Activision hires longtime Tarantino producer to co-lead TV and film division

Activision Blizzard's movie and television division, Activision Blizzard Studios, has brought veteran producer Stacey Sher on board as co-president of the fledgling studio, the publisher announced today. She'll work alongside previously announced studio co-president Nick van Dyk to help bring Activision Blizzard franchises like Skylanders, Call of Duty, StarCraft and Diablo to film and TV screens.

Sher has more than 20 years of experience producing for film and television, and has collaborated with directors Quentin Tarantino and Steven Soderbergh on a number of films. Her credits include The Hateful Eight, Pulp Fiction, Django Unchained, Reno 911! and Gattaca.

"Stacey is a rare talent behind two decades of award-winning television series and films. Her ability to collaborate with the most inspired, talented people in entertainment and her unyielding commitment to creativity make her perfectly suited to Activision Blizzard Studios," said Bobby Kotick, CEO of Activision Blizzard, in a statement. "As custodians of some of the world's most successful entertainment franchises, we are thoughtfully and creatively expanding our franchises through television and films in a way that will honor the commitment our audiences make to our games."

Activision Blizzard announced its plans to pursue movie and TV projects in November 2015. The publisher's studio is developing an animated Skylanders TV series as well as a "robust cinematic universe" based on the Call of Duty franchise.

Co-leading Activision Blizzard Studios with Sher is former Disney executive Nick van Dyk.

"Stacey's immense talent is a great fit for Activision Blizzard Studios, and together we'll bring Activision Blizzard's hugely popular intellectual property to both existing fans and new audiences," said van Dyk in a statement. "Our model is unique: we have a rich library of franchises created over three decades with tens of millions of fans, direct relationships with our audiences and Activision Blizzard's business capabilities, which enable us to operate with incredible efficiency in content creation, marketing and distribution as compared to the traditional studios. Our focused and disciplined strategy will drive tremendous franchise value for Activision Blizzard as we bring audiences new ways to engage with the intellectual property they love. I couldn't be more thrilled to partner with Stacey in building this business."

"As its large and loyal fanbase can attest, Activision Blizzard has created franchises that mean so much to audiences over the course of 35 years. I'm excited about our mandate to create filmed entertainment based on Activision Blizzard games that is as great as the games themselves," Sher said. "I look forward to joining Nick, Bobby, and the insanely talented and forward-thinking team at Activision Blizzard to develop an even greater voice for these franchises by bringing them into the world of television and film."

"Stacey's uncompromising commitment to creativity and great storytelling is why she has been an amazing collaborator on the three films we have made together, and a cherished friend over the past 20 years," added Quentin Tarantino in a statement.