Raffaella De Laurentiis Resigns Production Post

Raffaella De Laurentiis abruptly resigned last Friday as president of production at Beverly Hills-based De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, industry sources have confirmed. The departure of De Laurentiis--the daughter of legendary movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, who formed DEG two years ago--comes on the heels of substantial losses and plummeting stock prices brought on by a string of box office flops, including “Body Slam,” “From the Hip,” “Bedroom Window,” “King Kong Lives” and “Million Dollar Mystery.”

The company reported a $1.3-million loss for the fiscal year that ended Feb. 28 and a loss of $15.5 million for the first quarter ending May 31. DEG stock closed at $4.50 Tuesday on the American Stock Exchange, up $0.125 for the day, but down nearly $2 a share from last month. Since going public in May, 1986, its stock has traded as high as $17.75.

A spokesman for the company declined comment on De Laurentiis’ reported resignation. According to sources, De Laurentiis quit of her own volition and was not pushed out.

The struggling company is rumored to be considering a major restructuring . Among the companies said to be interested in acquiring De Laurentiis Entertainment Group are the Guber-Peters Co., 20th Century Fox Pictures and Paramount Pictures.