Video streaming service Netflix has signed legendary director Steven Spielberg. The maker of films such as Jaws, E.T., Jurassic Park and Schindler’s List will make several films a year for Netflix with his production company Amblin Partners in the coming years.
It has not been disclosed what the streaming service will pay for this.
Spielberg spoke out against streaming services a few years ago. At the time, he thought that films that are made for streaming and therefore mainly watched on television should not be eligible for Oscars. Instead, they should run for the Emmy Awards.
Amblin makes more films than just Spielberg’s own projects. In 2018, the company was behind Green Book, the film that won the Oscar for best picture that year. A year later, the company produced a war film 1917.
It is possible that Spielberg himself will also direct films for Netflix. In his own words, after talks with fellow Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, he became convinced that together with the streaming service, he has “a great opportunity to tell new stories and reach the audience differently”.
Bringing in Spielberg is a major blow to Netflix, which faces increasing competition. Parties such as Disney and Amazon are increasingly focusing on the streaming market. The new parties also have a lot of money. As a result, more and more filmmakers are attracted.