After what seems to be a process that has been going on for a year, JJ Abrams and his Bad Robot Productions have found a brand-new studio to team up with — WarnerMedia.
According to Variety, after being courted by just about every studio in Hollywood, including Disney, Apple, and Comcast, Abrams has decided that WarnerMedia is going to be the home for his various films, TV projects, video games, and other entertainment content for the foreseeable future (until 2024, at least).
While financial details were not immediately released, it’s being reported that the baseline number for the deal is around $500 million, with the potential for more depending on the performance of the various projects. While there are plenty of production companies getting nine-figure deals in this era of the content arms race, half a billion dollars is still a total that is sure to raise quite a few eyebrows.
Abrams said, “I am grateful for the chance to write, produce and direct work for this incredible company, and to help create films and series with a diverse and vast collection of inspiring storytellers. We can’t wait to get started.”
The head of the studio that is spending hundreds of millions of dollars is equally happy with the deal (obviously) and is “extremely excited” about the future.
“We are extremely excited about the potential to deliver remarkable and memorable stories and characters across multiple platforms to audiences around the world,” said WarnerMedia chief John Stankey. “J.J., Katie and all of Bad Robot bring extraordinary vision, exquisite filmmaking, and exemplary industry leadership to this endeavor and our company. Across all forms of content, we are uniquely positioned to offer our creative partners a multitude of platforms to realize their artistic goals and ambitions, and to ensure that their stories have the best possible opportunity to connect with the right audience.”
Though $500 million does seem like a ton of cash, Abrams is arguably worth more. The creative mind behind Bad Robot is responsible for films such as “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” “Cloverfield,” “Star Trek,” “Super 8,” “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol,” as well as sequels ‘Rogue Nation’ and ‘Fallout.’
On the TV side of things, the production company is just as popular and prolific with series such as “Alias,” “Lost,” “Fringe,” “Person of Interest,” and “Westworld,” just to name several.
As for WarnerMedia, the company is looking to expand its offerings to not just include the typical films and TV projects, but also to populate the upcoming streaming service HBO Max, which is launching in 2020. Like any respectable studio in the modern era, WarnerMedia is banking on the future with a streaming platform.
