CBS FILMS’S COO EXITS AFTER LATEST FLOP

Just days after the recently reborn CBS Films saw its latest release, Faster, flop at the box office, it has parted ways with its COO, Bruce Tobey, and replaced him with Lionsgate exec, Wolfgang Hammer. In a statement, CBS Films President/CEO Amy Baer said, “Wolfgang’s aptitude for innovative dealmaking, strong background in international financing, his excellent relationships with talent and his passion for the business of movies make him the perfect addition to our team.” While the timing of the announcement would make it appear that Tobey was dumped because of the poor performance of all three of CBS Films’s initial releases — Extraordinary Measures, The Back-up Plan and Faster — the Hollywood Reporter quoted insiders as saying that Tobey had been looking to make a change and that negotiations with Hammer had begun weeks before the Faster failure. In her statement, Baer credited Tobey for getting “this division up and running and established for the days ahead.”