Emma Watts To Oversee Transformers And G.I. Joe At Paramount Pictures

Wyck Godfrey, president of Paramount’s Motion Picture Group is stepping down from his role after a very successful career. Mr. Godfrey oversaw the “rebirth” of the Transformers and G.I. Joe franchises with Bumblebee and Snake Eyes respectively.

Speaking to his colleagues, former president stated:

“It has been such a blessing to work with all of you at Paramount Pictures, and I am so thankful for the experience and proud of the work we’ve done together. In a little over two short years, I’ve had the great pleasure of overseeing the launch of new studio franchises in A Quiet Place and Sonic, the rebirth of old franchises like Bumblebee and Snake Eyes, the continued run of the ‘Gold Standard’ that is Mission Impossible, and, perhaps most excitingly, the long-awaited returns of ‘Maverick’ and ‘Prince (now King) Akeem’.

Emma Watts (former 20th Century Fox film executive prior to its merger with Disney) will replace Mr. Godfrey and will oversee Transformers and G.I. Joe Franchises. Ms. Watts previously worked on movies such as Deadpool, Logan, Bohemian Rhapsody, and James Cameron’s Avatar.

You can check out Wyck Godfrey’s full statement, after the jump.

“To my Paramount family,

It has been such a blessing to work with all of you at Paramount Pictures, and I am so thankful for the experience and proud of the work we’ve done together. In a little over two short years, I’ve had the great pleasure of overseeing the launch of new studio franchises in A Quiet Place and Sonic, the rebirth of old franchises like Bumblebee and Snake Eyes, the continued run of the ‘Gold Standard’ that is Mission Impossible, and, perhaps most excitingly, the long-awaited returns of ‘Maverick’ and ‘Prince (now King) Akeem’. I’ve been able to work with you to champion more challenging, yet vital, films like Dexter Fletcher’s Rocketman, Aaron Sorkin’s Trial of The Chicago 7, and Damien Chazelle’s upcoming Babylon. I’ve laughed my ass off beside you in dailies of films like The Lovebirds and Like A Boss. I’ve jumped out of my seat with you watching the first cuts of Crawl and Pet Sematary. To say that it has been a blast and a whirlwind would be an understatement, and I’ve loved every minute of it.

While I will look back on the films we’ve made together with fondness, the thing I will carry forward in my heart and cherish most are the friendships that have been born from those films. From our incredible, diverse and intrepid employees, each of whom play a vital role in creating the warm and inviting home that is Paramount, to our talented filmmakers who trust us to nurture and share their films around the world, it’s the people who have made the experience such a joyful one.

One thing that the last four months have shown me is that change comes in the most unexpected and unprecedented ways, and we will always have to adapt to those changes in order to press on and survive. But it’s how we treat each other – our families, our coworkers, our neighbors – that will define us. While I am sad that my own time at Paramount and the momentum we were building was cut short by our shutdown in March, I am so proud of the spirit of humanity that I’ve witnessed day after day from my Paramount family during the joint crises of Covid-19 and the events following the murder of George Floyd. We have loved and supported each other. We’ve marched in protest together. And in many ways, we have grown closer together, rather than suffer in isolation. We are a family, and that is our strength.

When I came to Paramount, I was determined to make the experience fun – to bring passion, kindness, and positivity to the job. I attacked the job with fearlessness and asked the same of you, for it is my strong belief that people are the most vibrant creatively when they are not operating out of fear. I promised to celebrate your successes and wherever possible, take the burden of our failures, in exchange for your passionate advocacy of your projects.

My hope for all of you is that you continue to carry forward with that spirit to continue building the legacy of Paramount Pictures. The leadership under Jim G is strong, but the people who support and guide our leaders, through their hard work and grace under pressure, are the true strength of Paramount. All of you are in the rare position to create culture and indeed change it through the stories you tell. And I am confident that the future of Paramount is strong – because of YOU.

Yours,

Wyck”