Deal points still are being worked out, but Lionsgate Motion Picture Group President Nathan Kahane is expected to leave his post by end of the year when his contract expires, transitioning to a producing deal with the studio, sources familiar with the situation tell Deadline.Reps for Lionsgate declined to comment. Sources said that when the transition has been completed, Erin Westerman is expected to take over all studio production under studio chair Adam Fogelson, moving up from her post as President of Motion Picture Production.While sources say Kahane would be focused on producing going forward, rumblings began last week about him potentially landing at another company. One of those rumored potential spots was The Initial Group, which is a TPG-backed global entertainment company, but sources on both sides have said there is no deal for Kahane to join the group and producing is still his focus for the future.Boasting decades of experience as a producer and executive, always Kahane has been known to be entrepreneurial. Sources described his transition to producing as a move back to his roots, having already built two successful companies in Good Universe and Mandate Pictures.Kahane assumed his role as Lionsgate Motion Picture Group President in May 2018, following the studio’s acquisition of Good Universe, the production company he founded with Joe Drake. He had earlier history with the studio, though, as the co-founder (alongside Drake) of Mandate Pictures, which sold to Lionsgate in 2007. When that deal was completed, Kahane stayed on as President of Mandate, and Drake joined Lionsgate as President of the Motion Picture Group and Co-Chief Operating Officer.In his role as President, Kahane has overseen production and acquisitions for the studio, spearheading the expansion of successful franchises like John Wick, The Hunger Games, The Expendables and Saw while relaunching The Strangers as a three-film horror trilogy.During his tenure, the studio also released lauded films including the original Knives Out, Jay Roach’s Roger Ailes drama Bombshell, the cult comedy Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar starring Kristen Wiig-Annie Mumolo, faith-based titles including Jesus Revolution, and Jalmari Helander’s acclaimed action thriller Sisu. Lionsgate also stepped up under his leadership to distribute Megalopolis, the recent sci-fi epic marking perhaps the biggest swing of Francis Ford Coppola’s career.Prior to his tenure as President, Kahane in 2012 co-founded Good Universe, the company behind titles like the Neighbors films, Seth Rogen holiday comedy The Night Before, Fede Álvarez horror pic Don’t Breathe, James Franco’s The Disaster Artist and comedy Blockers.Kahane’s Mandate Pictures, launched in 2003, was responsible for the likes of as Juno, the Harold & Kumar films and 50/50, as well as a slate of genre features like Drag Me to Hell, made in partnership with Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures.Prior to Mandate, Kahane held executive roles at companies like The Canton Company and Senator International. He began his career in the agent training program at ICM.Next set to launch female-driven John Wick spinoff Ballerina on June 6, Lionsgate’s slate for the year also includes the likes of Stephen King adaptation The Long Walk (September 12), The Strangers — Chapter 2 (September 26), Aziz Ansari’s feature directorial debut Good Fortune (October 17), magic-themed threequel Now You See Me: Now You Don’t (November 14) and psychological thriller The Housemaid (December 25) starring Sydney Sweneey, Amanda Seyfried, and Brandon Sklenar, among other titles.
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