Earlier this month, a hot newsci-fiproject came on the market entitledBright, which hasWill SmithandJoel Edgertonattached to star andDavid Ayer(Suicide Squad) directing from a script byMax Landis(American Ultra). That report revealed that Warner Bros. would be the likely home for this project, and that they want to get production started this year soWill SmithandDavid Ayercould reunite again forSuicide Squad 2. As it turns out, the project sparked a massive bidding war, and Netflix emerged as the winner, withDeadlinereporting that the streaming service will be committing $90 million to the project, which includes a whopping $3 million forMax Landis' script alone, the largest spec script deal in several years.
The report reveals that the movie itself will cost just $45 million to shoot, with the rest ofNetflix’s $90 million commitment likely going towards talent fees and securing their back-end payments. While it’s possible that the movie could have a limitedtheatrical release, like last year’sBeasts of No Nation, Netflix’s model eliminates back-end residuals. The streaming service paid just a third ofBright’s $90 million for their new movieWar Machine, starringBrad Pitt.
Netflix’s acquisition ends a two-week bidding war, which saw Warner Bros. team up with MGM, who were willing to pay up to $50 million for the project. Kevin Scott Frakes' PalmStar offered $4 million forMax Landis' script and a total commitment of $60 million, with both companies wanting to makeBrightas a traditional theatrical feature.David AyerandMax Landisare also producing withEric Newmanand Bryan Unkeless.
The story is said to be similar toDavid Ayer’s 2012 cop thrillerEnd of Watch, but it’s set in a world where Orcs and fairies live alongside humans.Productionis scheduled to begin this fall in Los Angeles. The location was important to the director, since he has filmedEnd of Watch,Training Day(which he wrote the screenplay for),Harsh TimesandStreet Kingsin the City of Angels. No release date has been given at this time, but we’ll keep you posted with more updates.
Will SmithandDavid Ayer’sSuicide Squadhits theaters in August, with the actor and director expected to shoot Suicide Squad 2 sometime in 2017.Will Smithis currently shooting Warner Bros.‘Collateral BeautyalongsideEdward NortonandKeira Knightley, which is set for release on December 16. What do you think about Netflix shelling out $90 million to produceBright?
