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It's official: J.J. Abrams has consolidated his future at WarnerMedia.
Abrams and his wife and Katie McGrath, co-CEO of Bad Robot, have signed a new five-year global agreement with WarnerMedia. The agreement – which several sources claim is worth more than $ 250 million instead of the previously announced $ 500 million estimate – marks the first time Abrams has signed its contracts movies and TV programs under the same roof. The new pact, which runs until 2024 and is described as "exclusive", also includes video games and digital content for the first time. Abrams should create original feature films for WarnerMedia.
The official announcement comes more than three months after The Hollywood Reporter announced the news that WarnerMedia had won the Abrams and Bad Robot services contest following a lawsuit that lasted for nearly a year and that was secretly concealed during the course of a year. from which several suitors have pursued the prolific producer.
It remains to be seen whether Abrams will have the opportunity to continue directing feature films for studios other than Warner Bros. Pictures, but sources point out that Abrams will honor pre-existing commitments regarding its former feature Paramount and previously announced contracts covering Star wars. It is also unclear whether WarnerMedia has won an investment in Bad Robot, although several sources have said so.
The contract of Bad Robot keeps Abrams at the studio he calls home since 2006. With this new contract, Abrams and his company will continue to create and develop new projects for WarnerMedia and will supervise other producers on film, television and video platforms. digital. The agreement will also continue to let Bad Robot sell to third-party vendors – a detail that would be of paramount importance to Abrams.
The process, which lasted several months, was concluded in June and was completed recently, which resulted in the official announcement by the media giant. "It's bittersweet to leave our longtime movie house, Paramount Pictures," said Abrams in a statement to THR. "It was an unforgettable experience and we are extremely grateful to the studio team – past and present – especially the incomparable Jim Gianopulos and the super talented Liz Raposo.We still have a number of great stories to tell. together, extremely lucky. "
According to sources, John Stankey, CEO of WarnerMedia, has made Bad Robot's courting a top priority. In its decision to stay, Bad Robot rejected the more lucrative offers of technology companies and was impressed by Stankey and his ability to achieve a contract of such magnitude. The judicial process has allowed Bad Robot to position itself with companies such as Disney, Netflix and Apple as a consumer brand and to seek, with traditional studios, a guaranteed number of releases per year.
"WarnerMedia and AT & T are excited to be launching a long-term collaboration with our world-class partners and colleagues, JJ Abrams and Katie McGrath, and we are extremely excited to deliver remarkable stories and characters. memorable on multiple platforms, to audiences all over the world, JJ, Katie and all members of Bad Robot bring extraordinary vision, exquisite films and exemplary industry leadership to this company and our society ", said Stankey. "In all forms of content, we are uniquely positioned to provide our creative partners with a multitude of platforms to achieve their artistic goals and ambitions, and to ensure that their stories provide the best opportunity to connect." I would also like to recognize the leadership of Peter Roth, President and Content Manager, Warner Bros. Television, who has known JJ and Katie for many years and has developed opportunities that have evolved. in a long-standing, mutually beneficial partnership, which will develop in the years to come in the entire WarnerMedia and AT & T family ".
The Abrams and Bad Robot Pact officially has the prolific producer in the same financial neighborhood as Greg Berlanti ($ 400 Million Warners), Ryan Murphy ($ 300 Million Netflix) and Shonda Rhimes ($ 100 Million). Netflix dollars). The biggest difference between the Bad Robot case and that of Berlanti and Murphy is the lack of a library base for the buyout. Warners, for example, redeems Berlanti's background points in programs such as Arrow and The flash. Yet, even though sources say the agreement is valued at $ 250 million, it could reach the Billions Should Abrams successfully create an original feature film franchise? Similar to the main points of the television, WarnerMedia's content agreement includes considerable financial incentives for feature films created by Abrams. This would have been a key element in the process of concluding agreements.
Abrams and Bad Robot were considered the biggest fish in extremely competitive waters. Several studios and streamers have at least kicked the tires or engaged in a hypercompetitive effort to seduce Abrams and McGrath about a possible wealth pact for the company, which includes HBO's successes. Westworld and Hulu stone castle, among others. Netflix, Apple, Amazon and other media, WarnerMedia, Comcast and Sony Entertainment, are among those who, according to some sources, have met or explored an agreement with Bad Robot. According to sources, the leaders of Abrams and Bad Robot, including television chief Ben Stephenson, held meetings across the city as they planned to transfer their global contract to Warner. Bros. Fringe has been based since 2006. While stores such as Apple and Sony are getting closer, sources point out that WarnerMedia was imposed in the spring when it became apparent that Bad Robot was giving priority to being part of the company. a larger television and film distribution company, including WarnerMedia's next SVOD service. , HBO Max.
WarnerMedia, which is now run by Stankey, is one of the companies that has gone to great lengths to keep Abrams indoors. According to many sources, one of the big problems that weighed on Stankey was the desire to keep his valued producer within society. According to sources, McGrath – who is also a founding member of Time's Up – told Stankey that the continued presence of Warner Bros.'s CEO. Kevin Tsujihara was a problem of "values" while she and Abrams were exploring the options of their company. Tsujihara resigned on March 18 as a result of The Hollywood ReporterThe publication of texts revealing that the executive had engaged in a deal with British actress Charlotte Kirk, and then had tried to help her play her part in television series and movies from Warners.
The ongoing war between the Writers Guild of America and agencies over packaging fees and affiliated studios has further complicated the bid process. Abrams and Bad Robot have stopped working with CAA representatives in all areas, with the exception of management. CAA no longer directs the charge, the process has slowed down considerably and has continued until the spring and early summer, but sources indicate that Mr. Abrams continued to meet with the president of the Warner Bros. Group, Peter Roth, and Stankey, with whom he has ongoing relationships.
"It's a thrill for Katie, Brian [Weinstein] and me and the rest of our team at Bad Robot to call WarnerMedia, our new home, "said Abrams. John Stankey has a powerful vision for the future of WarnerMedia and is committed to telling stories that connect people around the world. We are delighted and happy to be part of this new chapter under his thoughtful direction and that of Ann Sarnoff. I could talk about the extraordinary Peter Roth and the whole Warner television group, with whom we have been working for over a decade, and I will probably continue for hours. I also want to collaborate with Toby Emmerich and his team. as I can remember. I am grateful to have the chance to write, produce and direct works for this amazing company and to contribute to the creation of films and series with an extensive and diverse collection of inspiring stories. . We can not wait to start. "
Abrams, which is currently publishing Star Wars: The rise of Skywalker – the last installment of the Skywalker saga – for Disney, was among the biggest producers of Warners television channel at a time when the demand for branded broadcasters is growing stronger. Warners, Comcast and Disney are currently planning streaming services to compete with Netflix, Amazon and Apple. Netflix helped blow up the hit market when it signed a nine-digit global deal with Rhimes and later Murphy, pushing the two producers out of their respective long-standing homes at ABC Studios and 20th Century Fox Television. Between the ramping up of internally produced content for future streaming platforms and the quarrel between writers and agents, the demand for top writers and producers has further strengthened these already breathtaking pacts for greatest creators. The market for these creators has also become so fierce that some viewers are now signing several TV contracts – offering their services exclusively to streaming and streaming.
Abrams is preparing a drama on HBO, Lovecraft Country (with Jordan Peele), and executive produced stone castle and Westworld alongside Lisa Joy and Jonah Nolan. (The latter have left their long-standing home at Warners to sign a lucrative $ 150 million five-year deal with Amazon Studios.) Abrams is also working on Demimonde, the first series that he has written and created since Alias (who also recently changed showrunners). The genre drama landed at HBO following a bidding war at several points of sale. They both die at the end of Abrams and The two others Chris Kelly escape. Abrams and Bad Robot also have three shows in preparation at Apple: Stephen King's adaptation The story of Lisey, starring Julianne Moore; Sara Bareilles & # 39; Small voice; and the Jennifer Garner vehicle My glory was I had such friends. The three players were directly qualified for the series against the competition of several points of sale, Apple also playing aggressively for Bad Robot. The company also launched its video game division, Bad Robot Games, in 2018, in partnership with Tencent and Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment.
All these projects are produced by Warner Bros. TV, which last year extended the mega-producer Berlanti to a global contract estimated at $ 400 million. Berlanti currently owns the TV disc for the most currently scripted originals currently on sale (19 out of seven and more in preparation). His contract also includes financial incentives when he reaches a growing number of shows.
While WarnerMedia was due to unveil its consumer direct subscription platform in the fourth quarter (in beta), keeping Abrams in the fold was considered a priority for the independent studio. Following the departure of Joy and Nolan to Amazon, the revival of Bad Robot was increasingly important for the studio, which continues to aggressively seek the best talent. The studio recently signed Mindy Kaling and Ava DuVernay for rich global offerings. For their part, Warners promoted Susan Rovner and Brett Paul to the position of president of the television studio while they were responsible for the daily supervision of the unit, long performed by the Roth executive. Roth, who remains on contract until 2020, will continue to be part of Warner Bros.'s interim management team. alongside Toby Emmerich and Kim Williams during the search by the studio of a cadre to replace the fallen Tsujihara. The next step for the studio will be the recording of mega-producer Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Young Sheldon, Mum, The Kominsky method) to a new pact, its contract with WBTV expiring in June 2020.
Bad Robot is taken over by Jackoway Austen.
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