Ashley Brucks has been tapped to lead Screen Gems, the Sony Pictures division behind the “Resident Evil” and “Insidious” franchises. A deal hasn’t been finalized and several other candidates were up for the post, but insiders say the job is Brucks’ and expect a formal announcement to come soon.
She joins the company from Paramount, where she worked as head of development for Paramount Players, a production label focused on making comedies and genre fare. At Screen Gems, Brucks replaces Steve Bersch, who will leave the label when his contract ends in December. The decision was made by the executive, who had been with Sony for more than 15 years, serving in various capacities.
Brucks is a long-time executive at Paramount, working there for over a decade as an executive vice president and later a senior executive vice president. Paramount Players was launched by Brian Robbins, who later became the studio chief, in 2017. Last year, the division was folded into the larger film group.
Brucks also worked as a production and development executive at DreamWorks Animation, the studio behind “Shrek” and “Kung Fu Panda.”
Screen Gems’ past hits include “The Wedding Ringer,” “Dear John,” “Easy A,” “Think Like a Man,” and the “Don’t Breathe” films. It most recently released “Insidious: The Red Door” in July, as well the action-comedy “The Machine” and “The Pope’s Exorcist,” a horror film with Russell Crowe. Upcoming films include “They Listen,” a horror-thriller from Blumhouse, as well as ‘Border Patrol’ with “Resident Evil: Welcome To Raccoon City’s” Johannes Roberts directing.