HBO Films chief Callender plots exit

HBO Films President Colin Callender, the executive most responsible for the premium channel’s ambitious, sophisticated and sometimes hugely expensive movies and miniseries, said Tuesday that he was leaving his corporate home of the last 20 years to launch his own entertainment company.

“This was solely my decision to leave and return to my entrepreneurial roots,” the British-born former independent producer said in a conference call.

The timing was right, Callender added, capping a year that included the epic miniseries “John Adams,” which won 13 Emmy Awards; and the social commentaries “Recount,” a drama about the disputed 2000 presidential vote in Florida, and “Generation Kill,” the story of an embedded journalist’s experiences in Iraq.

Callender’s resignation was not unexpected. When his boss, former HBO chief Chris Albrecht, was forced out last year, Callender lost some of his power. The new management structure diminished the autonomy of Callender and another Albrecht lieutenant, Carolyn Strauss, who left in March.

Time Warner Inc.-owned HBO, meanwhile, faces a number of challenges, including slowing subscriber growth and increasing competition. After years of churning out award-winning series including “The Sopranos” and “Six Feet Under,” HBO has struggled to find its next big hit. Rivals such as Showtime, with “Weeds” and “Dexter,” and AMC, with “Mad Men,” are now receiving the acclaim once bestowed on HBO.

HBO, like other parts of Time Warner, is retrenching. This year Time Warner closed its Picturehouse movie label, an HBO joint venture, which distributed such offbeat films as “Pan’s Labyrinth” and “American Splendor.” That took HBO out of the feature business, a blow to Callender.

HBO executives said he would not be replaced. Instead, two of Callender’s subordinates will assume his duties. Kary Antholis will become president of HBO Miniseries and Len Amato will become president of HBO Films.

“This is very bittersweet,” said Michael Lombardo, president of HBO’s West Coast operations. But, he said, HBO still has lofty ambitions with production underway for its most expensive miniseries yet, a $200-million-budget World War II drama, “The Pacific,” from Steven Spielberg and Tom Hanks.

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meg.james@latimes.com