Developing as a TV and never a film govt lastly appears to have caught as much as Jennifer Salke at Amazon MGM Studios. Her incapacity to mesh with the gatekeepers of the James Bond films would possibly properly have sealed her destiny. Whereas her exit from the chief suites formally is being considered an exit by selection right into a producing deal, sources on the town say it’s nearer to a firing.
It was evident Salke had misplaced luster within the govt suite when she largely was absent from the offers that introduced in Amy Pascal and David Heyman as the brand new producers of the subsequent iteration of James Bond movies, sources stated. These offers have been made by veteran Warner Bros movie govt Courtenay Valenti, who got here in beneath Salke as Head of Movie, Streaming and Theatrical. I’ve heard {that a} situation of Pascal and Heyman signing on was that they report back to Valenti, and never Salke, even earlier than the latter misplaced her job.
The 007 keepers of the flame, Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson, offered inventive management over the franchise for round $1 billion in February. This was after Amazon MGM paid manner above worth when it spent $8.5 billion for MGM, a price justified by the promise of a reinvented 007 franchise that ought to embody line extensions into collection for the Prime Video streaming service. Sources stated that Broccoli didn’t take to each other with Salke. When the Wall Avenue Journal detailed the disregard that Broccoli felt for Salke, proprietor Jeff Bezos took discover.
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The prize jewel, 007, was transferring at a snail’s tempo for too lengthy. It’s far and away probably the most useful IP the studio has, and there appears no good motive it has taken so lengthy for Amazon to monetize the practically $10 billion it largely spent to have the ability to broaden the 007 franchise. Broccoli and Wilson all the time have wielded controls within the title of franchise high quality, and the zeal to merchandise the rebirth of the franchise after Daniel Craig’s character was killed off rubbed Broccoli and Wilson the improper manner. Whereas hypothesis about one actor or one other, or one filmmaker or one other, retains flying round, the franchise was stalemated even earlier than the Broccolis made the deal that ceded inventive management. Amazon MGM now has the license to go to a final-cut filmmaker like Christopher Nolan or Quentin Tarantino — every has expressed curiosity in Bond if that they had the management they’re used to — and that may very well be a option to unlock the franchise in new and attention-grabbing methods. Whereas they received Oscar winner Sam Mendes and a few high quality administrators, the Eon Productions duo was all the time going to have remaining say.
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There have been different filmmaker clashes, together with a memorable one with director Doug Liman, who wrote a visitor column on Deadline registering his disappointment in making a theatrical deal on the Highway Home remake with Jake Gyllenhaal, solely to see the movie go on to a streaming launch regardless of excessive viewers check scores that often portend a field workplace success. Many questioned by Amazon Studios didn’t herald a extra seasoned movie govt earlier in Salke’s run. The sensation was that Salke needed to name the pictures herself. Downside there’s prime expertise turns into reluctant to leap aboard. Salke’s TV output, together with the high-priced Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Energy, weren’t game-changing sufficient to cowl off an govt who spent some huge cash with not sufficient outcomes.
That Amazon MGM isn’t changing Salke is just not a shock round city. Valenti has been making huge films at Warner Bros with prime administrators and stars for years, and she or he is as properly regarded. So is former Netflix chief Scott Stuber, who’s rebirthing United Artists and in addition grew up within the movie enterprise. Valenti has robust executives beneath her, together with Julie Rapaport, Scott Foundas, Elishia Holmes and her outdated WB counterpart Sue Kroll to lean on. The sensation is she is greater than succesful, although there are rumors Amazon MGM would possibly herald one other govt to deal with 007.
Upcoming movie initiatives within the pipeline for Amazon MGM embody Venture Hail Mary, which Phil Lord and Christopher Miller directed with Ryan Gosling starring; one other house story by The Martian novelist Andy Weir; The Thomas Crown Affair, which has been greenlighted with Michael B. Jordan starring and directing; and The Love of Your Life, directed by Rachel Morrison. That was an enormous spec deal.
