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Fox Walden Absorbs Into Fox

Walden Media and Fox Filmed Ent. are restructuring and streamlining the companies' Fox Walden joint venture to consolidate Fox film marketing resources. The two companies will partner on the upcoming films TOOTH FAIRY and RAMONA, but VARIETY reported that about a dozen Fox Walden staffers will be laid off.

Both Walden and Fox will continue to separately develop family films and will be able to offer one another the opportunity to co-finance and co-produce such films. All such films will still be overseen by Fox Walden and distributed domestically by Fox, but the reconfigured joint venture will be housed within Fox rather than operating as a standalone entity.

Jeffrey Godsick, the head of Fox Walden, will rejoin Fox as exec VP of marketing and digital content and will also retain his Fox Walden title. He will continue to oversee the marketing of Fox Walden films by utilizing existing Fox marketing personnel and resources. Godsick will report to co-presidents of marketing Tony Sella and Pam Levine on Fox projects.

RAMONA will be the next Fox Walden film co-financed and co-produced by Fox and Walden Media. The all new film recounts the adventures of young Ramona Quimby, whose vivid imagination, boundless energy and accident-prone antics are the focus of the best-selling books (91 million and counting) by Beverly Cleary. Casting on the film is underway.

Walden has come on board to partner on the Fox-originated TOOTH FAIRY, starring Dwayne Johnson, along with Ashley Judd, Stephen Merchant, Julie Andrews, Billy Crystal and skateboard phenomenon Ryan Sheckler. The film, which is currently in production, is directed by Michael Lembeck (THE SANTA CLAUSE 2, THE SANTA CLAUSE 3: THE ESCAPE CLAUSE) and the producers are Jason Blum (THE ACCIDENTAL HUSBAND), Gordon Gray and Mark Ciardi (THE GAME PLAN, INVINCIBLE, MIRACLE).

The aim of Fox Walden is to bring movie audiences quality family-friendly pictures at a variety of budget levels. Movies marketed by the joint venture will encompass all genres and will generally be MPAA-rated "G" and "PG."

The division was created in 2006, but only three movies have been released under the logo -- NIM'S ISLAND, MR. MAGORIUM'S WONDER EMPORIUM and THE SEEKER -- not enough to keep a stand-alone marketing entity.

The move is similar to Fox's January decision to close Fox Atomic's marketing operation, which resulted in 20 employees losing their jobs, per VARIETY.

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