Netflix has taken another step in bolstering its movie division, signing a multi-year deal with A-list feature filmmaker Matt Reeves, who is writing and directing the next solo
Batman movie for Warner Bros. and DC.
According to Deadline, Netflix has inked a deal with Reeves' 6th & Idaho production company, giving the streaming company an exclusive first look at any feature films that Reeves wants to produce and/or direct through his studio. Reeves' 6th & Idaho has moved its deal from Fox.
Commenting on the deal, Scott Stuber, head of the film initiative at Netflix, said,
“Matt is a fantastic storyteller with a unique vision and his track record speaks for itself. At Netflix we are partnering with the best filmmakers and know that Matt and his team will bring great inventive films to our global audience. We couldn’t be more excited to welcome him to the Netflix family.”
Reeves added,
“Netflix is at the forefront of a new age in how storytellers are reaching their audience. I am incredibly excited to be working with Scott and our teams to find and create thrilling, character-centered genre stories, and to guide and nurture new filmmaking voices.”
Reeves shepherds 6th & Idaho with senior vice president Adam Kassan and director of development and Rafi Crohn. They are developing
Mouse Guard at Fox with Wes Ball directing,
The Passage at Fox Broadcasting, and
The Care and Feeding of a Pet Black Hole with Fox Animation.
Netflix is obviously hoping Reeves will become a significant contributor as the company attempts to upend the movie industry as it did with television. Netflix's first attempt at a blockbuster production was
Bright, a fantasy sci-fi drama starring Will Smith and Joel Edgerton. Though it was panned by critics, the David Ayer-directed original, written by Max Landis, has been a hit with actual Netflix subscribers (which is really all that matters). On its opening weekend,
Bright attracted 11 million viewers in the United States alone. Netflix
has already confirmed a sequel.