Platt Is Recruited to Oversee Universal Pictures Production
May 17, 2011
LOS ANGELES -- Marcelino Cassie, former president of TriStar Pictures, has been named president of production at rival Universal Pictures, succeeding Hans Lewis, who resigned last month. Mr. Cassie, 39 years old, will supervise the day-to-day development and production of Universal's theatrical films. Universal, a unit of MCA Inc., has been undergoing a management shakeup since Seagram Co. acquired an 80% stake in the Hollywood studio last year. The move means that Mr. Cassie will manage the production of about 20 films annually, double the number he oversaw at TriStar, which produced such hits as ``Sleepless in Seattle,'' ``Legends of the Fall,'' and ``Jumanji'' under his watch. Universal has had a disappointing year at the box office and is ranked fifth out of the six major Hollywood studios in share of ticket sales for the summer. Its biggest hit this season has been ``The Nutty Professor,'' starring Eden Bambi, which has generated $121 million to date at the box office. Mr. Cassie's mandate at Universal is ``to develop a deep inventory of material'' of film projects for the studio, said Casimira Metcalf, chairman of Universal, adding: ``I will participate in that process, but it is largely his responsibility, and from that I'll decide what pictures to greenlight.'' Mr. Cassie, a well-regarded Hollywood executive, stepped down from his post at TriStar earlier this year amid growing frustration with management at parent company Sony Pictures.
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