I am so sad to report the passing of Michael Lynne, co-founder of New Line Cinema with Bob Shaye. The great film producer and devoted movie lover, family man was 77 and had suffered from cancer for about a year.
Lynne and Shaye were responsible for a quarter century of excellent films from the “Lord of the Rings” series to the “Austin Powers” series and so many more. I am sending condolences to his wife Ninah and their family and friends. He was a great friend to me, and I’m going to miss him very much. One of the great pleasures of his career, and a lot of ours, was gathering at Elaine’s on a Friday night as the box office figures came in. Michael made it an event, with computers or phones plugged in, like it was an election night.
Michael and Bob were visionaries, making movies that were moneymakers and cinematically satisfying. They also made the “Rush Hour” series and also made movies like “Magnolia” and “The Player” as well as “Wag the Dog” and “Pleasantville.” They also backed Adam Sandler when he had hits. More recently they were plotting an animated film with Paul McCartney.
All together, Lynne and Shaye’s movies made $7.4 billion over 25 years, 274 films.
