Jason Constantine obit

Jason Constantine Dies: Lionsgate Motion Picture Group Co-President Was 55

 

He was not on the list.

Longtime Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-president Jason Constantine died June 3 at his home after a long fight with cancer. He was 55.

Constantine has been an executive at Lionsgate nearly since its inception, starting his career more than 25 years ago as a director of acquisitions at Lionsgate’s predecessor Trimark Pictures. His run at Lionsgate spanned its cornerstone $1 billion-grossing franchises John Wick and Saw. He was a huge proponent of the Saw franchise from the onset, leading the studio’s push to acquire it after watching a brief concept short.

Constantine was also involved with The Expendables franchise; Paul Haggis’ Oscar Best Picture winner Crash; Lee Daniels’ Precious, nominated for five Academy Awards and winner of two Oscars; Rian Johnson’s Oscar-nominated $312 million global-grossing Knives Out; the Erwin Brothers’ faith-based smash I Can Only Imagine; worldwide action hits The Hitman’s Bodyguard, Kick Ass, Rambo: Last Blood, Angel Has Fallen and the breakout success Plane; critical gems like The Girl With the Pearl Earring, Arbitrage, Margin Call and Dear White People; and horror classics including Cabin in the Woods, Cabin Fever and the Rob Zombie Rejects trilogy.

“With his fearless spirit, creative energy and enduring talent relationships, Jason embodied the very best of our studio and our industry,” a Lionsgate spokesperson said Thursday about Constantine’s passing. “His influence will continue to be felt in many of our most successful franchises. His career was built around the principles that a great idea can come from anywhere, a box office triumph is meant to be shared by an entire team and our creative choices need to be bold and daring. We mourn the passing of a highly respected executive, a trusted partner and a cherished friend, and we extend our deepest condolences to his wife Kristin, his three children and his entire family.”

In 2008, Constantine was promoted to President of Acquisitions and Co-Productions, then reporting to Lionsgate co-COO and motion picture group president Joe Drake. At the time, Drake praised Constantine in the press for the exec’s “superb creative instincts and an affinity for unique material which generate uncommonly good movies.”

Constantine was known for relentlessly championing new ideas, emerging bold voices, and original IP that defied conventional wisdom. He also had an encyclopedic knowledge of film, not to mention myriad facts and stats about the Lionsgate library as well as other titles in the marketplace.

Outside of work, Constantine was well-known for his generous spirit. Every year at Christmas, he created a model train village in his yard that captured the holiday spirit and touched people far beyond his neighborhood community.

A native Californian, Constantine received his B.A. from Princeton University and his M.F.A in film production from Loyola Marymount. He wrote and directed two short films: For Whom The Wedding Bell Tolls, a romantic comedy, and Ashes, a drama that won the Producers Guild of America Award for best student short film.

He is survived by his wife, Kristin; and his sons Lucas, Xander and Nicholas.

A “boombox” account has been set up for people to send written stories and photos to the Constantine family. Upload any written stories or photos to the following link here.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests those who wish to make gifts in Constantine’s memory consider funding the brain cancer research conducted by his neurosurgeons. There are two options:

Visit https://medicalgiving.stanford.edu/. On the landing page, click “make a gift” at the top right. Choose one-time gift or recurring gift. Please direct your gift to Stanford Medicine, and in the next box, choose “other Stanford designation.” That will open a space to type in “Support for Dr. Michael Lim’s Research.”

Or, visit https://giving.ucla.edu/JasonConstantine to help fund the research conducted by Constantine’s neuro-oncology team at UCLA led by Dr. Tim Cloughesy and Dr. Robert Chong.