As you may have heard, Disney is in the process of buying up 21st Century Fox for the low, low valuation of $54.2 billion. While the fallout of that deal is a long way away from being completely clear, it's possible we'll start seeing some movement of creative personnel away from Fox and onto other pursuits in the meantime. If nothing else, the uncertainty around this deal suggests that it'd be in the best interests of Fox folks, and specifically those who have their own deals with the studio, to keep an eye open for other opportunities. So is it a coincidence that Matt Reeves has just signed a first-look deal with Netflix, or is it a sign of more change to come?
Variety reports that Reeves, whose previous partnership through his 6th & Idaho banner was set up at Fox, has now signed a similar deal with the streaming content giant. Now Reeves wasn't exactly a mainstay over at Fox, though his franchise films Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and War for the Planet of the Apes did quite well for the company. He's currently on tap for The Batman, which is obviously set up over at Warner Bros., but Reeves' production company still has a number of projects tied to Fox properties, namely Mouse Guard with Wes Ball tapped to direct and The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole set up through Fox Animation.
Here's what Netflix's Scott Stuber, head of the film initiative, had to say about the deal in a statement:
“Matt is a fantastic storyteller with a unique vision and his track record speaks for itself. At Netflix, we are partnering with the best filmmakers and know that Matt and his team will bring great, inventive films to our global audience. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the Netflix family.”
Reeves followed up:
“Netflix is at the forefront of a new age in how storytellers are reaching their audience. I am incredibly excited to be working with Scott and our teams to find and create thrilling, character-centered genre stories, and to guide and nurture new filmmaking voices.”
Stay tuned for more as we hear it!
