EuropaCorp, French Studio Founded by Luc Besson, Appoints Jean-Marc Lacarrère as CEO (EXCLUSIVE)

EuropaCorp, the production company founded by Luc Besson and taken over by New York fund Vine Alternative Investments in 2020, has appointed Jean-Marc Lacarrère as its new CEO.

Lacarrère will begin his new role on March 3, succeeding Axel Duroux, the French-Swiss executive who helmed the company for nearly four years and stepped down in December.

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A French media expert, Lacarrère previously worked at the Canal+ Group, and managed the music publishing and production company La Bande Son, which was later acquired by Studiocanal. He also headed the digital news channel now known as CNews, went on to join Bolloré Média Group to spearhead Direct Cinéma and headed Canal+’s free-to-air division. He has also worked with “The Bureau” producer Alex Berger and Benjamin de Rothschild, and was appointed president of CanalPlay and head of international SVOD for the Canal+ Group. He joined Vivendi Content in 2017, before setting up Harvest Mood Films, a consultancy banner specializing in media and production.

EuropaCorp was taken over by New York fund Vine Alternative Investments in 2020 after being placed on a debt waiver by a French commercial court. Besson, who previously had an operational role in the company, became artistic director with a five-year exclusive deal renewable for another two years. Once a thriving banner, EuropaCorp delivered only a couple movies in the last four years, including Besson’s big comeback film “Dogman,” which world premiered in competition at Venice and was released in France in September. Sold by Kinology, the revenge thriller starring Caleb Landry Jones was acquired by Briarcliff Entertainment for the U.S. and grossed a disappointing $3 million in France.

EuropaCorp now has several projects in the pipeline, including Besson’s next directorial outing, as well as “Weekend Escape Project,” an action thriller set in Taiwan, starring British singer-actor Luke Evans (“Murder Mystery,” “Nine Perfect Strangers”) and Taiwanese female actor Gwei Lun-mei (“Black Coal”).

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