Lionsgates Joe Drake Extends Contract as Motion Picture Group Chair

Longtime film executive Joe Drake has extended his contract as Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group chair.

The multi-year deal will unfold as Lionsgate debuts a slew of sequels and spinoffs in theaters, including “John Wick: Chatper Four,” the “Hunger Games” prequel “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” “Now You See Me 3,” “Expendables 4,” and the remake of “Dirty Dancing.”

“Joe and his team continue to execute our core mission of creating great intellectual properties with a strong slate of tentpole films ready for launch beginning with ‘John Wick: Chapter Four,’” said Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer. “He is an entrepreneur with strong talent relationships and a firm grasp of the global theatrical marketplace, and he will continue to be a great partner in helping us move the company forward.”

Drake returned to Lionsgate in October 2017 when the company acquired Good Universe, the production and distribution company that he co-founded and ran with partner Nathan Kahane. Lionsgate fielded a few blockbusters in 2019, such as “John Wick 3” and “Knives Out,” resulting in one of its best years at the box office. During his previous run as head of Lionsgate’s Motion Picture Group from 2007-2012, Drake and his team launched the “Hunger Games” franchise, the “Expendables” film series and Oscar-winner “Precious.”

At Good Universe, one of the two companies Drake has launched, he was responsible for financial, creative and strategic decisions and he helped commission hit comedies like “Neighbors.” As the leader of Mandate Pictures, Drake’s other venture, he produced “Juno,” “50/50” and “This Is the End.”

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