Studio

STX Entertainment Names Angus Sutherland CEO as Indie Studio Rebuilds Under A-CAP

STX Entertainment has named Angus Sutherland chief executive, effective immediately, succeeding Peter Coleman as the independent studio behind Hustlers and Bad Moms rebuilds under owner A-CAP; Sutherland will remain COO of completion bond firm Film Finances.

iShook Opinion

Nov 11, 2026 - 13:11

Updated: 53 minutes ago

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STX Entertainment Names Angus Sutherland CEO as Indie Studio Rebuilds Under A-CAP

AI-generated editorial illustration. Portrait of film producer Angus Sutherland.

STX Entertainment, the independent studio behind films such as Hustlers, Bad Moms and The Gentlemen, has named Angus Sutherland as chief executive officer, effective immediately, Deadline first reported on November 10. TheWrap reported that the company announced the move the same day, a Tuesday, and that Sutherland is assuming all of the day-to-day responsibilities of Peter Coleman, who has stepped down as CEO.

According to Deadline, Sutherland will lead STX while continuing as chief operating officer of Film Finances International, a global completion bond company he joined in July. TheWrap reported that STX said it was thankful for Coleman's leadership and for his contributions to the studio's upcoming slate.

Deadline described the appointment as a new sign of life at a studio it said is reemerging after a period of inactivity. The leadership change comes roughly 10 months after STX was relaunched under new ownership and about two months after it announced its first new film in years.

Who Is Angus Sutherland

TheWrap reported that Sutherland brings more than two decades of experience across development, acquisitions, financing, production and international sales, with expertise in production finance and oversight. At Film Finances, according to the same report, he works with producers, production companies and financiers worldwide on independent film and television projects, from financing through delivery.

Both Deadline and TheWrap reported that Sutherland previously served as president of Artesian Wells Pictures, where he launched and ran the U.S. production company of French actor Omar Sy. He has also worked as a producer and held executive roles at New Republic Pictures and MadRiver Pictures. The outlets reported that he helped build New Republic's slate, which included Sam Mendes' Oscar-winning 1917.

A Studio Rebuilt Under A-CAP

STX was founded in 2014 by film producer Robert Simonds and TPG Growth's Bill McGlashan, according to Deadline. The studio became known for star-driven independent releases including I Feel Pretty, 21 Bridges, Countdown and the Greenland films starring Gerard Butler.

Deadline reported that box office disappointments and mounting financial pressure led to a 2020 all-stock merger with the Indian conglomerate Eros International, which collapsed in less than two years under financial and regulatory strain. A 2022 buyout by the investment firm The Najafi Companies left Eros with a 15% non-voting stake. In 2023, STX struck a library sale with Lionsgate, retaining most residual rights to remakes and sequels, along with a marketing and distribution pact for its theatrical releases in North America, Deadline reported.

In January 2026, Crown Productions, the film financing subsidiary of the insurance platform A-CAP, agreed to lead a recapitalization of STX and take 100% ownership, according to Deadline and the studio's own press page. Simonds, the founder and chairman, and chief executive Noah Fogelson exited, and Coleman took over as CEO. Deadline reported at the time that Coleman was a board member and chief executive of Film Services International, the holding company for Film Finances and a group of production and post-production firms that became sister companies of STX. The Industry newsletter also reported that Sam Brown, president of STX Film and Television, remained with the company.

When the relaunch was announced, Coleman told Deadline that STX would focus on films with budgets of up to $20 million, starting with two to three that year and aiming to double that number in 2027. "STX has been quiet for a few years. But it still has a brand and it still has IP that is valuable. What it needed was new ownership and new capital," Coleman said. "We cleaned up the capital structure and the new owner is committed to fully finance the forward slate."

The Completion Bond Connection

Sutherland's dual role links STX more closely to its completion bond sister business. In July, Deadline reported that Film Services International, the parent of Film Finances, was acquiring rival guarantor Media Guarantors from insurance brokerage CAC Group for an undisclosed price. Under that deal, Media Guarantors founder Fred Milstein was named CEO of the combined bond company, Film Finances executive Steve Berman was named president, and Film Finances president Greg Trattner became executive chairman under group CEO Coleman.

Completion bonds are contracts in which a bond company guarantees that a film will be finished on time and on budget, protecting investors, banks, sales agents and distributors, Deadline explained.

At the time of the merger, Coleman said the expanded platform "strengthens the completion bond market that independent finance relies on." He added that, combined with the group's other assets, it marked "the latest step in building a true one-stop shop for production, spanning financing, physical production, and post-production."

The Slate Ahead

According to Deadline, STX plans to expand its slate with a focus on original features, franchise opportunities and collaborations with filmmakers and production partners.

The studio's first announced project since resuming operations is PRƎPPY, a true-crime film co-produced with Aggregate Films. Deadline reported in September that Janicza Bravo, director of Zola, would direct from an original screenplay by David Levine and Rose Lichter-Marck. Kit Connor and Diana Silvers lead the cast, and Deadline reported in October that Talia Ryder had joined as a third lead alongside Elizabeth Marvel and Bill Camp.

The film is set in the summer of 1986 and explores the events leading to the murder of recent high school graduate Jennifer Levin by Robert Chambers, dubbed the "Preppy Killer," in New York's Central Park. Deadline reported that Jason Bateman, Michael Costigan and John Buderwitz were producing for Aggregate, with Coleman and Paula Manzanedo producing for STX. TheWrap reported that the film recently wrapped production in Manhattan.

STX also has Happy Hours, a romantic comedy from and starring Katie Holmes with Joshua Jackson, which premiered at the 2026 Tribeca Festival, according to Deadline. TheWrap also noted the film's Tribeca premiere.