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In a competitive auction against four other studios and streamers, Amazon Studios emerged victorious for a Julia Roberts and Jennifer Aniston comedy project. The writer and director of the nameless body-swap comedy, Max Barbakow, gave a sneak preview of it last week. Together with Roberts and her Red Om Productions label, Aniston’s Echo Pictures, and Barbakow, LuckyChap Entertainment, the production company founded by Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, and Josey McNamara, will produce the movie. The comedy PalmSprings starring Andy Samberg and Kristin Milioti, which Neon and Hulu won at Sundance for a then-record festival fee, is what most people know him for. Based on his initial pitch, the comedy was created.
After the unexpected movie office hit comedy Entry ticket to paradise, which starred Julia Roberts and George Clooney, the desire for a two-handed star vehicle fades. This indicates an increasing tendency for Amazon to expand its movie slate, according to Jennifer Salke and Julie Rapaport, head of movies at Amazon.
Amazon battled for Sundance’s hottest film, Flora and Son, and won the auction for Red shirt, a Simon Kinberg screenplay starring Channing Tatum for director David Leitch. Earlier, the Nicholas Stoller-led wedding comedy starring Reese Witherspoon and Will Ferrell was the title Amazon was competing for.
CAA handled the auction, and it’s further proof that star packs, which can be quickly tracked and slotted into release schedules, are the best way to achieve the highest price. By the time the Roberts and Aniston comedy gets filmed, I’m told every actress will hit a payday high-water mark, including salary and backend buyout.
