Mike Ireland & Daria Cercek Named Co-Heads Of Paramount Motion Picture Group

Following Emma Watts’ departure as President of the Motion Picture Film Group, her Co-Presidents of Production Mike Ireland and Daria Cercek are being elevated to run the film group now as co-heads.

Ireland and Cercek will report directly to Brian Robbins, President and Chief Executive Officer of Paramount Pictures, effective pronto.

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Cercek and Ireland will continue to oversee the studio’s motion picture slate from development through release for Paramount Pictures, as well as leading casting, physical production and post-production.

Jeremy Kramer will lead Paramount Players, also reporting to Robbins.

Watts - Credit: Fox

Fox

“Daria and Michael each have built tremendous track records in their careers, and their collective experience has already brought so much benefit to Paramount since joining the organization,” said Robbins in a statement. “Paramount also benefited greatly from the deep talents of Emma Watts who, among so many accomplishments, helped build a terrific team at the studio, facilitated overall deals with top-tier talent including John Krasinski and Ryan Reynolds, and shepherded a number of exciting upcoming projects including the latest film in the Star Trek franchise, the newest Transformers film, and a star-studded Dungeons & Dragons adaptation. We wish her nothing but success in her future.”

Since joining Paramount, Cercek and Ireland have been steering production on the next Transformers movie, Sandra Bullock’s The Lost City, Babylon, and Sonic The Hedgehog 2.

<img class="size-medium wp-image-1234822525" src="https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?w=300&quot; alt=". - Credit: Paramount" width="300" height="169" srcset="https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg 1000w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=150,84 150w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=125,70 125w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=600,338 600w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=660,370 660w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=910,511 910w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=681,383 681w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=450,253 450w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=250,140 250w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=296,166 296w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=248,139 248w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=200,112 200w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=270,152 270w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=60,34 60w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=352,198 352w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=110,62 110w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=285,160 285w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=320,180 320w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=640,360 640w, https://deadline.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Paramount-Pictures-Logo.jpg?resize=800,450 800w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" />Paramount

Cercek joined Paramount in January as co-president of production. Prior to that, she served as EVP Production and Development at New Line Cinema overseeing such movies as the studio’s big get: Olivia Wilde’s Don’t Worry Darling. Prior to New Line, Cercek was SVP of production and development at 20^th Century Fox (now 20^th Century Studios), where she oversaw The Heat, The Other Woman, Spy, and the last three X-Men movies.

Ireland joined Paramount in November 2020 as co-president of production. He began his career as a network executive at MTV in 2003. He joined Leonardo DiCaprio’s production company, Appian Way, in 2007, where he helped develop The Wolf of Wall Street, among other films. Following Appian Way, he joined 20^th Century Fox in 2012 as SVP of production and oversaw a slate of films including the recently-released Ryan Reynolds action-comedy Free Guy which recently cross $300M at the WW box office; a definite hit during the pandemic as moviegoing claws its way back. Ireland graduated with a degree in screenwriting from University of Southern California.

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