Terribly sad news arrives as Rogue One and Solo producer Allison Shearmur has passed away after a battle with lung cancer. She was 54.
A quadruplet, Shearmur spent years in the executive trenches, acting as executive vp production at Universal Pictures and then co-president of production at Paramount from 2005 through early 2007 before joining Lionsgate as president of production. In that role, she oversaw installments of Jennifer Lawrence’s Hunger Games franchise.
On the TV side, her company is behind an ABC musical remake of Dirty Dancing.
At Paramount, she oversaw the day-to-day development and production of the studio’s film slate and literary acquisitions, spearheading such productions as The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, The Spiderwick Chronicles, Stop Loss, Zodiac, Dreamgirls, Charlotte’s Web, Nacho Libre and Failure to Launch.
Before joining Paramount, Shearmur was at Universal, where she oversaw the development and production of such hits as The Bourne Supremacy, The Bourne Identity, the American Pie trilogy, Along Came Polly and Erin Brockovich.
From 1994 to ’97, Shearmur served as vp production for Walt Disney Pictures, where she developed and supervised George of the Jungle and other films. She had come to Disney from Stewart Pictures, where she acquired and helped develop the children’s classic Madeline.
What an amazing resume of films. She sounded like an amazing woman. Our condolences go out to her friends, colleagues and family.
