The contracts have been signed and Summit chiefs Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger have been named co-chairs of Lionsgate Motion Pictures Group in the wake of last week’s merger.

The executives will oversee all aspects of domestic and international acquisition, production and distribution as well as home entertainment operations.

Motion picture film group president Joe Drake will stay on through the release of The Hunger Games (pictured), a crucial potential franchise for Lionsgate that is scheduled to open in North America on Mar 23.

Lionsgate co-chairman and CEO Jon Feltheimer called Friedman and Wachsberger “two of the most talented motion picture executives in our industry.”

Feltheimer acknowledged in a statement that Drake had “played such a pivotal role in acquiring, developing and building [The Hunger Games].”

At time of writing it was understood that separate acquisitions team were on the ground in Sundance and that Summit International and Lionsgate would send distinct international sales teams to the EFM in Berlin next month.

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