Katie Goodson-Thomas to lead film at LuckyChap International
LuckyChap International has hired Searchlight Pictures veteran Katie Goodson-Thomas as its president of film.
The appointment was announced on 20 October 2026, according to Variety. Goodson-Thomas will leave Searchlight after more than a decade to take up the new post. She will officially join in the new year.
At Searchlight, she was most recently executive vice president, co-head of production and development. That is the team that finds scripts, attaches film-makers and takes projects from first draft to the shoot. She was promoted to co-head of film production alongside DanTram Nguyen in 2021, a move that took effect immediately, according to Variety.
Her career at the company began in Britain. She was appointed director of productions and acquisitions for its UK operations in 2015, and later worked as a UK-based executive before moving into the senior Los Angeles-facing production role.
In the new job, she will spearhead the film slate at LuckyChap International. She will work in partnership with co-managing directors Mona Qureshi and Tanya Qureshi, who run the London-based organisation day to day.
LuckyChap International is a joint venture, a company jointly owned by two groups, between LuckyChap and Mediawan. It was unveiled in late 2025. LuckyChap’s partners are Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, Josey McNamara and Milan Popelka.
What makes this stand out is the shape of the hire. LuckyChap International is still a young outfit, and it has now put a long-serving studio production chief in charge of its films. For viewers, this means the next set of projects from the London venture will be picked and built under Goodson-Thomas.
