It is one thing to battle over projects, franchises and so on but Hollywood has now entered an age where more and more individuals are being fought over.
If Netflix poached Shonda Rhimes from ABC Network for a 100-million-dollar deal, something similar is happening with J. J. Abrams now, only this time it’s major Hollywood studios hoping to strike an exclusive deal with the prolific producer.
According to an exclusive report in Variety, a number of studios are looking to rope in the writer, producer and director including Disney, Universal and Warner Bros.
Noted Variety: “He (Abrams) is insisting on a certain number of ‘put pictures’ - an industry term for a specific number of guaranteed slots on a studio’s slate of movies. It’s the kind of mega-deal reserved for Abrams’ mentor and friend Steven Spielberg.”
Added Variety: “Abrams is eager to set a new high-water mark for the value of the deal, with some speculating he hopes for a pact worth half-a-billion dollars or more. The talks are being shepherded by CAA president Richard Lovett.”
It is also plausible that a streaming giant might spoil the deal for the big studios.
J.J. Abrams is known for TV hits such as Lost, Alias, Person of Interest and for directing Star Trek, Star Trek Into Darkness, Super 8 and the upcoming Star Wars: Episode IX. He also produced the recent Mission: Impossible – Fallout and is an executive producer for HBO’s Westworld, and many others.
