EXCLUSIVE: Legendary Entertainment has hired Paramount and Bron Studios veteran Rona Cosgrove as EVP and Head of Film Business and Legal Affairs.
Cosgrove was previously head of Paramount’s business affairs and most recently was Chief Business Affairs Officer for Bron Studios. Reporting to Legendary CEO Joshua Grode and production chief Mary Parent, she will now oversee all business and legal affairs for Legendary’s global film business, helping set and execute dealmaking strategy.
Legendary recently executed a management buyout of Wanda Group’s stake in the independent studio. This has been a lucrative year for the company, with Dune: Part Two and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire bringing in nearly $1.3 billion in combined global box office, boosting Legendary’s total as a company past $20 billion.
Cosgrove “brings exceptional expertise, strategic vision, and a proven track record growing entertainment companies in the evolving industry,” Grode said. “This is another step in our strategic plan and with Rona’s legal and business acumen, we continue to improve our executive team and support our business.”
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Cosgrove said she is “excited and honored” to come aboard Legendary in a senior role. “I look forward to working alongside this great team to build on the company’s strong legacy and propel it to new heights,” she said.
Legendary develops, produces, markets, and finances major films for global audiences, while also maintaining leading television, comic book, video game, licensing, and merchandising divisions. Cosgrove joins the leading independent film studio on the heels of several key successes. It is currently experiencing its most profitable year ever, having released two of 2024’s most lucrative films within the same month. Together, DUNE: PART TWO and GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE earned over $1.28 billion at the global box office, bringing Legendary’s lifetime box office revenue to over $20 billion. Additionally, Legendary recently bought out the remaining equity interest held by Wanda Group, leaving the company solely owned by management and Apollo and launching a new phase of strategic expansion. Furthermore, the company continues to strengthen its renowned executive team, led by Grode, including last month’s hire of
Cosgrove joins Blair Rich, hired last month as Chief Marketing & Commercial Officer, on Legendary’s increasingly deep bench of execs.
Prior to her five-year stint at Bron, Cosgrove spent 12 years at Paramount, where she negotiated development, acquisition, co-production, animation, and talent deals for the motion picture group. In that role, she closed deals with top-level talent, like Tom Cruise, Brad Pitt, and Dwayne Johnson, and worked closely with the studio’s key producers on Mission: Impossible, Transformers, Star Trek, World War Z and other franchises. Before Paramount, Cosgrove was a business and legal affairs executive for Revolution Studios and Sony Pictures Entertainment.