It’s Dame Donna Langley now.
On Tuesday, Universal Filmed Entertainment Group Chairman, who is also the first British woman to manage a Hollywood studio, was presented with her investiture by Prince Charles at Windsor Castle, England.
Langley first received a Dame Commander of the British Empire (DBE) title from Queen Elizabeth as part of the monarch’s 2020 New Year’s Honors List, but all in-person ceremonies were put on hold due to the pandemic. This week, the well-respected studio executive finally received her DBE in a ceremony with fellow honorees Tom Daley, the Olympic diver; Sir Chris Whitty, England’s chief medical officer; and Oliver Jeffers, the children’s book author and illustrator.
Langley — who has overseen the Jurassic World, Fast & Furious and Despicable Me franchises for Universal — called the experience “incredible”It was said. “exceeded all expectations, just really being in Windsor Castle and walking through the rooms and seeing all the history was truly special.”
Sources confirmVarietyPrince Charles, the British heir to the throne, had done his research and asked pertinent questions about the movie industry as he spoke with Langley.
“We can see that the audience wants to go back to the cinema,”In a statement, the executive said so. “Streaming is great and there’s a place for it in all of our lives, but movies matter most when they get a nice big release in a theater globally and people all over the world can see them and talk about them. I just don’t think you can beat that, so I think theater is around for a while longer.”
Langley’s success is evident. “Minions: The Rise of Gru,” which has so far amassed $412 million at the global box office and sparked the rise of the formidable #Gentleminions — a viral TikTok trend in which droves of teenagers have suited up to go and see the movie.
On Tuesday evening, Langley was joined by senior Universal executives — all of whom are in town for an annual town hall in London this week — and a select group of media at a reception at Claridge’s hotel in Mayfair, London. Later, the executive was photographed enjoying dinner with Langley. “Top Gun: Maverick” star Tom Cruise.
Universal and Cruise have teamed up to produce a $200,000,000 action-adventure movie about space that will partly be shot at the International Space Station.
Another major project on the horizon for Langley and Universal is Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,”The script for which the executive called “phenomenal.”
“He makes films that are undeniably theatrical,”Langley spoke of Nolan in a panel discussion at SXSW, March. “We really focus and strive to create an environment for filmmakers where they can do their best work and minimize the friction and noise, and complement their film with an excellent distribution and marketing campaign.”