Apple among those in bidding war for JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot banner

“The courtship process is heating up, the one that will bring JJ Abrams and his Bad Robot banner — film, television and possibly other platforms — away from Paramount and into a big new studio deal or an independently financed alternative,” Mike Fleming Jr. and Nellie Andreeva report for Deadline.
“Sources with knowledge of the bake-off said that Universal, Disney and Warner Bros are the major studios battling it out, with Disney and Warner Bros. — which has housed Bad Robot’s TV division — considered favorites, but with Universal pulling out all the stops to win the deal,” Fleming Jr. and Andreeva report. “Apple is also an intriguing alternative, as the cash-rich company looks to make Abrams a fulcrum for its own creative content ambitions in Hollywood.”
“Interested parties were told that Abrams’ bold plans encompass major initiatives in video games via its recently launched venture Bad Robot Games, live theater and music in addition to Bad Robot’s established output in film and television,” Fleming Jr. and Andreeva report. “Apple’s tech prowess could play in its favor, and it could be a landing place for Bad Robot, though observers also do not discount a potential bid from streaming giant Netflix, or even deep-pocketed Amazon, which had been on the hunt for a mega film-TV deal with A-list talent. Word is that Sony, a traditional film-TV studio whose parent company has strong positions in electronics and gaming, also is making a play for Bad Robot.”
Read more in the full article here.
MacDailyNews Take: This one won’t come cheap. Apple already has at least one JJ Abrams project in the works, to star Jennifer Garner, but many of the other interested bidders have done or are currently doing productions with Abrams, too.
SEE ALSO:
Jennifer Garner to star in new J.J. Abrams series for Apple – December 13, 2018
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Fred Mertz” for the heads up.]