With his success on Netflix and his upcoming flirtation with HBO Max, it was only a matter of time before some streaming service signed Steven Soderbergh to an exclusive deal. Well, despite his proven track record with the former, it appears that HBO Max and HBO is going to be the future home of all Soderbergh projects for the foreseeable future.
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According to Deadline, the acclaimed filmmaker has signed a three-year agreement with WarnerMedia that serves as a first-look deal for feature films and an exclusive partnership for TV projects, which will either land at HBO Max or HBO. This deal comes on the heels of the filmmaker wrapping up work on his upcoming HBO Max film, “Let Them All Talk,” which is assumed could be an awards contender (depending on how it’s released) with an incredible cast that includes Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, Dianne Wiest, Lucas Hedges, and Gemma Chan.
“This arrangement grew out of talks Michael Sugar and I were having with Sarah Aubrey during the negotiations for ‘Let Them All Talk,’ and there were four things tractor-beaming me toward this deal: One, I have a history with both HBO and Warner Bros.; two, my definition of a good product, a good process, and a good working culture is shared by the WarnerMedia family; three, the wide range of potential outlets aligns with my range of interests, and four: I get to witness and participate in the building of something new at a very large scale. Oh, and there is a financial aspect, so that’s probably five,” said Soderbergh.
Sarah Aubrey, head of original content, HBO Max, added, “Steven is a groundbreaking filmmaker who not only tells unique, irresistible stories, but is also a master of so many genres. In many ways, he is the anti-algorithm constantly surprising, never predictable and his career is living proof that one gifted filmmaker can impact our culture again and again. I can’t wait for the projects that we’re working on together to premiere on HBO Max.”
While we know where the future projects from here on out will land, there is still one film that we are uncertain about, “Kill Switch.” We’ve reported about the upcoming film that is likely going to star Don Cheadle and Josh Brolin. We’ll just have to wait and see if this film is part of the new deal. Though it would make sense if HBO/HBO Max came in to distribute.
Also, we know that Soderbergh is working with Frankie Shaw on a new film, which he is producing. That would also presumably fall in this new deal, as well.
But for all other future Soderbergh projects, it would appear that a subscription to HBO Max is likely going to be necessary.