he oversaw the international rollout of major releases including “Dune,” “The Batman” and the aforementioned “Barbie.”
Prior to Warner Bros., Cripps served at 20th Century Fox until its acquisition by Disney in 2019.
Amazon MGM declined comment.