LOS ANGELES – Greek-American Jim Gianopulos signed a new, multi-year deal to continue as the Chairman and CEO of Paramount, Variety reported on August 12. The contract was signed with Paramount’s parent company Viacom which is about to announce a merger with CBS, reuniting the companies after 13 years apart, Reuters reported.

“Gianopulos has been at the helm of the studio since 2017, when he replaced the late Brad Grey,” Variety reported, adding that “while his deal renewal coincides with the looming mega-merger, one insider close to Viacom said the deal was simply approaching expiration and came up for renewal.”

Among the hit films produced during Gianopulos’ tenure, John Krasinski’s A Quiet Place, the Mission: Impossible franchise’s latest film Fallout, and the Elton John biopic Rocket Man.

“On the TV side, Paramount has hit its stride with 26 series ordered or in production and credits on hits like The Alienist on TNT, 13 Reasons Why on Netflix, and Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan on Amazon Prime Video,” Deadline reported.

Variety also reported that “the media giant has also extended the contract of Paramount’s current production president Elizabeth Raposo, who largely deals with the studio’s film franchises.”