Even though he’s in the midst of directing Star Wars: Episode IX, Hollywood A-lister J.J. Abrams is certainly looking towards his future. In fact, he and his team are reportedly working on securing one of the biggest overall deals ever inked.
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According to Variety, Abrams is ready to consolidate all of his productions under one studio. Although no specific numbers were reported, the “super nova-sized” deal is said to include films, television series, digital content, music, games, consumer products, and opportunities at theme parks.
While a digital streaming service — such as Netflix or Apple — could potentially land Abrams and his company, Variety insists that only Disney and Comcast/Universal are the only two realistic options, primarily because Abrams wants to branch into theme parks and consumer products.
Though one Variety source says that Disney is in “pole position,” another insists that Universal has an upper hand because of their continued relationship with Steve Spielberg, mentor and close friend to Abrams.
Abrams and his team are reportedly asking for a certain number of “put pictures,” or a set number of guaranteed dates on a studios’ release schedule.
The Star Wars: Episode IX director currently has two signed deals in place. He’s under contract with Warner Bros. TV — a deal which expires in May — and has just over a year left on a movie agreement he entered into with Paramount. Abrams’ last film with Paramount was 2013’s Star Trek: Into Darkness.
As Star Wars: Episode IX moves further into its production, Abrams is excited to be back at the helm of a Star Wars project.
“I learned so much in that movie and I saw that this was a chance to sort of realize something that we hadn’t quite achieved – and part of that was it was simply the beginning of these new characters and their story,” Abrams explained. “The opportunity to sort of take what we had learned, to take the feeling of who these characters are and what they are and give them a final chapter that felt in the spirit of what we begun? It was too delicious of an opportunity to pass up.”
Where do you think Abrams will land? Do you think he’s better suited for Disney or Universal/Comcast? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
Episode IX will land in theaters on December 20, 2019.
