Oscar-nominated producer Mary Parent has joined Legendary Pictures as vice chairman of worldwide production, a role that was created specifically for her in the wake of Jon Jashni‘s exit, the studio announced Thursday.
Parent will oversee all aspects of the company’s film, television, digital, mobile and new media development and production activities, and will report to Legendary chairman/CEO Thomas Tull. She’ll also take at least two of her Disruption Entertainment executives with her to Legendary — Cale Boyter and Ali Mendes.
Parent’s appointment is timed to a new phase for Legendary, which was recently acquired by entertainment conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group. Utilizing the company’s broader platform and reach, her mandate will be to continue to harness Legendary’s expertise in creating tentpole films and impactful television and digital series for global audiences.
“Mary has proven to be the rare individual that has not just served as an executive and a producer, but someone who has done both with tremendous success,” said Tull. “Her creative instincts, relationships and an innate ability to put together a production slate designed for a global audience that is also based on savvy financial understanding are qualities we will rely on greatly as we enter the next phase of Legendary’s growth.”
“I have loved being solely a producer, but sometimes an opportunity so unique presents itself, you have to jump in with both feet. The chance to be a part of building a truly global business with Legendary, in a climate where content is becoming ubiquitous regardless of the distribution platform or the origin of audiences, is just that opportunity. Plus, having worked closely with everyone at Legendary these past four years, I have come to know the vision they have for the future and I’m so excited that Thomas has invited me to be a part of it,” added Parent.
Parent most recently produced “The Revenant” and is currently in production on “Kong: Skull Island” for Legendary. She previously served as the founder and CEO of Disruption Entertainment, a production company with a slate of films that generated over $2 billion at the global box office. As part of this slate, Parent produced Legendary’s “Pacific Rim” and “Godzilla” along with other films including “Noah” and “The Spongebob Movie: Sponge Out of Water.”
Prior to founding Disruption Entertainment, Parent was the chairman/CEO of worldwide production for MGM. Before taking the reins at MGM, Parent co-founded Stuber/Parent, where she produced “You, Me and Dupree” and “Role Models.” She also spent nine years at Universal Pictures, rising up the ranks to eventually become vice chairman of worldwide production, where she was responsible for many of the studio’s critical and commercial hits.
In January 2016, Wanda announced it would acquire Legendary for $3.5 billion. Legendary’s upcoming theatrical release slate includes “Warcraft” on June 10, 2016, “The Great Wall” on Feb. 17, 2017, and “Kong: Skull Island” on March 10, 2017. Legendary Television is about to go in to production on the second season of the Netflix original series “Love” from creators Judd Apatow, Paul Rust and Lesley Arfin; and the second season of “Colony,” a co-production with Universal Cable Productions for USA Network. Legendary also just wrapped production on the television pilot “Downward Dog” for ABC in conjunction with ABC Studios.