Marvel names chief of worldwide marketing
Geoffrey Ammer, a former Sony Pictures executive, was a consultant to the studio since last September.
Marvel Studios, which is trying to establish itself as an independent studio, has named former Sony Pictures executive Geoffrey Ammer as president of worldwide marketing.
Ammer will work with Marvel's distribution partners to oversee the release of movies in theaters and home video, including "Iron Man" by Paramount Pictures on May 2 and "The Incredible Hulk" by Universal Pictures on June 13.
Marvel, which has a $525-million credit line with Merrill Lynch & Co. to bankroll films based on its library of comic book characters, also has in the pipeline Lions Gate's "Punisher: War Zone," set for release Sept. 18, and 20th Century Fox's "X-Men Origins: Wolverine," to be released next year.
Marvel Studios is a unit of publicly held Marvel Entertainment Inc. The company has stated its movie production budgets range from $100 million to $160 million.
Sony Pictures is currently developing the sequel "Spider-Man 4," based on Marvel's comic book superhero. Other movie adaptations in development include "Captain America" and "The Avengers."
Since last September, Ammer had been a consultant to Marvel, among other clients. Prior to Sony, he held marketing posts at Revolution Studios and Walt Disney Studios.
claudia.eller@latimes.com
