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UPDATE: Walden Media has just issued the press release. See below.
Geez, what took so long? After all, CEO Cary Granat had been marginalized there for almost the entire year by David Weil, the CEO of Anschutz Film Group which is Walden Media's parent company. "They had gotten along and then things started to go awry. The two men went in opposite directions," a source tells me. Granat, whose name has been synonymous with Walden Media since 2001, should be out the door no later than the end of the year. He'd been hanging on by a thread since last January when Walden Media let go many staffers (like head of production Alex Schwartz and Executive VP Jackie Levine as well as the physical production department, public relations staff, music staff, legal staff, etc.). After that, the Walden Media co-founder retained his CEO title and oversaw physical production, marketing, and existing franchises. But Weil was firmly holding the reins. Granat was in charge of the disappointing Narnia 2, but now still can't get a greenlight for Narnia 3. Which may well explain why "he feels like he did when he left Dimension: I'm done," an insider explains to me. Sticking around for now is Granat's longtime pal Michael Bostick, the film producer announced as the new co-CEO of Walden Media last March, whom Granat had actively recruited and reports to Weil. Bostick's hiring followed an extensive executive search during which the job was offered to both Nina Jacobson and Colin Calender. But they weren't willing to put up with the weirdness at Walden Media as it pertained to Granat. (Though Calender is footloose.) The real question now: what is the future of Walden Media? Is yet another buyer going down the tubes in this lousy economy? Hard to imagine considering Anschutz still has dough. Until recently, all of Walden Media's movies had been shared with Disney, Fox or Summit. But in October, Fox Walden became part of Fox, and about a dozen Fox Walden staffers would be laid off as part of a restructuring. And Granat's name was nowhere on that press release -- only Weil's.
1 PM: Here's the official Walden Media announceent about Granat's exit:
(Los Angeles – November 14, 2008) – Cary Granat, Co-CEO and co-founder of Walden Media, will transition from his Walden position to a consultant for the company effective December 1. Granat will be Walden’s creative consultant on the third installment in THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA franchise – VOYAGE OF THE DAWN TREADER- which the company hopes to greenlight soon. He will also provide consulting services for an initiative with AEG Live, the concert and promotion company owned by Phil Anschutz who also owns Walden.
“This was a mutual decision,” said David Weil, CEO of Anschutz Film Group, Walden’s parent company. “Cary and we both felt this was the right way to formalize the change in the company’s creative direction that will now be overseen by Michael Bostick who was brought in as Co-CEO of Walden earlier this year. We all owe Cary a great debt of gratitude for co-founding the company and guiding the Walden brand to its preeminent place in family entertainment today.”
“I’m extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished in my seven years at Walden. We have been very fortunate, with the unparalleled support of Phil Anschutz, David Weil and the entire team here to create family entertainment that will last for generations. It’s time for me to hit the recharge button and take on a new challenge, but I’ll always look back fondly on my time at Walden.”
Granat will not be replaced and his responsibilities at Walden will now be handled by Weil and Bostick. Granat expects to announce additional future plans shortly.
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to be fair, I thought Narnia 2: Prince Caspian was very well done and way, way better than the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe.
I like most of the films that Walden Media had churned out (yes, I like children’s films, so sue me).
I heard that the head of business affairs is leaving as well. Sounds like a sinking ship.
Who the hell is this Weil guy and what has he done except get rid of people?
and Bostick is one of the smartest, nicest guys in this business who had the bad fortune (or judgement) to work for Tom Shadyac (who can’t make a decision unless it’s at gunpoint) and now this mess. He’s the guy who should be pulling the trigger on projects, not these other guys. I hope he picks better wherever he settles.
I am writing this without having read the blog yet, except for the title “Cary Granat Exiting.”
I dealt with him when he was with the Weinsteins. What a schmuck. This is my opinion but he thought he was smart. What he really was was a fat ugly kid from Great Neck who couldn’t get the girl. He became showbiz successful and could have been a great guy or a loser. He chose to be a loser.
Thank you. Now I will read your blog.
I read it. I doubt very much this was a mutual decision. That was legalese speaking. Cary has never had the guts of a real producer. Take Wendy Finerman for instance. This is a producer who sticks behind great projects and sees them through whether it takes months or years to get made ie; Forrest Gump. Cary has the spine of a wet noodle. I’m sure he’s a really nice guy blah, blah, blah but truth be told. You are how you treat those below you. I was never below him but I did she how they treated them. Good bye Cary. Your hard work and ego will be easily forgotten.
I wonder what others think and their experiences are with Cary Walnut.
Thank you.
“Ju-dy! Ju-dy! Ju-dy!”
Sorry, wrong Cary.
Cary Granat was the brains behind Dimension. In his absence it has withered and died basically.
Cary Granat created Walden. His connections made it happen. He chased down Narnia and brought it to the company.
Cary Granat has no ego. He hired people below him who were ineffective but that was his choice. No one wanted Bostick’s job because Weil is an idiot lawyer with no creative skille who cries because Tom Hanks doesn’t thank him publicly at a Sundance screening over a film he had nothing to do with. Anschultz trusts his lawyers, not the guy who created the company. It has less than a year to go. After the way they abused Gil Kenan what filmmaker would go there?
to AnHonestAnswer- you are the ultimate coward, liar and retard. Among other things Cary has never been fat. He probably rejected your moronic idea about a time machine swing set. Boo Hoo loser.
Cary’s not a bad guy. Horrible taste in picking films, bad history with filmmakers , can never believe ANYTHING that comes out of his mouth, but he’s not a evil guy. i hear the whole company is a complete nightmare to work with.
This David Weil guy is supposed to be pretty bad. I’ve been told by people inside the company and at the studios they distribute through that he’s looked upon as a complete joke.
I guess David won in the contest as to who could secure themselves up Phil Anshutz ass
“Abused Gil Kenan” ???
I think you have that backwards. That kid is a putz of the highest degree and treats most people with such a lack of respect I’m super-glad “City of Ember” tanked up the ass.
Fuck him.
I love these commenters- probably all the same disgruntled slob who can’t even get into the WGA sittiing in their stained tighty whities wondering why no one will buy their spec about collecting stamps.
Gil Kenan is a young man who worked his way up as a student at Inner City Filmmakers. He is a gentleman, he is an artist and a pleasure to work with. He is young but very respectful. City of Ember was dumped by Weil, who did win the ass sucking contest but all you get for a prize is feces. RobertnotsoWise picked the right handle. You are a tool.
The Cary Granat I know is a very smart and articulate filmaker who gave many people great opportunities to make films some good and some bad. To those whom he did, you should be thankful. Trust me. He will be back.
so the one fact that keeps popping up is that this David Weil guy is a ass sucking lawyer, with zero creative insight, throwing all bodies under the bus yet taking no responsibilty for the diaster that is his company ,yet he and the current co-ceo will collectively take over Cary’s creative role within the company.
That may mean he’ may actually have to read a script and have an opinion that goes on record. Now that’s funny!
narnia2 grossed less than half of narnia1…however, the brilliant disney folks released it:
the week after Iron Man, and,
the week before Indiana Jones.
I paid 9 bucks for Iron Man.
Was going to do so for Indiana.
Why watch 3 movies in 3 weeks and waste money…no one watched narnia2 then.
Here’s my somewhat recent experience at Walden.
After selling a spec they brought me in to give a take on an idea they were cultivating.
I had a good take, developed it with them, was told I was hitting the mark and the favorite for the gig.
In the meeting where it was just supposed to be handshakes and congrats, they pulled me into a room with 3 execs and tore my take apart, pissed all over it with their own thoughts and forced me to stand up in the meeting and ask them, “It appears you hate what I came up with, why am I here?”.
After realizing I wasn’t going to happily take it up the ass and incorporate their brain dead suggestions they still offered me the assignment and I passed on it.
They hired other writers to writer it and it never moved forward.
Walden, to me, seemed like a bunch of typical dumbed down development schmucks who all have to put their stink on something no matter how it affects the quality of the story.
I know that sounds like typical Hollywood bullshit, but this was the first and only time, I was told I was going to a meeting for a job I had been offered (after already doing countless tweaks for them up to this point) and then being ambushed in the room by several Walden staffers who were in the midst of some personality conflicts with one another and couldn’t keep that shit out of the process.
It became a pissing contest between a recently outed exec who remained a producer on the project and the exec who took his job. Those two were fighting their own personal battles out through my take.
It was so insulting to me that I told my agents right after that meeting I do not ever want to go into Walden for ANYTHING again.
To spend many months on a take (being paid nothing), be told it’s yours and then have the children working at Walden not get along and fuck it all up was enough of a taste of that company for me.
Reply to HonestAnswer: I can’t comment on Cary professionally other than to say he worked hard and was a terrific dinner companion. With respect to him being a fat kid from Great Neck who didn’t get the girl, you’re wrong on two counts. First, he’s from Manhasset dahling…the Miracle Mile, don’t ya know. Raised by nannies, and all that. You can’t pic your parents. Not his fault, just his problem. Secondly, he DID get the girl…in spades. His wife is the real deal, salt of the earth, beautiful, smart, good to the core.