Amazon seems to have the funds and means to make themselves on par with not only their streaming competitor Netflix but also every other independent studio in Hollywood right now, and with their power it looks like they’re going down the auteur route. In addition to producing Spike Lee‘s next “joint” TV show, they have also inked deals on the next projects from directors Terry Gilliam and Jim Jarmusch.
Deadline broke the story, but it was the astute eyes over at The Playlist found the scoop buried in their report. Amazon has yet to confirm what projects the filmmakers have signed onto with their banner, so to figure out what’s in the works one has to rely solely on what each filmmaker announced previously.
Although Gilliam expressed interest in making a steampunk version of 1984 in recent history, it would seem this is mostly likely the very, very, very delayed passion project The Man Who Killed Don Quixote. The main reason for him making the other film was just because he couldn’t put together the Lost in La Mancha inspiration, so it’s hard to believe he’d use this golden ticket for his second choice project. Among other factors, funding has kept Gilliam at bay on realizing the movie in recent years. So if he can get secure support from the streaming site, then it would seem to be a no-brainer for him to make the movie a reality…finally. Last anyone’s heard of the film, Jack O’Connell was slated to frontline Gilliam’s, at least, seventh attempt at the film.
With Jarmusch, however, the only logical choice from what we’ve heard would be his recently announced project about a poet and bus driver in New Jersey. He has the screenplay written and ready, and he announced in February how he’s gearing up to shoot soon in New York and New Jersey. So unless Amazon has first-rights to his work after this film, this is probably what Jarmusch and the book site are cooking up together.
While Amazon is not exactly making friends with Hollywood executives across town, they’re at least helping established auteurs realize their latest visions, and that’s pretty commendable. That is, if they can live up to the project. I enjoyed Gilliam’s The Zero Theorem more than most last year, but I’ll be the first to admit it’s not the next Brazil or 12 Monkeys. And Jarmusch proved himself still adept at solid, offbeat genre turns with Only Lovers Left Alive, but he’s always been a hit-or-miss filmmaker. How they’ll fair with the site is to be seen, but in an age where franchises dominate high executive’s money, it’s nice to see some people still looking out for those outside the typical crowd-pleasing wheelhouse.
