Gregg Hoffman, prexy and partner in Twisted Pictures, died of natural causes Sunday morning in Los Angeles.
Hoffman, 42, was the exec largely responsible for identifying horror success “Saw.”
Shortly after joining Twisted in 2003, he showed partners Oren Koules and Mark Burg the “Saw” script and an eight-minute sample scene by two Australian unknowns, James Wan and Leigh Whannell.
Koules and Burg quickly pooled together $1.2 million in personal funds to finance the pic. After it was released by Lions Gate in October 2004, it grossed $102 million worldwide.
Sequel “Saw II” surpassed it this year, bringing in $108 million. Hoffman recently confirmed that a third pic in the series is in the works.
“Gregg’s talents as a producer were overshadowed only by his abilities and sensitivities as a family man and friend,” said Peter Block, production prexy at Lions Gate, which distribs the “Saw” series. “He had the uncanny ability to pursue creative and professional endeavors in a collaborative and inspiring fashion, traits all too rare in our industry.”
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Hoffman started his Hollywood career as a story editor, eventually joining the Walt Disney Co. in 1993, where he rose to senior VP of production.
While at the studio, he worked on projects including “George of the Jungle,” “The Rookie,” “Corky Romano” and “Sweet Home Alabama” and earned a producer credit on “George of the Jungle 2.”
He left Disney in 2000 for a stint as an exec VP with Lynda Obst Prods. “He was openhearted, enthusiastic and twinkly — an angel of a person,” Obst said. “He’s a wonderful father and a wonderful guy, and we had a wonderful time working together.”
While at Twisted, Hoffman moved into the horror genre, producing in addition to the “Saw” films, “Catacombs,” “Silence,” and “Crawlspace.”
Hoffman grew up in Arizona and graduated from American University in Washington, D.C.
He is survived by wife Lucienne, two children, his mother and a sister.
No memorial details have been announced, though the family suggests that donations be made to Habitat for Humanity.
