Amblin chairman Steven Spielberg, in a statement shared with media, said: “At Amblin, storytelling will forever be at the center of everything we do, and from the minute Ted [Sarandos] 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. 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, and the entire Netflix team.”
The live-action company Amblin last teamed with Netflix on “The Trial of the Chicago 7.” Spielberg was originally being circled to direct before Aaron Sorkin took on the film. Amblin shepherded the film as early as pre-production before Paramount boarded in 2019, then sold distribution rights to Netflix in 2020 due to the pandemic. Netflix and Amblin are currently collaborating on Bradley Cooper’s Leonard Bernstein film, “Maestro,” which is in pre-production. Sarandos, Netflix’s co-CEO and CCO, said: “Steven is a creative visionary and leader and, like so many others around the world, my growing up was shaped by his memorable characters and stories that have been enduring, inspiring and awakening. We cannot wait to get to work with the Amblin team and we are honored and thrilled to be part of this chapter of Steven’s cinematic history.” Amblin Partners CEO Jeff Small added, “By deepening our ties with Netflix via this new film partnership, we are building on what has for many years been an incredibly successful working relationship in both television and film. The global platform they’ve built — with more than 200 million members — speaks for itself, and we’re extremely grateful to have the opportunity to work closely with Scott and his amazing team to deliver Amblin’s iconic brand of storytelling to the Netflix audience.” Amblin’s recent track record of critical and commercial hits includes the Best Picture Oscar-winning film “Green Book” and “1917,” which won three Oscars, and grossed more than $385 million at the worldwide box office. Sign Up: Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
