Amazon Promotes Senior Exec Julie Rapaport To Lead New Division For Big-Budget Films

Amazon Studios has promoted senior executive Julie Rapaport to serve as co-head of its movies division, where she will lead a new unit focused on big-budget projects that appeal to wide audiences.

This seems to align with Amazon’s overarching content strategy on the series side, too, as it moves away from niche pieces like Transparent and toward tentpole properties like Lord Of The Rings. Rapaport will work alongside movie co-heads Ted Hope (who oversees prestige titles) and Matt Newman, reports The Wrap, and all three will report to Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke. Salke is still seeking a senior executive to oversee Amazon’s overarching movies division following the departure of Jason Ropell in July.

“I want to stress that across series and movies, all divisions hold quality first and foremost as their bar,” Salke said in a statement. “With Julie joining Ted and Matt, this clears the pathway to further expand our robust movies slate to include more widely engaging stories that audiences will connect with.”

Rapaport formerly served as senior manager for development, production, and acquisitions at Amazon Studios, where she oversaw films including the forthcoming Beautiful Boy starring Steve Carell and Timothée Chalamet. Before arriving at Amazon, Rapaport worked at The Weinstein Company on films like Lion and Silver Linings Playbook. Other noteworthy films coming soon from Amazon include Aaron Sorkin’s Lucy And Desi, and a reboot of the horror classic Suspiria starring Tilda Swinton and Dakota Johnson.