Roger Howard Dies: Glaser Weil Lawyer Steered Jason Reitman-Led Directors Coalition Purchase Of Iconic Westwood Village Theater — SkimNews
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- Roger Howard died on August 29 at age 81 after a battle with cancer, ending his 35-year tenure as a senior partner at Glaser Weil where he specialized in corporate, real estate, and M&A law for major entertainment clients.
- Glaser Weil lost a foundational figure as co-founders Patricia Glaser and Peter Weil honored Howard’s legal excellence, character, and unwavering support, noting his role in making the firm a better institution.
- Roger Howard led the legal effort for the Jason Reitman-backed Village Directors Circle in its 2024 acquisition of the historic Westwood Village Theatre, a move central to preserving the shuttered UCLA-adjacent cinema.
- The Village Directors Circle, composed of 28 top filmmakers including Christopher Nolan, Steven Spielberg, and Greta Gerwig, acquired the nearly 100-year-old Westwood Village Theatre with plans for a multimillion-dollar renovation to revive it in partnership with American Cinematheque.
- Westwood Village Theatre, an iconic 1,000-plus-seat venue with a 170-foot Spanish Revival/Art Deco tower, has already reopened to screen films like The Odyssey and will undergo a 12-month renovation later this year.
- Howard’s family held a memorial on September 1 and is sitting shiva, with a request for donations to Cedars-Sinai in lieu of flowers, reflecting his long-standing involvement with the medical center and cancer research.
Why it matters: The loss of Roger Howard removes a key legal architect behind high-stakes Hollywood real estate and cultural preservation deals; his work directly enabled a coalition of top directors to reclaim and revitalize a historic theater, ensuring its survival as a cinematic landmark amid industry shifts threatening traditional exhibition spaces.
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