Mancuso Likely to Tap Paramount Connections for New MGM Brass : Hollywood: Former colleagues David Kirkpatrick and Gary Lucchesi are among the candidates for top posts.

As the new chairman of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Frank G. Mancuso faces more challenges than the average action hero.

The veteran executive arrives at MGM at a time when the lion’s den is virtually empty. The beleaguered company will release only 13 films this year, about half the studio average. Mancuso must also recruit a new group of senior executives to help carry out his plans.

Hollywood sources widely expect him to turn to familiar faces. Former Paramount Pictures colleague David Kirkpatrick, who is known for his tough negotiating style and cost-slashing abilities, is seen as one likely addition to the staff. Mancuso, who is most urgently looking for people to run MGM’s and United Artists’ separate production wings, could also turn to Gary Lucchesi, another Paramount alumnus.

Kirkpatrick, who was president of Paramount’s motion picture group under Mancuso and part of Mancuso’s inner circle of advisers, did not return calls. He has a production deal with Paramount. Lucchesi was unavailable for comment.

Another name mentioned for a possible MGM job is lawyer Ken Suddleson, who has represented Mancuso in the past and remains a close confidante. But Suddleson said he has had no discussions with Mancuso about joining him at MGM.

Mancuso was named to head MGM on Sunday when Credit Lyonnais, the French bank that took possession of MGM when former owner Giancarlo Parretti defaulted on his loans, ousted Alan Ladd Jr. as chairman. Speculation continued on whether Ladd will sue. Reached at home, Ladd declined to talk in detail.

“In a few days, we’ll probably have lot to say,” he said. “It’s a sticky situation.”

Also expected to depart are several executives with longtime MGM ties, such as production chief Jay Kanter and marketing executive Ashley Boone.

On the financial side, Credit Lyonnais has agreed to boost MGM’s credit line from $190 million to $400 million as part of the restructuring, and it is wiping most of the debt off MGM’s balance sheet by shifting it to another bank-owned entity.

That is expected to make the studio easier to sell--which Credit Lyonnais must do by 1997 to comply with banking laws--and is likely to make outside investors less wary of the studio.

One problem is that the video rights to MGM’s films are held by Warner Bros. past the year 2000. Another is that MGM’s upcoming films are seen as long shots. They include “The Meteor Man” with Robert Townsend, “Undercover Blues” with Kathleen Turner and Dennis Quaid, and Blake Edwards’ “Son of the Pink Panther.”

MGM also agreed to pay $8 million to get “Home Alone” star Macaulay Culkin for “Getting Even With Dad,” a film also starring Ted Danson that is now shooting. The studio also recruited Culkin’s brother, Kieran, for another film.

Also in the works is the third documentary in MGM’s “That’s Entertainment” series, which highlights the days when MGM was mentioned in the same breath with the other major studios. That’s no doubt something Mancuso hopes will happen again.