Remember a couple of years ago when Steven Spielberg seemed like he was one of the most vocal opponents of the streaming future, dubbing Netflix films “TV movies?” Well, it’s crazy how times have changed, as it appears the iconic director has signed a massive deal with the streaming platform to produce a bunch of projects over the years to come.
According to Variety, Steven Spielberg’s Amblin has partnered up with Netflix on a new deal that will see multiple projects each year be produced by Spielberg and his company for the streaming platform. And yes, that even includes at least two feature films each year, with Spielberg potentially directing some of them, with Netflix footing the bill.
“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,” Spielberg said. “This new avenue for our films, alongside the stories we continue to tell with our longtime family at Universal and our other partners, will be incredibly fulfilling for me personally since we get to embark on it together with Ted, and I can’t wait to get started with him, Scott [Stuber, head of Netflix Original Films], and the entire Netflix team.”
While it’s completely normal to hear about big-name filmmakers hitching up with a streaming service in an exclusive deal, the fact Spielberg has done it with Netflix is just shocking. As alluded to above, back in 2019, Spielberg was the center of some controversy when he said that Netflix films were “TV movies” and they shouldn’t be considered for Oscars. He would later clarify his statements, saying that people should be given the option to watch films on whatever platform available, but he just wants movie theaters to survive.
“However, I feel people need to have the opportunity to leave the safe and familiar of their lives and go to a place where they can sit in the company of others and have a shared experience — cry together, laugh together, be afraid together — so that when it’s over they might feel a little less like strangers,” he explained at the time. “I want to see the survival of movie theaters. I want the theatrical experience to remain relevant in our culture.”
Also interesting, the fact Spielberg has chosen now to link up with Netflix is surprising for the simple fact that movie theaters are struggling in ways they didn’t dream of back in 2019. The pandemic has crippled the industry and it’s taken more than a year for us to see any sort of bounceback at the box office, with films finally earning respectable money on the big screen.
That said, this isn’t a deal that means every Spielberg film will come to Netflix. Amblin will still work with other studios, allowing for the filmmaker to make big-screen features (such as his upcoming Seth Rogen-starring semi-autobiographical film). But there now exists the chance that we could see a Spielberg-directed feature debut on Netflix. Crazy times, folks. Crazy times.