So we have an update surrounding the situation between filmmakers like Christopher Nolan
and Warner Bros, with a new article from The Hollywood Reporter.
With filmmakers and actors previously talking about the way Warner Bros have treated them
and gave less communication during controversial announcements, this new
information is something that gives more light on all the issues.
I'm going to be addressing this article and explaining why it may have been pivotal towards
the recent news that Christopher Nolan is thinking
of parting ways with the studio.
But before I get into it, if you want to see more updates and videos on the work of directors
like Christopher Nolan, Denis Villeneuve and Zack Snyder, then don't forget to subscribe
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But without further ado, let's dive into the newest update on Warner Brothers and where
it leaves filmmakers like Christopher Nolan.
So in the latest article on The Hollywood Reporter, we get a possible indicator towards
why Christopher Nolan may be leaving the studio and why the other issues with other filmmakers
have escalated over the last few months.
It's important to note at the start of this video, that Christopher Nolan has currently
not left Warner Bros, and the recent reports on the director mainly
claim that it's been a decision he is thinking about taking.
He said in his own words that he will not make his next movie
with them, but this of course due to the decision they were making with putting many of their
films on HBO Max.
But let's get to what was said in this latest article.
It says that "it's been a challenging several months for warner bros, in particular for
Toby Emmerich.
As The Hollywood Reporter previously reported, Emmerich, along with COO Carolyn Blackwood,
were key players in warners surprise December move to put the studios entire 2021 slate
of films on the HBO Max streaming service the same day they open in theatres.
The studio faced backlash, including rebukes from directors Christopher Nolan and Denis
Villeneuve.
Sources say Warners wrote big checks to some of those who had movies affected by the decision,
such as Denzel Washington and Keanu Reeves.
For some talent reps, resentment lingers.
One agent with important movie clients says that when he challenged
Emmerich about the move, his answer was 'Are we supposed to have called above-the-line
people from 17 movies?'
The answer is yes".
It goes on to say in the article that "in explaining the decision, Warners said its
analysis was that theatres could not open meaningfully before the end of 2021.
Not even two weeks later, the first vaccine shipments went out in the US.
In April, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar told Peter Kafka that certain 2022 movies will
have an exclusive theatrical window and Cineworld said the studio had struck a deal to show
certain films exclusively in theatres for 45 days before streaming, though the terms
of that agreement are not clear.
Kilar called the situation bumpy and said, 'If I had the chance to do it over again,
I think it's very fair to say that we would have taken a couple more days to see if we
could have had more conversations than we were able to have'.
The Hollywood reporter then highlighted that it's not clear that
the studio had conversations with any of its creative partners".
And of course, the main players at Warner Bros are also concerned about the performance
of the studio’s important DC movies.
Warners had also faced negative publicity from the studio’s response to Joss Whedon’s
alleged behaviour on the set of Justice League, with stars including Ray Fisher, Gal Gadot
and Jason Momoa, stating publicly that there were issues during Whedon’s time on the
film.
The March release of the Snyder version renewed attention to the issues, with Fisher, who
played Cyborg in the film, continuing to allege abusive conduct on the project and accusing
the studio of not seriously investigating his claims (which WarnerMedia denies).
What this article brings to light, is that Toby Emmerich
and other executives were key players behind all of these issues, including of course the
one between Christopher Nolan and the studio on the streaming situation.
It's noted in the article that with 18 months left on his contract, Warner's film studio
chairman Toby Emmerich is exploring new job opportunities?
While it is far from clear that Emmerich will leave the studio after more than 20 years,
sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that David Geffen in recent weeks placed a call to Netflix
co-CEO Ted Sarandos to inquire whether there might be a possible role for Emmerich at Netflix.
So what does this all suggest?
Well, it seems that a lot of the controversial decisions that were made seem to stem from
Toby Emmerich and a few of the higher-ups at
Warner Brothers and the decisions have resulted in Nolan wanting to leave and other filmmakers
like Denis Villeneuve and Zack Snyder, speaking out about their connected and also separate
issues with the studio.
Now it seems like Emmerich wants to get a new job amongst all the heat he's been facing.
This could also mean that Zack Snyder may have another chance at Restoring
the Snyderverse if he leaves and Nolan might likely stay at the studio.
But again, this hasn't happened yet and all the issues between the studio and the creatives
haven't been fixed overnight.
After all, it's not just Toby Emmerich who filmmakers are unhappy with surrounding the
recent decisions, and the leave of one executive isn't going to fix the problems at Warner
Bros.
These decisions came under multiple people as the article suggests and
it's likely that the route they are heading in now is one they are going to stick to.
If that happens, which it is currently likely to, then we will most probably
see Christopher Nolan leave them officially and other filmmakers will follow suit.
Quite frankly, I'm extremely disappointed in warner brothers recently and the fact
that they haven't clearly apologised for how they treated the creatives, big and small
during the decisions they made, is another reason why they are losing their
biggest filmmakers.
Putting aside all the business reasons towards why what they have done is wrong aside, which
I have discussed in previous videos, the ethical reasons
are ones that really highlight the miscommunication and ridiculous decisions overall.
It's sad to see what was known as the studio that was for the filmmakers drop this
low and with them even putting Tenet on HBO Max recently, without Nolan's consent, it's
just another reason to add to the list of why Warner Bros are pushing the best
creatives to other studios.
But that was all the latest updates on what has been going on at Warner Bros and it looks
to be going in a bad direction for the studio.
Again, Christopher Nolan has not officially left Warner Brothers, but if
things continue to escalate and the studio continues to go in the direction they are
headed in, then they will likely lose him.
I will be keeping you up to date on this and it will be interesting to see what happens
in the coming months.
But regardless of the latest article and what I
think, let me know down below what your opinion is towards the issues between Warner Brothers
and their filmmakers, along with what studio you think Nolan will end up
working with, if he did leave the studio in the future.
For more updates and content on the work of directors like Christopher Nolan, then don't
forget to subscribe to the channel and turn on your notifications.
Also if you enjoyed this video remember to leave a like rating.
But anyway I hope you guys enjoyed it, I've been Cortex and as always make some noise.