The Wall Street Journal reports Lionsgate is close to closing the deal to acquire Summit Entertainment. Summit’s best known as the studio behind the Twilight film series, the last of which opens in theaters on November 16, 2012.
WSJ says Lionsgate would wind up paying $400 million-ish for the studio’s equity in a deal which could be announced as soon as next week. The Hollywood Reporter says Summit executives Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger will likely remain involved with Summit following the merger. Sources told THR that Lionsgate is “interested in bringing in Friedman and Wachsberger, the two leaders who helped propel Summit from an indie that was losing money to one of the most profitable studios in Hollywood.”
Films scheduled for release thru Summit in 2012 include Breaking Dawn Part 2, Gone, Man on a Ledge, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Warm Bodies, The Cold Light of Day, Step Up 4, The Impossible, and Sinister.
Lionsgate’s launching the first film of the Hunger Games series (which they hope will be the new Twilight), One for the Money, The Cabin in the Woods, Safe, The Expendables 2, The Possession, and What to Expect When You’re Expecting.
—Posted on January 8, 2012
