Miramax CEO Bill Block to depart ‘The Gentlemen’ & ‘Project Greenlight’ studio

The Gentlemen

Bill Block is stepping down as CEO at Miramax, the US production firm founded by Bob and Harvey Weinstein that was then acquired by beIN and Paramount.

Block had been in the role since 2017 but is exiting later this week, with his expiring contract not set to be renewed.

Bill Block

The company is behind upcoming series including a reboot of Project Greenlight for Max with Issa Rae, Paramount’s The Turkish Detective and a TV series based on The Gentleman for Netflix.

It also greenlit a Dev Patel drama earlier this year exploring the fall from grace of financier Arif Naqvi, while its upcoming film output includes Paul Giamatti-starring Sideways.

Block took over at Miramax following its sale to Qatar-based beIN Media in 2016, with Paramount (then ViacomCBS) taking a 49% minority stake in 2019.

It is not clear who will replace him at the company, which is looking to increase its focus on developing projects based on its own IP, according to US trade Deadline which broke the news.

Miramax was launched in 1979 by the Weinstein brothers and is home to a library of more than 700 titles, including Bad Santa 2, Bridget Jones’s Baby and Southside With You, while TV shows include From Dusk Till Dawn: The Series.

The Weinstein brothers sold Miramax to Disney in 1993 and remained with the company until 2005. An investor group led by QIA and Colony acquired the studio for US$660m in 2010.

Prior to Miramax, Block was founder and CEO of production company QED, following stint as president of US-based Artisan Entertainment.