This was, no doubt, the sweetest film gig to come along in the longest time in Hollywood. And that’s why dozens of producers and studio execs and agents panted for the job, but only a handful scored interviews. But now outgoing News Corp No. 2 Peter Chernin has chosen his motion picture guy: Dylan Clark, who has been at Universal Pictures for the past 8 years, and since 2007 as EVP of Production reporting to President Of Production Donna Langley.

Insiders tell me that Chernin chose Clark because he was “incredibly well-trained at Universal, has an impressive list of strong films, and has a keen creative sense”. Clark will stay on until October to continue overseeing the Untitled Robin Hood, Couples Retreat, chernin-news-corp.JPGGreen Zone, and Paul. But Clark’s naysayers point out that he was oversaw underperformers like Children of Men and Duplicity and that now the formerly titled Nottingham threatens to be a budget buster.

Still, people at Uni are bummed because the just-turned-40 exec is extremely well-liked there. “We’re sad to see him go, but we’re all excited for him,” an insider explains. I should say so. Chernin has a platinum parachute from Fox: along with everything else full frills, the new company will have two put films a year. Yes, even in this climate when the studios are making bubkis. Meanwhile, I already broke the news back on March 10th that Chernin had chosen Katharine Pope as his TV gal. She’s already hard at work on what is Chernin’s equally lucrative TV deal with Fox.

Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.