Jumping The Broom Production VP Brings Spirituality to Hollywood

As VP of production for Columbia/Sony Pictures, Devon Franklin is the man responsible for the blockbusters The Pursuit of Happyness, Hancock, and The Karate Kid remake. His latest film  Jumping The Broom blends romantic comedy with spirituality, a theme Franklin says resonates now more than ever with moviegoers.

“I do think that, in general, when you look at what’s going on in the world and where kind of how things are,” he said in our @mediabeat interview, “people are looking to go to the theater and find hope, and to get inspired, and to be encouraged. And I think that when you have faith in a film, and you do it right, it can do that.”

Franklin also expressed some disappointment in Spike Lee‘s longstanding criticism of Tyler Perry. (In case you missed it, Perry recently bit back, telling Lee he can “go to hell.”)

“There is room for everyone — for Tyler, for Spike. I mean, there’s room for all different types of filmmakers and all different types of filmmakers of color. Our experience is incredibly rich and diverse, so why would we allow ourselves to be subject to a dialogue that doesn’t represent that?” he said. “Would you ever say, ‘Hey, I’m going to see the Jerry Bruckheimer movie over going to see the Brian Grazer movie’? No. It doesn’t even make sense.”

You can also watch this video on YouTube.

Part 2: Columbia Pictures VP Devon Franklin: ‘If You Write a Good Script, We’ll Find It’

Part 3: Columbia Pictures VP Devon Franklin Talks Netflix, Social Media

 

Launch a social media campaign that will build your brand and deliver results in our online Social Media Marketing Boot Camp starting June 7. Speakers include Abigail Cusick (Bravo Digital), Gregory Galant (Sawhorse Media), Alex Leo (Thomson Reuters Digital), Jim Tobin (Ignite Social Media), and many more. Read the reviews.