2 weeks ago
EXCLUSIVE: When Lionsgate‘s President of International Helen Lee-Kim extended her longterm statement pinch nan institution successful precocious 2023, past chair Joe Drake described her arsenic a “superstar.”
A speedy straw canvass of starring marketplace buyers reveals that nan income vet remains held successful nan highest regard. “Her doorway is ever open, we each for illustration her and respect her, she knows really to grip people: she’s a awesome plus for Lionsgate,” 1 seasoned supplier told us.
Lee-Kim is simply a 22-year vet of nan income scene, truthful she has seen plenty. But she admits this is simply a reliable time.
“Times are arsenic analyzable arsenic they’ve been, and they’re getting much and much complex,” she admits. Audience habits person shifted, aggregate world markets are challenged and nan business faces awesome consolidation and a caller AI frontier. (“AI is successful each speech that we’re having here,” says nan exec. “Not circumstantial to nan movie making process necessarily, but it is simply a regular speech point”).
But Lee-Kim, known for her power and upbeat demeanor, sees positives. “The bully news is, group are going to nan movie theatre astatine this infinitesimal successful time. I’ve seen it connected our movies. When I’ve been to nan movies myself, nan theatre is bubbling. Between Michael, The Housemaid, our upcoming Hunger Games movie, and more, there’s plentifulness to propulsion group to nan theaters.”
On nan eve of nan market, Deadline revealed that WME Independent is backing retired of world income pinch Alex Walton departing to group up a caller venture. Does Kim spot that arsenic a consequence of challenging times?
“It’s not astonishing aliases shocking,” she says. “There’s ever shuffling. Alex is simply a pro. He’s very good respected and I’m happy for immoderate he’ll beryllium doing successful his adjacent chapter.”
When it comes to nan world income business, Lionsgate sits successful an almost unsocial position fixed its robust home operation.
“I don’t return that lightly ever,” says Lee-Kim. “That home portion is much and much valuable. It’s invaluable. When you look astatine it, who other is delivering consistently? I’m not saying that group don’t person hits, but who other is consistently delivering these bigger, franchise, arena movies that tin gross $300M plus? The Housemaid has done $400M world pinch $270M of that coming from international.” The marketplace surely needs Lionsgate.
Lee-Kim and her world squad are successful Cannes to pre-sell the reboot of The Blair Witch project and nan sequel to The Housemaid, which we perceive from sources comes pinch a hefty fund successful nan $70-80M range, double that of nan first film.
The Blair Witch reboot is lining up to sprout this autumn and while crippled specifications are officially nether wraps we perceive it will woody pinch a family that goes connected a camping travel but goes missing 1 by 1 aft they perceive unusual noises successful nan forest. As for The Housemaid sequel, The Housemaid’s Secret, Kim wouldn’t beryllium drawn connected fund but acknowledges that it’s a overmuch bigger canvas. The book takes successful a New York penthouse, an upstate residence and aspects of nan city.
“It’s an description of nan world from nan first film. The 2nd book is moreover twistier and it’ll beryllium a much unexpected movie. It’ll beryllium system a small differently. We’re aiming to beryllium filming by year’s end. The full imaginative squad is back, arsenic are Sydney [Sweeney] and Michele Morrone who has a bigger domiciled successful nan 2nd film. Kirsten [Dunst] is aboard, and past we person 2 different nosy antheral roles that we’re casting now.”
Lionsgate has a big of anticipated projects successful improvement and production. We tally done immoderate of nan different titles.
The Dirty Dancing sequel is 1 of nan IPs Lee-Kim is astir anticipating. Earlier this year, nan workplace brought connected Hunger Games shaper Nina Jacobson to thief move it on and it has been done immoderate book changes. “They’re successful improvement and we’re waiting for a script,” says Lee-Kim. Another anticipated revival is American Psycho. “We’ll hopefully person a book for that later successful nan year,” is nan update. Luca Guadagnino is aboard to nonstop nan Scott Z. Burns update but formed has yet to beryllium set.
What has she seen of Mel Gibson’s big-budget Resurrection Of The Christ movies? “I person seen immoderate things. Mel is finishing up this monolithic production. The faith-based assemblage is going to find this hugely appealing, but it’ll person really wide assemblage entreaty too,” is her prediction.
Meanwhile, precocious wrapped John Rambo is looking “huge and genuinely amazing,” she enthuses, while James Wan is said to beryllium “in nan trenches mapping retired nan early of nan Saw universe.” She hasn’t seen a book for nan second yet. She won’t beryllium drawn into Michael sequel chat but acknowledges that “those talks are happening now and we’re excited to spot what happens”. John Wick spinoff Caine is filming, and as we revealed yesterday, has added cast.
Towards nan extremity of our chat, I bring up Lionsgate trading movies to Russia, but nan workplace doesn’t want to talk that. The awesome studios proceed not to waste their projects to nan territory since nan state invaded Ukraine, but Lionsgate does waste to nan territory and has had important occurrence location this year. Universal handled nan world merchandise of Michael, for example, but it was Lionsgate who trim nan section woody pinch Volga Film.
Lee-Kim is happier to talk nan studio’s expertise to pivot to foreign-language titles and to build relationships pinch overseas filmmakers.
“We are expected to support those entrepreneurial muscles flexed,” she says. “That allows america to find movies for illustration Sisu by Jalmari Helander who has past gone connected to sprout nan hellhole retired of Rambo for us. We sewage to cognize head and conflict choreographer Kenji Tanigaki from John Wick 4 and that led america to prime up his movie The Furious. So, that’s a constituent of quality for us.”
“We’re still having fun,” she ends. “The business is tough, but we’re still uncovering nan fun.”
