If you know anything about Hollywood history, you are probably aware of the many, many incarnations of United Artists studios. Founded in 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, it has been a distributor and, since 1981, a division of MGM Studios (then named MGM/UA Studios). Today, Amazon MGM Studios revealed that United Artists will live once more under a new deal with producer Scott Stuber and his yet-to-be-named financing company.
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The “new” United Artists will produce several films a year under Stuber’s label for release both theatrically and for Prime Video. It is assumed many will be co-financed or financed by his new entity. Additionally, Amazon MGM Studios says Stuber “will be involved in all projects released by the new UA.” Who makes the final decisions at the new United Artists remains to be seen.
In a statement, Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon MGM Studios noted, “With his proven track record of delivering global hits and an eye towards theatrical fare, Scott’s expertise and vision align perfectly with our film strategy. We are so proud to welcome him to our lot and partner with him on the relaunch of the legendary UA brand, as we work to leverage existing and new IP into big, broad films that resonate with worldwide audiences.”
Stuber added, “I’ve had the pleasure of working with Mike Hopkins, Jen Salke, and Courtenay Valenti over the years, and I’m thrilled to partner with them to produce a slate of films and to relaunch the iconic UA brand that has such a rich history of cinematic storytelling. During this dynamic and transformative time for our industry, I am excited to have the opportunity to work with partners who are committed to telling stories that reach and resonate with global audiences. I look forward to producing a wide range of films with great filmmakers, using both original story concepts and MGM and United Artists’ incredible library of existing IP.”
Earlier this year, Stuber walked away from Netflix where he was Chairman of Netflix Film from 2017-2024. He was responsible for the acquisition, development, and production of films such as “Red Notice,” “Bird Box,” “Hustle,” “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery;” “Leave the World Behind”; as well as Oscar winners such as Alfred Berger’s “All Quiet on the Western Front”; Guillermo del Toro’s “Pinocchio;” Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog”; Noah Baumbach’s “Marriage Story”; and Alfonso Cuaron’s “Roma.” He continually faced internal opposition to releasing Netflix movies traditionally in theaters. That will change with United Artists.
Before working at Netflix, Stuber ran his own shingle, Bluegrass Films which shepherded films such as “Ted,” “Central Intelligence” and “Safe House.” He made a name for himself as an executive at Universal Studios responsible for movies such as “A Beautiful Mind,” “Seabiscuit,” “Cinderella Man,” “Jarhead, “8 Mile,” “Meet the Parents” as well as the “Bourne” and “Fast and the Furious” franchises. He currently is producing Guillermo del Toro’s “Frankenstein” for Netflix and Scott Cooper’s Bruce Springsteen biopic, “Deliver Me From Nowhere,” for 20th Century Studios and Disney.
Over its long history, United Artists has swayed toward more prestige fare. As a label and distributor, it has released over 20 Best Picture nominees and 11 winners including “Marty” (1956), “Around the World in 80 Days” (1957), “The Apartment” (1961), “West Side Story” (1962), “Tom Jones” (1964), “In The Heat of the Night” (1967), “Midnight Cowboy” (1970), “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” (1976), “Rocky” (1977), “Annie Hall” (1978), and “Rain Man” (1989). Under the now legendary Bingham Ray, United Artists released many acclaimed indie and art house films in the early ’00s including “Ghost World,” “Nicholas Nickleby,” “Igby Goes Down,” “24 Hour Party People,” “Pieces of April,” and “Hotel Rwanda.” In 2006, Tom Cruise and his then-producing partner Paula Wagner famously jumped ship from their longtime home at Paramount to take over United Artists. Their rocky run included just two films: “Lions for Lambs” and “Valkyrie.” The label has been a shell distributor ever since. The last official solo United Artists release was “Hot Tub Time Machine 2” in 2015.
In 2017, United Artists – eventually retitled “United Artists Releasing” – was reformed as a joint venture between MGM and Annapurna Pictures to market and distribute both entities’ films. It ceased operations when Amazon acquired MGM Holdings in 2022.