Steven Spielberg's production company, Amblin Partners, has entered into an unlikely deal to distribute films through Netflix, the two companies announced Monday.
It's not clear as to how many movies and TV shows will be provided to Netflix by Amblin, which also has an output deal with Comcast-owned Universal Pictures.
Three years ago, Spielberg was a vocal critic when Netflix sought--and achieved--Oscar consideration for motion picture Roma, lobbying the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences to deem Netflix content as TV, not film.
Earlier this year, however, Amblin film The Trial of the Chicago Seven was nominated by the Academy for Best Picture after debuting on Netflix.
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“At Amblin, storytelling will forever be at the center of everything we do, and from the minute Ted and I started discussing a partnership, it was abundantly clear that we had an amazing opportunity to tell new stories together and reach audiences in new ways," Spielberg said in a statement. "This new avenue for our films, alongside the stories we continue to tell with our longtime family at Universal and our other partners, will be incredibly fulfilling for me personally since we get to embark on it together with Ted, and I can’t wait to get started with him, Scott, and the entire Netflix team.”
Netflix Co-CEO and chief content officer Sarandos called Spielberg “a creative visionary and leader and, like so many others around the world, my growing up was shaped by his memorable characters and stories that have been enduring, inspiring and awakening. We cannot wait to get to work with the Amblin team and we are honored and thrilled to be part of this chapter of Steven’s cinematic history.”
