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The wildly successful director/producer/writer who of course helmed the first two Harry Potters (Sorcerers Stone & Chamber Of Secrets) and produced the entire film series of JK Rowling’s novels just gave his notice today to CAA and immediately signed with WME Entertainment. He’ll be represented by Ari Emanuel, Patrick Whitesell, Jason Spitz, Cori Wellins, and Anna Deroy. Columbus has been responsible for such comedy classics as Mrs. Doubtfire, Home Alone 1 & 2, Gremlins, Goonies, Nine Months, etc. He’s currently working on The Help.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Wow!!Congratulations to WME. This is a major loss to CAA. He is really talented. I heard he felt that CAA has so many talented Directors that aren’t working, he began to feel like a guy on list lost in the shuffle. I am sure he will be the first of many more….we shall see.
Just curious does anyone know if ICM got a meeting? I heard CAA is still trying to convince him to come back and even threatened him. lol
WME is a shithole and I’m sure he’ll go back, but major props to WME for getting him over there in the first place.
why is dickey love losing all these directors?
The CAA mailroom peeps will come on here and downplay this and then will return every time they get some no-name hasbeen/neverwas (I can’t even think of one name right now off the top of my head, that’s how insignificant they are). But this is the second MAJOR STEAL from CAA to WME, the first was Speilberg’s TV projects, which are considerable and handled exclusively through WME.
People like Chris Columbus and Steven Speilberg do something that twenty hasbeens/neverweres don’t do: they make money.
i hope WME has a time machine in order to make this sign worthwhile
I don’t see the hatred. Chris’ last movie, Percy Jackson, didn’t even crack $90M domestic (I’m aware that it passed $200M worldwide), and his film before that, Beth Cooper, did all of $15M worldwide. 2005′s Rent did $31M worldwide…it’s been a LONG eight years since HP2 (and let’s be honest, no one rushed out to see it because it was ‘A Christopher Columbus Film’) and an even longer 17 years since Mrs. Doubtfire…
Denial in the house.
Crediting “The Goonies” to Columbus is a stretch, at best. He ‘wrote’ a screenplay for a film directed by Richard Donner (in the ’80s no less) and produced by Spielberg.
You are retarded –
movies begin and end with the writing…
just cause Spielberg put his name on it and Donner told them where to point the camera, does not diminish Chris’ input. There would be no Goonies without Chris. Go back to your office job, Suck.
yeah, same w/ Gremlins. Stretch at best.
Agreed. Why didn’t Nikki mention ONLY THE LONELY, STEPMOM, BICENTENNIAL MAN or RENT, which he directed, instead of films directed by other people. Oh wait, that’s because Joe Dante and Donner are responsible for the classics, while he’s directed a bunch of mediocre forgettable films, some that bombed.
Huge sign for WME. How could CAA lose him?? It seems like CAA is out spending there TPG money and not minding the store…maybe they tried to sell 35% of Chris’ career.
Do you really think the mailroom peeps give a rat’s ass? If anything they like this because maybe it will lead to a shuffle and they’ll move up faster.
Dumb–dumb–dum-dum
no ICM did NOT get a mtg. It went straight to WME. who at ICM would he meet? they have no power agents.. he needs a rebirth in his career, not the nail in his coffin.
Jason Spitz is the most underrated agent in the biz. LOVE THAT GUY!
I am so happy for CHRIS, CAA just couldn’t deliver 1492 the A-level scripts and book rights he truly deserve. WME book div. Is the best in the world. Go 1492 from 187:
who is anna deroy?
That’s a pretty damn good team of agents… Good for Chris.
That’s nuts ICM must have at least one Agent who reps directors. Does Jeff Berg still work there? Don’t they have a Literary Department anymore or are they just TV now?
More props to the NYU Tisch Film School
graduate (Class of 80)- Chris Columbus!! Hope you’re
well Chris..best to you.
Ian (Class of 80)
wme = we meet everyone is hilarious!
P.S. Chris you really are Home Alone – go back to CAA quick
why the focus on if ICM got a meeting? Did UTA get a meeting? Did CAA get a “save” meeting.
Sometimes the talent just responds to poaching and leaves….not every signing needs to be a dog and pony show. Good for CC for just going to a new agent whom he connects with and good for WME for not sitting back and assuming the big guns are happy at CAA. Maybe ICM and UTA can be more confident that all talent is vulnerable and try to take a shot on the big talent.
Spitz is overrated – can’t read and Chris will find that out soon enough – Ari still picking up after Lovett – pitiful – Anna signs a client after 6 years – great work! – Chris race home fast before you turn into a director for hire on HUB –
W.M.E. = Worst Move Ever