Report: J.J. Abrams Has Studios in a Bidding War for a Record-Breaking Deal
J.J. Abrams is reportedly about to land the deal of a lifetime.
According to Variety, Disney, Universal, and Warner Bros. are battling it out to land a record-setting deal with the writer/director/producer.
Sources tell Variety that Abrams, whose films include "Super 8," "Star Trek," and "Star Wars: The Force Awakens," is seeking a deal that would include not just films and TV series, but also digital content, music, games, consumer products, and even theme park opportunities.
The possibilities are endless: A "Lost" theme park? An "Alias" clothing line? A "Felicity" hair salon? (Kidding.)
The winning studio is expected to shell out at least half a billion dollars to land Abrams.
Right now, Abrams' businesses are split between Paramount Pictures (home of "Star Trek") and Warner Bros. Television. Abrams' current TV productions include "Westworld" on HBO and "Castle Rock" on Hulu.
Abrams’ deal with Warner Bros. TV, which he originally signed in 2006, expires in May 2019. The Paramount deal, also from 2006, expires in March of 2020. But given the complexity of such a mega-sized deal, negotiations could take quite a while
Variety speculates that Netflix (who recently made lucrative deals with fellow creatives Ryan Murphy and Shonda Rhimes) may also be in the mix.
Stay tuned!
Abrams' is still at Disney making "Star Wars: Episode IX," which is out December 20th, 2019.
[Via Variety]