The Hot Blog: Spielberg's Wished

November 28, 2005

Spielberg's Wished

I sat on Laura Holson’s story on the value of Steven Spielberg on Sunday night because I found it frustrating that it didn’t seem to have any answers to its central premise. It also seemed rather confused about how Spielberg has done business and why, both in and before the DreamWorks era. When she writes that the Men In Black deal “helped compound the trend of Mr. Spielberg's being tied to companies all over Hollywood, with a finger in dozens of prospective films,” one has to wonder whether even Steven Spielberg’s personal decisions have to be spun into a trend story.

Amblin was a major product producer for years before DreamWorks happened. Starting with Exec Producing the first two Bob Zemeckis/Bob Gale movies starting all the way back in 1978, the Amblin empire has been at the center of Hollywood’s commercial future. Spielberg essentially launched Zemeckis, Chris Columbus, Kevin Reynolds, Joe Dante, Phil Joanou, and Brad Silberling into mainstream Hollywood. He has also brought Mimi Leder to film, brought Frank Marshall into the director’s chair and gave John Patrick Shanley a chance to break out of theater. He supported projects by veterans, from Tobe Hooper to Dick Donner to Gary David Goldberg to Matthew Robbins to Dick Benjamin to Don Bluth to Scorsese.

This was all before DreamWorks was a glimmer in SK&G’s eyes.

But more importantly, the suggestion that Spielberg “directs around” is really a bit simplistic. There was a period, from Twilight Zone: The Movie in 1983 through Always in 1989 in which Spielberg worked primarily for his friend Steve Ross at Warner Bros, who died in 1988. Spielberg would direct for WB again with A.I., but that project was Kubrick’s, so it was already ensconced at WB.

But Universal had been home to Spielberg for most of the pre-DreamWorks period. It is worth noting that Munich is the first Spielberg picture that has been developed and co-produced with Universal since the start of DreamWorks. Spielberg has made only 7 films during the DreamWorks era. Amistad, Catch Me If You Can and The Terminal were the only ones financed by DreamWorks without a studio partner. A.I. (via Kubrick), War of the Worlds (via Cruise) and Minority Report (owned by Fox) were both set up at other studios before Spielberg came onboard and as far as I know, were primarily financed by their releasing studios, though DreamWorks came on as partner. Munich is the first homegrown film that Spielberg directed for DreamWorks that was split with another studio.

It’s worth noting that the next DreamWorks project that will go in front of the cameras, Geffen’s passion project, Dreamgirls, will also be split, this time at Paramount, after Geffen’s former producing home base, Warner Bros, turned a split down. This tells us a little something about the situation at all three studios. Had the GE/NBC/Universal/DreamWorks deal been done in September, the partner would likely have been Universal. But alas, no.

Anyway… between Steve Ross’ WB, the DreamWorks era, and Universal, you’re looking at 18 of Spielberg’s films. He also made Close Encounters of the Third Kind for Columbia – then considered to be a massive risk on a director with one commercial hit to his name – and Hook for the former-era Tri-Star, coming on for a massive piece of the gross, in one of the first deals where roughly a third of the gross was committed to talent.

And finally, you have the three Indiana Jones movies, which were set up at Paramount by Exec Producer George Lucas from the start.

In a period in the film business where such a high percentage of expensive films split costs between studios or foreign funders, the idea that Spielberg is “roaming” is kind of antiquated. He will never accept being forced by contract not to do a project he wants to do. But there really hasn’t been a project where he/DreamWorks was not able to pony up cash for partial ownership. Paramount will not seek partners on Indiana Jones… but Universal would not be out looking for partners on any Jurassic sequels either. From a business position, this is a non-issue.

But getting back to the value of Spielberg…

DreamWorks has really limited his output. The animation work that Amblin was doing has been supplanted by Katzenberg’s DreamWorks Animation. Spielberg’s other interests in TV have mostly come down to cable mini-series, like Band of Brothers, Taken and Into The West and personal projects, like The Last Days. These have all been acclaimed, but none have been the cash cow that something like Animaniacs or the American Tail series were for Amblin.

Essentially, after taking years off after Saving Private Ryan to help build DreamWorks and ultimately deciding not to build a physical studio, Spielberg has been on a directing tear, making more than one film a year.

And that is the rub on Spielberg’s value. At 58, what does he want to be doing with the last active decades of his working life? He really hasn’t launched another directing career since Silberling, more than a decade ago. (Spielberg's interests are maturing, as would be appropriate.

He has connections to a lot of projects that will still be sequeled, remade, TVed, etc. But what he owns personally and through pre-DreamWorks Amblin, he owns. And none of us know what his library arrangement with DreamWorks is. Amblin is on all of his movies as director, so how much of the film goes to Amblin and not DW is not clear from here.

As a director, Universal can certainly own first right of refusal on funding his projects. But that is only as good as their interest in financing his projects. The reason that he didn’t direct Memoirs of A Geisha for DreamWorks was that his own studio very publicly passed on the project, which is how it ended up at the then Calley-ed Columbia.

I would guess – my guess – that the non-specific value of Spielberg and DreamWorks is what has been the biggest sticking point in GE negotiations. Geffen, who has been lead negotiator, wants to get real value and perceived value. Ron Meyer might be willing to go there. But General Electric most certainly is not. Universal can certainly have the rights with Spielberg that DreamWorks has now. But the determination of what makes sense fiscally will remain on a film-by-film basis.

In today’s Hollywood, you have to pay to play. And there are no studios that are making the kind of commitment to talent that they did ten and twenty years ago. Just this season, you have Jim Mangold, who was born of Columbia, having to go to Fox with Walk The Line. You have Michael London having to take his Family Stone to big Fox after Searchlight (and many others) passed. You have Spielberg splitting costs on Munich with his Schindler’s List financer, Universal. You have Capote made by UA and released by Sony Classics. Etcetera. The only show of overt, stable loyalty is Ang Lee making Brokeback Mountain for Jim Schamus. And that’s a comparably tiny budget.

There is no “Spielberg Magic,” because the industry is a lot less about magic than it once was. There is "only" the best known director in the world today, who works his ass off, understands populist filmmaking (though he seems more resistant to it lately), and has become a lot less the impresario in this last decade.

How much will Universal commit to fund a slate at a dependent DreamWorks? How much of a premium will they pay for first refusal with Spielberg? How much is the library worth? How indulgent is G.E. willing to be of duplicative staff in the form of DreamWorks maintaining some of its marketing and distribution staff?

These are the questions that need answering. Magic? I wish.

Posted by poland at November 28, 2005 12:44 PM

Comments

It should be noted that the only true 'blockbuster' Spielberg has directed in the SKG era was War of the Worlds. And even that was hardly a popcorn movie. He doesn't seem interested anymore in making movies solely for profit. Though he knows the terrain well enough that he can still pull $100-million out of smaller, edgier fare. His films will continue to be profitable, but I would be surprised to see him chasing after the big one again.

Posted by: mutinyco at November 28, 2005 01:21 PM

I'll bet him making the decision of turning down Harry Potter and Spiderman will be seen as his lack of interest in blockbusters for the rest of his career. I'm not saying he's the "right" director for those movies, but each of those would have been a personal fortune for him had he said yes.

And I don't think he wants to make Indy IV anymore. He might reluctantly do it, but I don't think his heart would be in it.

Most aspiring filmmakers, like myself, have a love/hate relationship with Senor Spielberg. We all wish he keeps doing great things.

Posted by: Hopscotch at November 28, 2005 01:44 PM

You have to pay for talent. And Spielberg is certainly worth the investment.

My thought back when they created Dreamworks was that Spielberg would concentrate everything he did with that company. And that hasn't been the case.

Posted by: Mark Ziegler at November 28, 2005 02:36 PM

I'm just stoked he loves to work. What movie lover can complain about his output lately?

Posted by: PandaBear at November 28, 2005 02:39 PM

Dreamworks needed a studio lot. They should have realized that from Day 1.

Posted by: Angelus21 at November 28, 2005 02:52 PM

^ They did. That's why they were deeply involved in the failed Playa Del Rey development.

Posted by: Wrecktum at November 28, 2005 03:02 PM

They should have had it secured before they started. Would have cured a lot of ills for them.

Posted by: Angelus21 at November 28, 2005 03:20 PM

I don't disagree.

Posted by: Wrecktum at November 28, 2005 03:25 PM

Spielberg. The man is an industry.

Posted by: joefitz84 at November 28, 2005 03:30 PM

Stvn Splbrg did more than "bring Mimi Leder to film". She was the director for the first DreamWorks release, "The Peacemaker", back in the fall of '97.

Two corrections:

(1) Steve Ross became co-chairman of the merged Time Warner in 1989 when Warner Communications merged with Time Inc. He died in 1991.

(2) "Capote" was released by Sony Pictures Classics because United Artists' parent company (MGM) was acquired by Sony.

Posted by: Chucky in Jersey at November 28, 2005 05:16 PM

Bringing Mimi Leder was a good thing?

Posted by: Josh at November 28, 2005 05:19 PM

Well, yeah, if you believe in the concept of "Pay It Forward." :-D

Posted by: Cadavra at November 28, 2005 09:44 PM

We'll know someone has succeeded Spielberg when this article is written about them.

Posted by: Blackcloud at November 28, 2005 10:00 PM

I'm not sure what you are correcting, Chucky.

According to where I found it, he died where I wrote. But willing to concede and will check again. Still, he was WB in the Spielberg period.

I know why SPC has Capote, but that was kind of the point.

Posted by: David Poland at November 28, 2005 11:29 PM

According to Wikipedia, Steve Ross died in 1992. You're both wrong, ha ha ha.

Posted by: jeffmcm at November 28, 2005 11:52 PM

I forgot where Chucky was the editor. Ha.

Posted by: Terence D at November 29, 2005 08:12 AM

Spielberg is the best "known" director today? Are you saying that there's someone you think is better than few know of? Who?

Posted by: mysteryperfecta at November 29, 2005 11:06 AM

Well, who is better than Spielberg working today?

David Lean? He's unavailable.

Posted by: BluStealer at November 29, 2005 01:00 PM

At the present time, there are quite a few directors bringing out better work. He doesn't seem to have a groove right now.

How Spielberg Got His Groove Back will be a box office hit.

Posted by: KamikazeCamelV2.0 at November 30, 2005 12:14 AM

The Hot Blog

November 28, 2005

Spielberg's Wished

Comments

Post a comment