UPDATED: Amazon MGM has confirmed the hiring of Scott Stuber. Find their press release below.
PREVIOUSLY, 7:55 a.m. PT:Former Netflix Film president and Universal vice chairman Scott Stuber is nearing a deal to relaunch United Artists under the Amazon MGM umbrella, sources said.
Stuber left in January, but he stuck around for a bit to help smooth the transition that led to former Warner Bros. executive Dan Lin taking the reins of the film at the streamer. Stuber was set to start his own company, and Deadline has revealed that his first project will be Deliver Me From Nowhere. That’s the Scott Cooper-directed film that will star Emmy winner Jeremy Allen White of The Bear as Bruce Springsteen. The film tells the story of how the singer climbed out of the depths of depression by writing and recording his seminal album Nebraska. David Greenbaum and Steve Asbell of 20th Century won the film in a fierce competition, and Stuber is producing with Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Eric Robinson of Gotham Group.
United Artists is a storied brand that boasts everything from Apocalypse Now to 12 Angry Men to The Good, the Bad and the Ugly, but not much of late. Seeing the label reborn under an ambitious, talent-friendly executive like Stuber would be welcome news for a film industry still struggling to get back on its feet after last year’s double strikes. He now has the means to revive the most famous movie studio and restore its luster through theatrical releases. The last time anyone tried to revive UA was when Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner revived the label, but it declined after a few underperforming films and Cruise’s need to reestablish his star.
Stuber helped make Netflix a filmmaker-friendly place, but it was clear that the streaming service’s consistent strategy of eschewing traditional theatrical releases with P&A spending to instead produce films for its global paying subscribers was hurting it. The films he oversaw range from Red Notice to Bird Box, Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery, All Quiet on the Western Front, Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio, The Adam Project, The Gray Man, The Power of the Dog, The Irishman and many others, including Marriage Story and Roma.
Prior to Netflix, Stuber ran Bluegrass Films and produced Ted, Central Intelligence, and Safe House, among others. He built strong talent relationships before that at Universal Studios, where he was vice president of worldwide production, overseeing films such as A Beautiful Mind, Seabiscuit, Cincerella Man, Jarhead, 8 Mile, Meet the Parents, and the Bourne Identity and Fast and Furious franchises. More than 20 of the films he oversaw there have grossed more than $100 million at the U.S. box office.
Here is the press release that has just been published:
AMAZON MGM STUDIOS ANNOUNCES FILM PARTNERSHIP WITH SCOTT STUBER
TO RELAUNCH UNITED ARTISTS AND FINANCE FILMS IN THEATERS AND STREAMINGCULVER CITY, Calif. — July 26, 2024 — Today, Amazon MGM Studios announced a sweeping, multi-year film partnership with Scott Stuber to finance and distribute his new production company’s films and relaunch the historic United Artists label. The agreement will see Stuber and his soon-to-be-launched company produce multiple films per year under the iconic United Artists (UA) label for theatrical release and Prime Video.
The deal with Stuber’s new entity, which will be based on Amazon MGM Studios’ Culver City lot, also includes a first-look deal with Amazon MGM Studios. Additionally, Stuber will be involved in all projects launched by the new UA.
“With his proven track record of producing blockbuster films globally and his focus on theatrical releases, Scott’s expertise and vision align perfectly with our film strategy,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios. “We are very proud to welcome him on board and partner with him to relaunch the legendary UA brand as we work to leverage existing and new IP into major, wide-release films that resonate with global audiences.”
“I have had the pleasure of working with Mike Hopkins, Jen Salke and Courtenay Valenti over the years, and I am thrilled to partner with them to produce a series of films and relaunch the iconic UA brand that has such a rich history of cinematic storytelling,” said Scott Stuber. “During this dynamic and transformative time for our industry, I am excited to have the opportunity to work with partners who are committed to telling stories that touch and resonate with global audiences. I look forward to producing a broad range of films with great filmmakers, utilizing both original story concepts and the incredible library of existing intellectual property from MGM and United Artists.”
Stuber’s arrival continues Amazon MGM Studios’ momentum in the film business. This year, the studio released two of its biggest streaming hits with Road House and The Idea of You. Jake Gyllenhaal’s reimagining of the ’80s cult classic, for which a sequel is currently in the works, drew a record-breaking nearly 80 million viewers worldwide in just under two months on Prime Video and ranks as the studio’s most-watched debut film globally. Meanwhile, the romantic comedy The Idea of You , led by Anne Hathaway and Nicholas Galitzine, drew nearly 50 million viewers worldwide in its first two weeks on the service, becoming the studio’s first romantic comedy film debut of all time.
In theaters, Amazon MGM Studios earlier this year released the action thriller The Beekeeper, which grossed over $150 million at the global box office, in addition to the blockbuster films Challengers and American Fiction, the latter of which received five Oscar nominations and a win for Best Adapted Screenplay. Additionally, at CinemaCon, the studio previewed its robust upcoming slate, with theatrical releases slated for My Old Ass, Blink Twice, The Nickel Boys, Red One, The Fire Inside, Levon’s Trade, Mercy, Crime 101, After the Hunt and Project Hail Mary.
Launched in 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, DW Griffith, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, United Artists (UA) began as a production and distribution company with the idea of giving actors control over their own financial and creative interests. UA grew into a revered brand that was acquired by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM) in 1981. The brand’s revival is representative of Amazon MGM Studios’ belief in the power of storytelling and the studio’s commitment to empowering the entire creative community.
Scott Stuber served as President of Netflix Film from 2017 to 2024. Known for transforming Netflix’s vast film slate, he oversaw the acquisition, development or production of Netflix’s biggest and most beloved films, including Red Notice (the most popular Netflix film of all time); Bird Box; Hustle; Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery; Oscar® and BAFTA winner All Quiet on the Western Front; Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar® and BAFTA winner Pinocchio; The Adam Project; The Gray Man; Oscar® and BAFTA winner The Power of the Dog; Don’t Look Up; Martin Scorsese’s The Irishman; Sam Esmail’s Leave the World Behind; Oscar® winner Marriage Story; and Oscar® winner ROMA.
His deep ties to the creative community and decades of experience producing commercially successful and acclaimed films have brought Netflix into contact with some of the industry’s top talent and filmmakers, including Alfonso Cuarón, Spike Lee, Greta Gerwig, Noah Baumbach, Guillermo del Toro, Martin Scorsese, Shawn Levy and Jane Campion.
Under Stuber’s leadership, Netflix has been the most nominated studio at the Oscars for three consecutive years (2020, 2021, 2022). Stuber is currently producing Guillermo del Toro’s Frankenstein for Netflix and Scott Cooper’s Bruce Springsteen film Deliver Me From Nowhere for 20th Century Studios and Disney.
Prior to joining Netflix, Stuber founded and led Bluegrass Films, which produced such blockbuster films as Ted, Central Intelligence, and Safe House, among others. A former vice president of worldwide production at Universal Studios, he has been responsible for numerous critically acclaimed, award-winning, and commercially successful films, including A Beautiful Mind, Seabiscuit, Cinderella Man, Jarhead, 8 Mile, Meet the Parents and its sequels, as well as the Bourne and Fast and the Furious franchises. More than 20 of the films he has overseen have grossed over $100 million at the U.S. box office.