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MGM sets sights on more television series in the coming years
MGM is repositioning itself with a focus on developing properties aimed at television, according to a new interview with co-chief executives Gary Barber and Roger Birnbaum in the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20111226-702990.html"; target="_blank">Wall Street Journal</a>.
As part of the restructuring phase after the financial debacle last year, MGM has cut its staff from 450 to 300 and laid off 17 of its 20 lawyers.
"The culture was, from our point of view, way off-base," Mr. Birnbaum said. "In every area of this company, we're going to run things differently now."
The new television division, headed by Roma Khanna, is aiming to develop "two to three new series a year". MGM is developing original concepts and mining for source material amid the company's vast library of more than 4,000 film titles and 10,500 television episodes.
According to the WSJ, currently in development are "series based on 'The Silence of the Lambs' character Clarice Starling, the FBI trainee played on film by Jodie Foster, and on the Coen brothers' black comedy 'Fargo.'"
Its films are now being produced through co-financing deals that hand off to other studios the labor-intensive work of theatrical distribution. A five-year agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment requires Sony to offer MGM the opportunity to cofinance several of its films a year (MGM declined to specify how many), and gives Sony the right of first refusal on films for which MGM is seeking a cofinancing partner.
Sony and MGM sealed the deal last year for Bond 23 ("Skyfall") and Bond 24.
As part of the restructuring phase after the financial debacle last year, MGM has cut its staff from 450 to 300 and laid off 17 of its 20 lawyers.
"The culture was, from our point of view, way off-base," Mr. Birnbaum said. "In every area of this company, we're going to run things differently now."
The new television division, headed by Roma Khanna, is aiming to develop "two to three new series a year". MGM is developing original concepts and mining for source material amid the company's vast library of more than 4,000 film titles and 10,500 television episodes.
According to the WSJ, currently in development are "series based on 'The Silence of the Lambs' character Clarice Starling, the FBI trainee played on film by Jodie Foster, and on the Coen brothers' black comedy 'Fargo.'"
Its films are now being produced through co-financing deals that hand off to other studios the labor-intensive work of theatrical distribution. A five-year agreement with Sony Pictures Entertainment requires Sony to offer MGM the opportunity to cofinance several of its films a year (MGM declined to specify how many), and gives Sony the right of first refusal on films for which MGM is seeking a cofinancing partner.
Sony and MGM sealed the deal last year for Bond 23 ("Skyfall") and Bond 24.
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Comments
please no... he's not ready to be delegated down to television sitcom yet.
But Bond's place has always been the cinema, and thats where he should stay.... if his adventures were produced in a more episodic way, then maybe i could see you're point.. but even still, i don't personally wish for Bond go anywhere but the big screen
the golden sixties are gone forever, and never returning - thats just your nostalgia talking ;) ...... but that line still perplexes me - you would and haved wished that Bond never were on the big screen? - but rather turned into a TV serial?
Well, of course I wouldn't pull Bond out of the cinematic realm. ;-) I do however dream about a TV series that comprises faithful adaptations of Fleming's books, set in their original time periods, with one book every two episodes or something like that. Films can plan out new stuff but I'm afraid that if we're ever to see a true rendition of MR or DAF or whatnot, such a TV series is the only way to go. Of course I'm aware of certain practical difficulties to overcome, such as: who's going to play Bond? ;-)
anyway we're more likely to see silverfin,blood fever ect. as a james bond TV show.
Would a James Bond TV Show be good?
Would devalue a priceless franchise which i love dearly. And you can bet the scripts will not carefully worked on. Although i know some film scripts could have been better. Atleast they took their time on them.
TV scripts they want churned out like yesterday and if they did and it was a flop? People would laugh at it and jeapordise the movie version!