Amazon-MGM Town Hall Scheduled For Tomorrow; Mike Hopkins Presages Upcoming Mesh – CB

EXCLUSIVE: We hear that Amazon Studios and Prime Video SVP Mike Hopkins despatched a heat, welcoming electronic mail to MGM staffers this morning concerning the streamer’s acquisition of the near-century previous studio, telling them that “we stay up for working with you as we create the following section of MGM’s wealthy historical past collectively.”

Whereas there’s all the time considerations of worker and divisions overlap in a merger like this, this one an $8.5 billion deal, Hopkins emphasised in his be aware that Amazon will proceed to accomplice with United Artists Releasing which is the MGM joint advertising and marketing and distribution enterprise, and that “all MGM workers will be a part of my group.”

At this time limit, there’s a city corridor scheduled for tomorrow morning, we perceive, wherein Amazon execs will outlay what’s subsequent.

“After all, we don’t have all of the solutions at the moment, however now that the deal has closed and we’re capable of shift from planning to working collectively, we’ll be collaborating with MGM leaders on the alternatives forward within the coming weeks,” reads Hopkins’ electronic mail. The exec complimented the work ethic and success of MGM’s employees, and indicated that there might be occasions within the close to future celebrating this new section of MGM. At this second, there’s some hope, we perceive, that Amazon will permit MGM to function autonomously, not like the Disney-Twentieth Century Studios merger, nevertheless, it’s nonetheless very early on this marriage.

MGM of late has turn out to be a vacation spot for filmmakers like Ridley Scott, Paul Thomas Anderson, Joe Wright and Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson who proceed to need their works on the massive display screen. Amazon in recent times has switched as much as a distribution method like Netflix’s with a restricted theatrical launch with their fare both previous or day-and-date with a film’s drop on Prime Video. Bond producer Broccoli has made it clear a number of instances that future 007 films might be made for the massive display screen, and there’s little interest in exploiting the franchise throughout another characters outdoors of the British agent. We’ve heard that Amazon isn’t desiring to make any adjustments to the Bond franchise.

As of this second, Amazon isn’t impacting MGM’s manufacturing slate or theatrical launch schedule for tasks at the moment underway. The streamer isn’t planning to make all MGM content material unique to Prime Video. Amazon is anticipated to assist theatrical releases on a case-by-case foundation.