In a turnaround for Steven Spielberg and his production company Amblin, the legendary director behind Jaws and Schindler’s List has inked a deal to produce several new feature films for streaming giant Netflix. Variety reports that Spielberg’s decision comes after he vocally protested against Netflix movies becoming eligible for Oscars.
Amblin also has a deal with Universal, which is where their home office is located. The Netflix deal requires at least two films per year for an as-yet announced number of years. Though Spielberg isn’t tied to directing the movies, the door is open for him to step behind the camera.
There’s no question that Spielberg was attracted to the unfettered ability to make movies the way he wants to, when he wants to, something that Netflix is particularly suited to offer.
Steven Spielberg’s Netflix deal is a sign of changing times
In a statement, Spielberg noted that the opportunity to tell stories is what guided this partnership. “At Amblin, storytelling will forever be at the center of everything we do, and from the minute Ted [Sarandos, Netflix Co-CEO] and I started discussing a partnership, it was abundantly clear that we had an amazing opportunity to tell new stories together and reach audiences in new ways.”
This isn’t the first time Netflix has partnered with Amblin over the years. Amblin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7 ended up at Netflix after the deal with Paramount fell through.
It’s an interesting turnaround for Spielberg after his open criticism of Netflix releases competing with motion pictures for Oscars, but there’s no doubt that Spielberg is seeing how the times are changing.
With so many consumers opting to stay home instead of going to theaters, particularly as they have built their own theater-quality entertainment centers in their homes, the prospect of being able to reach moviegoers and at-home viewers is too lucrative to pass up.
It’s a big reversal for Spielberg to join forces with Netflix, but it also makes a lot of sense. Streaming services are clamoring for more and more content as competition heats up, and a partnership between the largest streaming service and one of the most lauded filmmakers in history is guaranteed to be a big hit.
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