Emma Watts has resigned as the longtime production head of the film studio once known as 20th Century Fox, as owner Walt Disney Co. continues to make major changes to the storied company it bought less than a year ago.
Walt Disney Studios Chairmen Alan Horn and Alan Bergman announced Watts' resignation on Thursday. They did not name a successor, but the company said it expected to name a replacement in the coming weeks.
"Emma has made many wonderful contributions to Fox over the past two decades, shepherding a number of memorable films to the screen," they said in a joint statement. "We truly appreciate and thank her for her commitment and partnership in overseeing the transition in this past year and wish her the best."
The news comes after Disney rebranded the film and TV companies, formerly controlled by Rupert Murdoch, as 20th Century Studios, dropping the Fox name from the brand. Fox has weathered several rounds of layoffs since the acquisition. Major executives who left the company included Fox film Chairwoman Stacey Snider and former Fox 2000 head Elizabeth Gabler.
The rest of the Fox creative team remains and no changes have been made to 20th Century Studios' development or release slate, which includes titles such as Steven Spielberg's "West Side Story" and James Cameron's "Avatar" sequels.
Watts was with the Fox studio for more than two decades and became president of production in 2009, leading the studio through a period in which it released blockbusters including "The Martian" and "Deadpool."
The company is currently enjoying Oscar attention for James Mangold's "Ford V. Ferrari," which Disney inherited from the Fox regime. However, Disney also had to weather Fox duds such as "Dark Phoenix" and "Ad Astra." Watts was one of the Fox executives who stayed with the company after Disney bought 21st Century Fox for $71.3 billion in March.
Watts, in a memo to staff, described the decision to leave as her own.
"Over the past many months, it has been my top priority to continue to foster great filmmaking while leading this team successfully through the integration period with Disney," Watts said. "After reaching this point, I approached Alan and Alan, realizing that it was now time for me to pursue new opportunities."
