For the past 12 years, Nickelodeon Movies and MTV Films have served as production entities on the Paramount lot, producing such hit films as The Rugrats Movie, The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, Barnyard (Nickelodeon), Napoleon Dynamite and The Longest Yard (MTV). Now Viacom Inc. announces that both will become full labels under the Paramount Motion Picture Group (PMPG), joining Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks SKG, Paramount Vantage and Paramount Classics.
Veteran producer Scott Aversano has been named president of MTV Films and Nick Movies, effective immediately. Reporting to Paramount Pictures president Gail Berman, Aversano will work on the lot handling film development, production and acquisitions for both new labels. He will also be involved with image- and brand-related matters, reporting to Van Toffler, group president of MTV Networks Music Group, and Cyma Zarghami, president of Nickelodeon and MTV Networks Kids and Family Group.
Aversano most recently served as an independent producer for Paramount Pictures after spending more than seven years with producer Scott Rudin, rising to the rank of president of production. At Rudin, Aversano oversaw production on such films as Team America: World Police, Lemony Snicket’s a Series of Unfortunate Events and The School of Rock. From 1997 through 1999, Aversano was director of development at Paramount Pictures, where he served as an executive on a number of movies including South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut.
Nick Movies is currently in pre-production on The Spiderwick Chronicles, an adaptation of the fantasy children’s book series by Holly Black and Tony DiTerlizzi. Next up for the label is a live-action adaptation of E.B. White’s classic children’s book, Charlotte’s Web, which will arrive in theaters on Dec. 20. The film stars Dakota Fanning, Julia Roberts and Oprah Winfrey.
Upcoming MTV Films releases include Freedom Writers, starring Hilary Swank, Jackass: Number 2, featuring Johnny Knoxville, and (with DreamWorks) the ice-skating comedy Blades Of Glory, featuring Will Ferrell and Jon Heder.
