Movies

Sony Rescues Fox 2000 Team With HarperCollins Deal

fox 2000 team
By Chris Evangelista/

Elizabeth Gabler and her Fox 2000 team have found a new home after being giving their walking papers by Disney. In a move that surprised everyone, the House of Mouse shuttered Fox 2000 almost immediately after the big Disney-Fox deal was done, leaving Gabler and her team out of a job. Now, Sony has stepped in, and Gabler and her team will produce film and TV content based on HarperCollins books.Variety broke the news about the Sony saving the Fox 2000 team, writing: "Elizabeth Gabler is joining Sony Pictures Entertainment in an innovative media deal that will see the longtime executive produce film and TV content based on HarperCollins books." They added that Gabler " will bring her entire development team of Erin Siminoff, Marisa Paiva, Nikki Ramey and Molly Saffron to Sony at the end of August."

When Disney was in the midst of acquiring Fox, they claimed that Gabler and her Fox 2000 team would be safe after the deal was done. That turned out to not be true:

Fox 2000 had a hand in Love, Simon, Life of Pi and more, and their loss was considered to be a major blow. Now, the team will live on, in a new form. Gabler's new, unnamed company will work with Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group chief Tom Rothman, and HarperCollins CEO Brian Murray. Of the new deal, Gabler said:

"For the past two decades our division has thrived by building a film slate based principally on adaptations of literary properties, both fiction and non-fiction. We have always felt that HarperCollins is part of our family and it is now an honor and a privilege to create a true partnership with Brian Murray and his amazing global team. The only person I know who could have made this a reality with Brian is my mentor, friend, and inspiration, Tom Rothman, and my team and I are deeply grateful for the opportunity to become part of the powerhouse that is Sony Pictures Entertainment."

Rothman added that Gabler and Murray are "the gold standard at their respective jobs and I am overjoyed that we will all be working together in this very forward-looking partnership." It's worth noting that while the deal stipulates that the material being adapted will be from HarperCollins, Gabler and her team aren't limited to only use HarperCollins titles.

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