Nobody Wants This

By: Dominic La-Viola

The title of one of their popular shows is also very much relevant to their current business transaction. 

It appears that no one wants Netflix to buy WB. All three major unions— the Writers Guild, the Directors Guild, and SAG— are concerned with Netflix buying WB. 

All three of them have released statements about the buyout, yet as of now. Only the Directors Guild has made an effort to do something. 

Christopher Nolan, the legendary, modern  director, who is the head of the DGA, has a meeting with Netflix to discuss their future plans after the buyout.

Which, given his history and stance on cinema and the theater experience, makes Nolan without question the right guy for the job. 

Christopher Nolan, a director who worked with WB for over 20 years, famously left to go partner with another studio. All over the window in which movies went from theater to streaming.

Now it’s all speculation on what he can really do. I mean, the DGA is a rather large organization, which most of the working directors belong to. 

Speculation would lead us to believe that he possibly could run a strike, for no director in the guild to work with Netflix if they didn’t play ball. Although, I’m not sure he would. 

During the writing strike, a lot of writers who weren’t in the guild used it as an opportunity to try and break into the industry. Only to be blacklisted by not only the guild but all its members after the strike was over.  

Of course, this is all speculation, although I could see there being a real divide in Hollywood. For there is already immense distress over this buyout. 

Could this be enough to see a huge shift in what production companies and talent work with Netflix in the future? 

Could this be the breaking point, separating movie stars and TV stars once again? Closing that cross-platform stream that has been flowing for the past few years.  

With this news just breaking and no real details yet in writing. It’s too soon to say anything for certain. 

Other than the fact that it was  Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos who made these statements. 

“BARBIE and OPPENHEIMER would have been just as big on Netflix.”

“There’s no reason to believe that the movie itself is better in any size of screen.”

Should without question be removed from his position. For clearly he has no idea what he’s talking about. 

He is the  Barry Lapidus of Netflix. For those who don’t know who Barry Lapidus is. He’s the person who almost cost Paramount Pictures “The Godfather”. 

He was a financial adviser for Charles Bludorn, who was the majority shareholder and owner of the studio at the time.

But thanks to Robert Evans, the head of the studio at the time, he fought back. Convincing Bludorn not to listen to the finance guys. That he knew what the people wanted. That like “Love Story” and “The Godfather” was going to be a monster hit. 

With that being said, if history  has taught us anything. He was right and the suits, as Billy Walsh would call them, don’t know anything about movies, only spreadsheets and numbers. “The Godfather” is a classic and historical film, that almost didn’t happen.