{"id":8066845,"date":"2026-09-03T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-09-03T13:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/?p=8066845"},"modified":"2026-09-03T15:25:38","modified_gmt":"2026-09-03T22:25:38","slug":"who-are-the-producers-getting-movies-made","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/industry-news\/business\/who-are-the-producers-getting-movies-made\/","title":{"rendered":"Who Are the Producers Getting Movies Made?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n

In this installment, we look at the most active producers working today in Hollywood. <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

They hold a lot of power and, at times, hold a production together, but what does a producer actually do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exact definition is vague, and probably differs depending on who you ask. But generally, they\u2019re problem solvers and dealmakers who are the first individuals on a project who get the ball rolling. Producers find the material and either option or buy the property, hire the writers, the director and the cast. The producer oversees the entire film, working on both the financial and creative aspects of the production to bring the project to life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Former Paramount studio chief and the late legendary \u201cGodfather\u201d producer Robert Evans summed it up<\/a>: \u201cWhen a director hires a producer, you\u2019re in deep s–t. A director needs a boss, not a yes man. And: I\u2019ve always been a gambler; I\u2019ve always taken risks. Anyone who says you will always win if you take a risk is a liar, because it\u2019s not a risk then.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Producing is an art form in and of itself, so as TheWrap continues its Trade Secrets series to provide a resource to those in the industry, we’ve compiled a list of some of the most prolific film producers working today. From legendary talents to up-and-comers, these are some of the people who are getting movies made right now.<\/p>\n\n\n

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\n\t\t\tRead Next<\/strong>
\n\t\t\tWho Are the Actors With Greenlight Power?<\/a>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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Welcome to Trade Secrets, TheWrap’s insider guide to making it in Hollywood. In previous installments, we dived into how to get a studio green light for your film,<\/a> along with how to get an agent<\/a>, and who are the actors with greenlight power<\/a> to get your movie made.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Here are TheWrap’s 30 most active producers working in Hollywood today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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(Photo by Jesse Grant\/Getty Images for 20th Century Studios)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Roy Lee<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

A 25-year veteran and a clutch hitter who had a massive 2025 and produced or executive produced an eye-popping 11 titles, including “Minecraft” which garnered almost $1 billion at the box office, Roy Lee is everywhere. He was involved with Zach Cregger’s “Weapons,” which became a smash hit that banked almost $300 million worldwide on a budget of $38 million and bagged a Best Supporting Actress trophy for Amy Madigan. Lee also produced Lionsgate’s Stephen King adaptation of “The Long Walk” as well as New Line’s “Companion.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up next, Lee produced Cregger’s “Resident Evil” at Sony, the “Minecraft” sequel at Warner Bros. and has a “Battlefield” package out to buyers with “Mission: Impossible” director Christopher McQuarrie and Oscar winner Michael B. Jordan attached to star. He’s also producing Margot Robbie’s adaptation of “The Sims,” Lionsgate’s “Blair Witch” reboot and Curry Barker’s “Texas Chainsaw Massacre” redo at A24.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Jason Blum<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Over the past 15 years, Jason Blum has turned Blumhouse from a threadbare horror start-up into one of the pillars of the entire industry. Keeping budgets low and focusing on up-and-coming talent, Blum has generated franchises like \u201cParanormal Activity,\u201d \u201cThe Purge\u201d and \u201cHappy Death Day\u201d and killer one-offs like the Oscar-winning \u201cGet Out\u201d and cult favorites like \u201cSweetheart\u201d and \u201cFreaky.\u201d He also put the unique Blumhouse stamp on stalwart series like \u201cHalloween,\u201d \u201cThe Exorcist\u201d and, soon, \u201cThe Blair Witch Project\u201d (out next year). He even attached his name to \u201cObsession,\u201d this year\u2019s breakout horror hit, after it was completed to help market the film. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Blumhouse name means something \u2013 to fans and studios alike (Few producers have had their own haunted house at Universal\u2019s Halloween Horror Nights for multiple years). His portfolio is also more diverse than you\u2019d imagine; Paul Greengrass\u2019 \u201cThe Lost Bus\u201d and this fall\u2019s \u201cThe Uprising\u201d are Blum joints, as was Spike Lee\u2019s \u201cBlackkKklansman\u201d and Richard Linklater\u2019s upcoming \u201cMerrily We Roll Along.\u201d On TV he\u2019s been responsible for everything from the true crime doc \u201cThe Jinx\u201d to HBO\u2019s \u201cSharp Objects\u201d to Prime Video\u2019s \u201cScarpetta.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Only Blum can produce Damien Chazelle\u2019s debut feature \u201cWhiplash\u201d and get a Tony nomination for the \u201cDeath Becomes Her\u201d Broadway musical. Upcoming projects include Curry Barker\u2019s \u201cObsession\u201d follow-up \u201cAnything but Ghosts\u201d and a new \u201cExorcist\u201d from Mike Flanagan starring Scarlett Johansson. And when Blumhouse joined forces with James Wan\u2019s Atomic Monster, the companies became a unified genre powerhouse with even greater reach and influence. Speaking of which \u2026<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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James Wan<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

James Wan is perhaps best known as a director. He made the first \u201cSaw\u201d movie, the first two \u201cInsidious\u201d films and the first two \u201cConjuring\u201d movies (all huge hits). And when he expanded outside of horror, he made an even bigger impact, directing the seemingly impossible \u201cFurious 7\u201d (Paul Walker tragically died during production) and turning an also-ran comic book hero like \u201cAquaman\u201d into the biggest movie of the modern DC era. (It\u2019s still the highest grossing of the bunch.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But he\u2019s done even more as a producer with his Atomic Monster shingle \u2013 he turned \u201cThe Conjuring\u201d into the rare, non-MCU cinematic universe, with a prequel (\u201cThe Conjuring: First Communion\u201d) coming next year; and championed more up-and-coming talent like Osgood Perkins (\u201cThe Monkey\u201d) and Kane Parsons (\u201cBackrooms\u201d). And while Wan had worked closely with Jason Blum on several projects, including the \u201cInsidious\u201d and \u201cM3GAN\u201d franchises, the formal union between the two companies means that they can still operate independently but can also tackle bigger projects together, like the upcoming resurrection of \u201cParanormal Activity\u201d and \u201cSaw.\u201d Talk about a killer line-up.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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(Photo by Lenka Ulrichova for TheWrap)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Amy Pascal<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

An industry veteran with several monumental hits under her belt, Amy Pascal produced “Spider-Man: Brand New Day,” which garnered over $2 billion worldwide at the box office this year, breaking numerous records in the process. She has produced the Tom Holland-led “Spider-Man” franchise via her Pascal Pictures banner since 2017’s “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” having previously shepherded the franchise as Sony’s studio head. She also produced the hit animated “Spider-Verse” movies, with highly anticipated “Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse” hitting theaters in 2027. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with producing another 2026 box office hit in “Project Hail Mary,”<\/a> she is also steering “James Bond” into the new era with Heyman at Amazon MGM Studios, is a producer on Greta Gerwig’s “Narnia” movie at Netflix and is producing the Jamie Lee Curtis-led “Murder She Wrote” for Universal.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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David Heyman<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the producer of the “Harry Potter” franchise, David Heyman was one of the key architects of one of the century’s defining film series. He is now executive producing the “Harry Potter” TV series at HBO Max, which premieres at Christmas and has already landed a second season renewal. And when Quentin Tarantino went searching for a new producer for “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Heyman became his man. Heyman’s other credits include Academy Award-nominated hits like “Gravity,” “Marriage Story” “Paddington” and “Barbie.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up next, Heyman and fellow producer Amy Pascal are shepherding the “James Bond” franchise reboot for Amazon MGM Studios, while he also produced Luca Guadagnino’s Sam Altman movie “Artificial” (also for Amazon) and the Taylor Sheridan-scripted “F.A.S.T.” for Warner Bros.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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(Photo by David Livingston\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Will Packer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

One of most prolific producers working today, Will Packer has produced or executive produced a wide range of movies, including \u201cThe Photograph,\u201d \u201cLittle,\u201d \u201cWhat Men Want,\u201d \u201cNight School,\u201d \u201cBreaking In,\u201d \u201cGirls Trip,\u201d \u201cRide Along 2,\u201d \u201cStraight Outta Compton,\u201d \u201cNo Good Deed,\u201d \u201cThink Like a Man Too,\u201d \u201cRide Along,\u201d \u201cThink Like a Man,\u201d \u201cTakers,\u201d \u201cObsessed\u201d and \u201cStomp the Yard.\u201d  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

He is the founder and CEO of film production company Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media, a television, digital and branded content company. Most recently, Universal released the Packer-produced romantic comedy “You, Me and Tuscany,” which starred Halle Baily and Reg\u00e9-Jean Page. Next up, sequels “Ride Along 3” and “Girls Trip 2” are in the works.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Sev Ohanian<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The first Armenian American to be nominated by the Academy for Best Picture, Ohanian produced “Sinners” with Ryan Coogler and Zinzi Coogler, a project that bagged an all-time 16 nominations, winning four. Ohanian co-wrote and produced 2018’s screen-life thriller “Searching” with his wife and producing partner Natalie Qasabian and director Aneesh Chaganty. That film grossed $75 million against a budget of $1 million. He also co-wrote and produced “Run” and “Missing,” the standalone sequel to “Searching.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ohanian is also one of the founders of Proximity Media, the multi-platform media company he founded with Ryan and Zinzi Coogler. He was also an executive producer on Marvel Studios\u2019 “Ironheart” on Disney+, “Eyes on Wakanda” for Disney+, “Judas and the Black Messiah,” “Space Jam: A New Legacy,” and “Creed III.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The epitome of “immigrant hustle,” Ohanian got his start directing the micro-budgeted 2008 indie “My Big Fat Armenian Family” for just $800. Over the summer, Proximity Media signed a multi-year creative partnership with Netflix, and next up, Ohanian executive produces a reboot of “The X-Files” for Hulu.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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(Photo by Randy Shropshire for TheWrap)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Jerry Bruckheimer<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Jerry Bruckheimer is still one of the hardest working men in the business. The producer behind \u201cPirates of the Caribbean,\u201d \u201cBeverly Hills Cop\u201d and \u201cArmageddon\u201d (to name a few) has entered perhaps the most exciting period of his career. Both 2022\u2019s \u201cTop Gun: Maverick\u201d and last year\u2019s \u201cF1\u201d were blockbusters that earned Bruckheimer Best Picture nominations \u2013 a rare feat and one that acknowledged his larger impact on both the industry and the art form. And he shows no signs of slowing down. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Among the projects currently in the hopper include another \u201cPirates of the Caribbean\u201d film for Disney, a fifth \u201cBad Boys\u201d film for Sony and a UFO movie that would reunite him with his \u201cF1\u201d and \u201cTop Gun: Maverick\u201d director Joseph Kosinski and Apple Films. He also has a third “National Treasure” movie and is set to re-team with Michael Mann for the first time in more than 40 years (Bruckheimer produced Mann\u2019s first theatrical film \u201cThief\u201d) for the hugely anticipated \u201cHeat 2,\u201d which, after a fumbled attempt by Paramount and Sony<\/a>, is now at Amazon MGM Studios, with Leonardo DiCaprio and Christian Bale in the starring roles. To quote a song from another one of Bruckheimer\u2019s films, The heat is on<\/em>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Emma Thomas<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Emma Thomas has produced every film directed by her husband, Christopher Nolan, dating back to 1998’s “Following” and including “The Odyssey,” which just became the third film to crack a billion at the box office for the pair. She is also a co-founder of the duo’s Syncopy banner and won her first Best Picture Oscar producing “Oppenheimer,” with Charles Roven. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her movies have grossed north of $7 billion worldwide as she navigates the increasingly vast and labyrinthian tales that Nolan dreams up, making such complex productions as “Inception,” “Interstellar,” “Dunkirk” and “Tenet” a reality. For “The Odyssey,” Thomas spearheaded production across seven different countries.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Kevin Feige<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Since becoming president of Marvel Studios in 2007, Kevin Feige pioneered the Marvel Cinematic Universe and ushered in the golden era of superhero movies through The Infinity Saga. He’s hands down the most successful Hollywood producer of all time. Feige’s movies are approaching an unheard-of $35 billion in worldwide box office receipts over 38 movies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with producing “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” with Amy Pascal, Feige has the next two “Avengers” movies — “Doomsday” and “Secret Wars” — coming to theaters along with “Ghost Rider” and “Black Panther 3.” During the first 11 movies of the MCU, Feige pulled off a magic trick no other Hollywood creative has managed, telling an interconnected 23-movie saga with critical acclaim and commercial success. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When it came time to do it again with The Multiverse Saga, Feige’s track record became a bit more uneven as he began producing a vast slate of MCU television series. There were still some heavy hitters at the box office during this era, like “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever,” “Deadpool & Wolverine” and a pair of Spider-Man movies, though the MCU also faced some of its first and most significant failures. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Still, it is undeniable that Feige has shepherded the dominant Hollywood franchise for nearly two decades, with plans to reboot the franchise once more with films like 2028’s “X-Men.”<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Reese Witherspoon<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Reese Witherspoon, the Oscar-winning star of blockbuster movies like \u201cLegally Blonde,\u201d \u201cSweet Home Alabama\u201d and \u201cYour Place or Mine,\u201d is also a media mogul who founded her Hello Sunshine banner in 2016 to put women centered-stories front and center. She produced “Big Little Lies” and “The Morning Show,” which will air its fifth and final season on Apple TV in 2027.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2021, she sold a majority stake in her company for $900 million to the Blackstone-backed company Candle Media. Other credits include “Daisy Jones & the Six” and “Where the Crawdads Sing.” On the feature side, she is producing “The Nightingale” at TriStar Pictures, which will star Dakota and Elle Fanning and mark the first time that the two sisters have acted in a film together. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Margot Robbie<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

On top of being one of Hollywood\u2019s busiest actresses, Margot Robbie is also the co-founder of one of the busiest production banners in town, LuckyChap Entertainment, with Tom Ackerly and Josey McNamara. LuckyChap produced the smash hit \u201cBarbie,\u201d which grossed over $1.4 billion at the box office and garnered eight Academy Award nominations. It also produced the critically acclaimed and award-winning films \u201cI, Tonya,\u201d \u201cPromising Young Woman,\u201d and \u201cSaltburn.” On the television side, it produced the hit limited series \u201cMaid\u201d <\/em>and the comedy <\/em>\u201cDollface.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LuckyChap\u2019s most recent film, \u201cWuthering Heights\u201d grossed a respectable $242 million worldwide against a budget of $80 million. With talks currently underway for \u201cBarbie 2,\u201d next up, Robbie is both starring in and producing the untitled \u201cOcean\u2019s Eleven\u201d prequel at Warner Bros. Pictures with Bradley Cooper directing and co-starring. On the television side, Robbie will executive produce \u201cThe Retrievals\u201d at Netflix, the latest series from \u201cSirens\u201d creator Molly Smith Metzler.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Emma Stone<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Two-time Oscar winner Emma Stone is also a busy producer. In 2024, Universal signed a first look deal with Fruit Tree, the production banner from Stone, Emmy-nominated writer-director Dave McCary and Ali Herting. Founded by married couple Stone and McCary in 2020, with Herting joining shortly thereafter, Fruit Tree co-produced Yorgos Lanthimos\u2019 Oscar-winning \u201cPoor Things,\u201d which earned Stone her second Academy Award for Best Actress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fruit Tree has also produced several acclaimed independent films including Julio Torres\u2019 \u201cProblemista,\u201d Jane Schoenbrun\u2019s \u201cI Saw the TV Glow,\u201d and Jesse Eisenberg\u2019s Sundance hit \u201cA Real Pain.\u201d Fruit Tree also signed a first look and TV development deal with Fremantle last year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next up, Stone and Chris Pine are set to star in the original romantic comedy \u201cThe Catch\u201d at Universal with Fruit Tree producing alongside Shawn Levy’s 21 Laps banner, and Stone produced Eisenberg’s second directorial effort, the A24 film “The Debut.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Dede Gardner is the first woman to win two Best Picture Academy Awards for producing “12 Years a Slave” and “Moonlight.” She has served as co-president of Plan B Entertainment, the production banner co-founded by Brad Pitt, alongside Jeremy Kleiner since 2013. Kleiner first joined the banner in 2003, working his way up from creative executive to producer, ultimately becoming co-president in 2013. They recently produced “F1” for Apple, which became the highest-grossing sports movie of all time at $634.1 million and also scored a Best Picture nomination. On the television side, they execuitve produced the Netflix miniseries “Adolescence,” which won eight Emmy Awards.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They recently produced Jane Schoenbrun’s Mubi release “Teenage Sex and Death at Camp Miasma” and the David Fincher-directed, Quentin Tarantino-written, Brad Pitt-starring “The Further Mis-Adventures of Cliff Booth” at Netflix.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Next up, they will produce the film adaptation of Richard Powers’ AI novel “Playground” at Warner Bros., which has Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet attached to star. And they’re producing Edward Berger’s “The Riders,” starring Pitt.<\/strong><\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Todd Lieberman<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Todd Lieberman is having one hell of a year. Back in December, the film adaptation of Freida McFadden’s “The Housemaid” starring Sydney Sweeney and Amanda Seyfried opened to No. 1 at $19 million and legged out to nearly $400 million worldwide, against a budget of $35 million. A sequel “The Housemaid’s Secret” was immediately greenlit and commences production this year. Liebermann also produced \u201cWar Machine\u201d starring Alan Ritchson at Netflix, which was the most-watched film for the first half of the year with 146.9 million views. That film is also getting a sequel. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In total, he has had nine movies open at No. 1 at the box office, and they have been nominated for 11 Academy Awards, winning three. His credits also include “Wonder,” “Beauty and the Beast,” “The Aeronauts,” “Stronger,” “The Fighter,” “The Muppets,” “Warm Bodies” and “The Proposal,” among others. Up next, Lieberman is producing a live-action “Voltron” adaptation at Prime Video and the Jane Fonda-led bestseller adaptation “The Correspondent” at Lionsgate.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler have long been tastemakers of Hollywood’s indie scene. By the time they launched their independent production company Killer Films in 1995, Vachon had already produced “Poison,” the debut feature by her college buddy (and now prolific filmmaker) Todd Haynes. The duo has continued to produce Haynes’ work while also backing early features from such directors as Celine Song, John Cameron Mitchell, Janicza Bravo, Brady Corbet and Aaron Schimberg. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In November, Koffler and Vachon will receive the Irving G. Thalberg Memorial Award, an honorary Oscar given to producers whose bodies of work reflect \u201ca consistently high quality of motion picture production.\u201d The award, which had only been given out on five prior occasions this century, previously went to such names as Barbara Broccoli, Michael G. Wilson, Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall and Francis Ford Coppola.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To underline Vachon’s tenacity, she recently produced Todd Haynes’ gay romance “De Noche,” which fell apart weeks before filming when Joaquin Phoenix backed out. She didn’t give up, put the pieces back together and the film is now in the can with Pedro Pascal in the lead role.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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Nina Jacobson<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nina Jacobson is the producer of \u201cThe Hunger Games\u201d franchise through her company Color Force, which she runs with producer Brad Simpson. They produced the groundbreaking film \u201cCrazy Rich Asians,\u201d based on Kevin Kwan\u2019s international bestseller for Warner Bros., and \u201cBen Is Back,\u201d which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival to critical acclaim. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jacobson began Color Force in 2007; Simpson joined in 2012, with the pair\u2019s first collaboration together being \u201cDiary of a Wimpy Kid\u201d (2010), which spawned three beloved sequels. Under their Color Force banner, Jacobson and Simpson produced all the films in the \u201cThe Hunger Games\u201d franchise, which has grossed $2.9 billion worldwide, including the prequel film, \u201cThe Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,\u201d which premiered in November 2023 and earned almost $340 million globally. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Prior to starting Color Force, Jacobson was president of the Walt Disney Motion Picture Group, where 15 of her projects grossed over $100 million domestically, including \u201cPirates of the Caribbean,\u201d \u201cThe Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe\u201d and \u201cThe Princess Diaries.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While vacillating between film and TV (she produced the Ryan Murphy shows “The Shards” and “American Sports Story”), next up she has the latest “Hunger Games” movie, “Sunrise on the Reaping,” opening in November.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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(Photo by David M Benett\/Dave Benett\/Getty Images for The Weinstein Company)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Basil Iwanyk<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Basil Iwanyk knows action. He founded Thunder Road Pictures in the mid-2000s and produced a mixture of projects both high (Ben Affleck\u2019s Oscar-nominated \u201cThe Town\u201d) and low (two barely remembered direct-to-video \u201cLost Boys\u201d sequels). He has unimpeachable taste, producing a pair of Taylor Sheridan projects (\u201cSicario\u201d in 2015 and \u201cWind River\u201d in 2017) before<\/em> he became the hottest screenwriter on television and seeing the value in the first feature by a couple of legendary stuntmen that would become the \u201cJohn Wick\u201d franchise (and profoundly rewrite Hollywood\u2019s approach to action cinema). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In recent years, too, he has diversified the Thunder Road portfolio, with Bryan Fuller\u2019s heartfelt \u201cDust Bunny\u201d and Dev Patel\u2019s gritty \u201cMonkey Man\u201d \u2013 both were directorial debuts and both colored outside the lines of what you\u2019d expect from a Thunder Road project, while still delivering all the thrills you\u2019ve come to expect. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up next is a Mark Wahlberg\/ Yahya Abdul-Mateen II’s based-on-a-true-story thriller \u201cBy Any Means\u201d (for Paramount), potential Johnny Depp comeback vehicle \u201cDay Drinker\u201d and more from the world of \u201cJohn Wick\u201d \u2013 a Donnie Yen-led \u201cCaine\u201d spinoff and an animated feature from Emmy-winning director Shannon Tindle that will fill in a key part of \u201cWick\u201d lore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s also \u201cHighlander,\u201d from \u201cJohn Wick\u201d co-creator Chad Stahelski, that might be the biggest movie Thunder Road has ever been a part of. But hey, if there can be only one, it might as well be \u201cHighlander.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

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(Photo by Savion Washington\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Chris Meledandri<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chris Meledandri might not be talked about in the same hushed tones as Pete Docter or Jared Bush, the creative leads of Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios, respectively. But Meledandri, through his Illumination shingle, is a singular powerhouse in the medium, every bit as successful and influential as his peers. Meledandri got his start in live-action before heading Fox\u2019s ill-fated animation division and then Blue Sky, the Greenwich, Conn.-based shingle behind the \u201cIce Age\u201d movies. When he left to found Illumination, it could have gone either way. But since 2010, with their first film \u201cDespicable Me,\u201d they have reliably released hit after hit, with a huge success rate and a much lower spend thanks to the Illumination animation studio being in France. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cSing\u201d and \u201cSecret Life of Pets\u201d franchises have been similarly lucrative and the partnership with Nintendo, resulting in two $1 billion-grossing \u201cSuper Mario\u201d movies, proves that the studio can work well with others. This summer saw the release of \u201cMinions & Monsters,\u201d which might have slightly underperformed commercially (bringing in a respectable $500 million worldwide) but is an undeniable highlight of the entire catalog \u2013 a movie that proves what Illumination is capable of. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up next is an original film, \u201cNot Alone,\u201d with Timoth\u00e9e Chalamet and Selena Gomez, and Meledandri is producing the next \u201cShrek\u201d movie for DreamWorks Animation. That\u2019s how essential he is to Universal\u2019s overall animated output \u2013 he\u2019ll cross the aisle \u2026 and into the swamp.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Michelle
(Photo by Angela Weiss\/AFP)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Michelle Wong<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Michelle Wong is one of the most exciting names in feature animation. She came from Sony Pictures Animation, working on Phil Lord and Chris Miller\u2019s \u201cCloudy With a Chance of Meatballs\u201d in 2009 as a coordinator, before becoming a production manager and later a full-on producer on a \u201cSurf\u2019s Up\u201d direct-to-video sequel and Kirk DeMicco\u2019s \u201cVivo,\u201d which features some truly killer Lin-Manuel Miranda songs. (It was originally developed at DreamWorks Animation, who let it go once it was absorbed by Universal. It was released during the pandemic on Netflix.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her life has taken a decidedly different turn in the past few years. She was the producer on \u201cKPop Demon Hunters,\u201d a film that Sony let slip to Netflix and which became one of the largest pop cultural events of the past few years, inspiring a theatrical sing-along exhibition, upcoming tour and countless pieces of tie-in merchandise. It was also the first non-Disney or -Pixar animated feature to win two <\/em>Academy Awards and Wong is one of the few non-Disney producers to successfully tackle animated musicals. Talk about golden<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was proof that Wong\u2019s tireless work and belief in the filmmakers paid off, big time. Up next for Wong is a re-team with DeMicco for Warner Bros. Pictures Animation\u2019s yuletide adventure \u201cMargie Claus\u201d (out in 2027) and, presumably, a re-team with the \u201cKPop Demon Hunters\u201d crew (including directors Maggie Kang and Chris Appelhans, Sony Pictures Animation and Netflix) for a sequel tentatively penciled in for 2029. We love a reunion tour, after all.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Ben
(Photo by Arturo Holmes\/WireImage)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Matt Damon and Ben Affleck<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Oscar-winning duo Matt Damon and Ben Affleck launched their Artists Equity banner in 2022 with $100 million in backing from Gerry Cardinale’s RedBird Capital and released “Air,” the biopic about the Air Jordan sneaker. What sets the Artists Equity apart from other production banners is the performance-based bonus structure<\/a>, offering backend participation to not only the project’s stars, directors, writers and other above the line talent, but to below the line crew members as well. In success, they all win.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Last year, Artists Equity produced “The Accountant 2” for Amazon MGM Studios. Damon and Affleck scored a hit starring and producing “The Rip.” The film opened at No. 1 and charted in 93 countries on Netflix, garnering more than 41 million views in its first three days on the streamer in January, delivering its biggest film opening since “Happy Gilmore 2.” <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Upcoming on the Artists Equity slate is the Netflix thriller “Animals,” directed by and starring Affleck, and “Sing Sing” filmmaker Greg Kwedar’s next film “Free Byrd.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"American
(Photo by Rocco Spaziani\/Archivio Spaziani\/Mondadori Portfolio via Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Neal H. Moritz<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Another prolific player best known for launching and steering the “Fast & Furious” franchise since the first film in 2001, Moritz currently sits at fifth in the highest-grossing producers of all time, having produced over 70 movies that grossed more than $13 billion worldwide. Moritz’s recent credits include executive producing “Scary Movie,” the “Jump Street” movies and the billion-dollar “Sonic the Hedgehog” franchise, based on the very popular Sega video game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using the successful “Sonic” franchise that he produced as an example, Moritz will also produce the next live-action “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” at Paramount Pictures, which will blend live-action with CG animation. Next up, Moritz is producing the franchise finale “Fast Forever,” the Henry Cavill-fronted “Highlander” and the “Cliffhanger” redo.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"charles-roven-oscars\"
(Photo by Mike Coppola\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Charles Roven<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Charles Roven co-founded Atlas Entertainment back in 1994 and produced a ton of tentpole films, including Christopher Nolan’s “The Dark Knight Trilogy.” Roven’s films have collectively grossed over $10.6 billion at the global box office<\/a>, placing him number seven among the top ten highest-grossing producers of all time. He won the Academy Award for Best Picture for producing Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” which garnered seven Oscars total. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Up next, Roven is producing fellow Academy Award winner Michael B. Jordan’s directorial debut, “The Thomas Crown Affair,” at Amazon MGM Studios and has “Road House 2,” also for Amazon. Roven also recently produced the Netflix doc\u202f”AKA Charlie Sheen,” \u202fand “Mercy,” starring Chris Pratt and Rebecca Ferguson for Amazon MGM Studios.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"AMPAS
(Photo by Amy Sussman\/WireImage)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Lynette Howell Taylor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

British producer Lynette Howell Taylor was recently re-elected president<\/a> of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The Board of Governors first elected Howell Taylor in 2025<\/a>. She is the fifth woman to hold the position of president and the third in the last 12 years, after Cheryl Boone Isaacs (2013-2017) and Janet Yang (2022-2025). Howell Taylor has produced more than 25 films via her 51 Entertainment banner, including \u201cRoofman,\u201d \u201cBig Eyes,\u201d \u201cThe Place Beyond the Pines,\u201d \u201cBlue Valentine\u201d and \u201cHalf Nelson.\u201d She earned her first Best Picture nomination in 2019 for \u201cA Star Is Born,\u201d and in 2020, produced the 92nd Academy Awards telecast with Stephanie Allain. For that, she was nominated for an Emmy.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"LONDON,
(Photo by Simon Ackerman\/Getty Images)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Zainab Azizi<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Raimi Productions president Zainab Azizi spent five years developing \u201cSend Help,\u201d<\/a> Sam Raimi\u2019s return to R-rated horror following 2022\u2019s \u201cDoctor Strange and the Multiverse of Madness.\u201d The film opened domestically at No. 1 at $20 million and garnered a respectable $94 million worldwide. Her other credits include genre fare like “Umma,” “65,” “Boy Kills World,” and “Don\u2019t Move.” Next up, Azizi is exec producing the “Crawl” sequel for Paramount. She is also reuniting with Raimi and producing “Magic,” a modern adaptation of William Goldman\u2019s novel of the same name, at Lionsgate with Raimi tapped to direct and Roy Lee also producing.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"AUSTIN,
(Photo by Gary Miller\/FilmMagic)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ken Kao<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Veteran film producer Ken Kao moved to Hawaii during the pandemic and for the past five years has been running a Los Angeles-based team remotely while producing films with the likes of Martin Scorsese, Terrence Malick and Yorgos Lanthimos. His company Waypoint just expanded its partnership with Neon<\/a> in a multi-picture slate deal that includes awards contenders like \u201cSentimental Value\u201d and \u201cNo Other Choice.\u201d The deal came after collaborating on films like Tilman Singer\u2019s \u201cCuckoo\u201d and Osgood Perkins\u2019 \u201cLonglegs,\u201d which became a surprise box office hit and grossed $127.9 million at the box office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He co-founded Waypoint in 2010 and has since produced a dozen features, including \u201cThe Favourite,\u201d which won Olivia Colman an Oscar in 2018. <\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Marc
(Photo by Frazer Harrison\/WireImage)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Marc Toberoff<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Chances are you have no idea who Marc Toberoff is but have seen his name on countless<\/em> hit movies. There\u2019s a reason for this. Toberoff is a gifted and extremely litigious copyright and entertainment lawyer, fighting primarily for writers whose creations have been spun into successful franchises over the years. His most famous suit is undoubtedly when he represented \u201cFriday the 13th\u201d screenwriter Victor Miller in a case that has tangled the series in an impassable morass of litigation. (Things seem to have been at least been partially solved; Toberoff is a producer of the upcoming \u201cCrystal Lake\u201d series for Peacock and A24.) He has also been involved in a high-profile tech case, representing Elon Musk in his ongoing battle with Open AI and Sam Altman. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When he wins one of these intellectual property cases or represents one of the stakeholders, he becomes a producer. In the past few years his name has been attached to \u201cPredator: Badlands,\u201d \u201cBeetlejuice Beetlejuice,\u201d \u201cBad Boys: Ride or Die,\u201d \u201cPlay Dirty,\u201d \u201cHellraiser\u201d and has Michael B. Jordan\u2019s \u201cThe Thomas Crown Affair\u201d remake, a new \u201cBloodsport\u201d movie for A24 and a TV version of the Mickey Rourke neo-noir \u201cAngel Heart\u201d in the works. When it comes to maintaining intellectual property and preparing said property for the next generation of filmmakers and audiences, there\u2019s hardly anybody as cannily tapped-in as Toberoff.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"Mary
Mary Parent attends the World Premiere of “Dune: Part Two” at Leicester Square on Feb. 15, 2024 in London. (Credit: Jeff Spicer\/Getty Images for Warner Bros. Pictures)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Mary Parent<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Mary Parent is the Chairman of Worldwide Production at Legendary currently overseeing both the film and television slate. Under her leadership, the studio has delivered global smash hits including “Dune: Part Two,” “A Minecraft Movie,” “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” and “Enola Holmes 3.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parent has also produced Alejandro G. I\u00f1\u00e1rritu’s Academy Award-winning virtual reality experience “Carne y Arena” and is producing the filmmaker’s highly anticipated next feature, “Digger,” starring Tom Cruise which opens in Oct.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A native of Santa Barbara, she is also a three-time Academy Award nominee, BAFTA winner and recipient of the Producers Guild of America’s David O. Selznick Achievement Award. Parent has helped build Legendary into one of the town’s most respected players. Next up, she has “Dune: Part Three” opening in Dec. from Denis Villeneuve, which concludes the trilogy. The first two \u201cDune\u201d films have earned eight Academy Awards and have grossed more than $1.4 billion globally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parent is also steering the next chapter of the Minecraft franchise with “A Minecraft Movie Squared,” building on the success of the original film and further establishing the IP as one of Hollywood’s newest blockbuster franchises.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"
SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – APRIL 08: Kelly McCormick attends the Australian premiere of “The Fall Guy” at State Theatre on April 08, 2024 in Sydney, Australia.\u00a0(Credit: Christopher Khoury<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Kelly McCormick<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Kelly McCormick is a producer and a major player in the action genre whose movies have grossed over $2.9 billion worldwide. She is best known for producing the box-office hits \u201cBullet Train\u201d starring Brad Pitt, and the neon-noir cult classic \u201cAtomic Blonde\u201d starring Charlize Theron, as well executive producing \u201cDeadpool 2\u201d starring Ryan Reynolds and \u201cFast & Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw\u201d starring Dwayne Johnson and Jason Statham. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCormick is also widely recognized for her work in elevating the stunt community by creating the first ever \u201cStunt Designer\u201d title for \u201cThe Fall Guy\u201d and for collaborating with the Academy of Arts & Sciences in an Oscar for Best Achievement in Stunt Design, which will make its debut in 2028. McCormick is the founder of the world-renowned 87North Productions, alongside her partner and husband David Leitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

McCormick produced four movies this year with another one on the way in 2027. Back in March, \u201cPretty Lethal\u201d was released on Prime Video and stars Uma Thurman, Maddie Ziegler, Lana Condor and Iris Apatow. In April, IFC Films released \u201cOver Your Dead Body,\u201d which stars Jason Segal and Samara Weaving. Next up, \u201cHow to Rob a Bank\u201d from Amazon MGM Studios opens on Nov 13. and stars Nicholas Hoult, Pete Davidson and Zoe Kravitz. On Dec. 4, Universal will release \u201cViolent Night 2,\u201d the second film in the franchise starring David Harbour and Kristen Bell. In 2027, Black Bear will release \u201cJason Staham Stole My Bike,\u201d on Aug. 7 and stars Jason Statham.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Trade Secrets: From blockbuster franchise films to indies, TheWrap shines a spotlight on 30 of the town’s most active producers<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9609,"featured_media":8073050,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"single-full-width-with-ads","format":"standard","meta":{"byline":{"profiles":[{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":504547,"post_id":7302980}},{"type":"byline_id","atts":{"term_id":504657,"post_id":7303200}}]},"_links_to":"","_links_to_type":0,"nb_breaking_email_type":"","nb_breaking_template":"","nb_breaking_from_name":"","nb_breaking_subject":"","nb_breaking_preview":"","nb_breaking_list":[],"nb_breaking_header_img":0,"nb_breaking_should_send":false,"nb_breaking_content":"","nb_newsletter_sent_breaking_post_id":[],"apple_news_api_created_at":"2026-09-03T13:00:46Z","apple_news_api_id":"62551433-20ca-49fc-88ed-6d70ad6a7090","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2026-09-03T22:25:36Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAg==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AYlUUMyDKSfyI7W1wrWpwkA","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":[],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"hide_featured_image":false,"the_wrap_post_enable_full_width_featured_image":false,"the_wrap_post_enable_featured_video":false,"the_wrap_post_featured_video":"","the_wrap_post_disable_read_more":false,"wp_curate_deduplication":false,"wp_curate_unique_pinned_posts":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[279383,12,264250],"tags":[2752,319090,1723,10644,9525,21935,21377,11792,391416,10248,314731,11034,4402,286174,1426,324020,13689,318739,509660,37506,457817,8342,9497,398353,847,9953,281639,496461,461589,12781,515410,28920,433226,514840],"tw_data_partners":[],"columns":[],"byline":[504547,504657],"class_list":["post-8066845","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-business","category-movies","category-photos","tag-amy_pascal","tag-basil-iwanyk","tag-ben_affleck","tag-charles_roven","tag-chris_meledandri","tag-christine_vachon","tag-david_heyman","tag-dede_gardner","tag-don-murphy","tag-emma_stone","tag-emma-thomas","tag-james_wan","tag-jason_blum","tag-jeremy-kleiner","tag-jerry_bruckheimer","tag-ken-kao","tag-kevin_feige","tag-lynette-howell-taylor","tag-marc-toberoff","tag-margot_robbie","tag-michelle-wong","tag-neal_h_moritz","tag-nina_jacobson","tag-pamela-koffler","tag-reese_witherspoon","tag-roy_lee","tag-sev-ohanian","tag-susan-montford","tag-t","tag-todd_lieberman","tag-trade-secrets","tag-will_packer","tag-wrappro","tag-zainab-azizi"],"newsletter_builder_byline":"Umberto Gonzalez and Drew Taylor","is_pro_article":true,"apple_news_notices":[],"eyebrow":{"link":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/industry-news\/business\/","text":"Business"},"tw_schema_org_review":{"name":"","type":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8066845","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/9609"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8066845"}],"version-history":[{"count":83,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8066845\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":8073684,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8066845\/revisions\/8073684"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/8073050"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8066845"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8066845"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8066845"},{"taxonomy":"tw_data_partners","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tw_data_partners?post=8066845"},{"taxonomy":"tw_column","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/columns?post=8066845"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thewrap.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=8066845"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}