Matt Reeve’s does big budget movies, and he does them really well. Not only is he pulling together DC’s The Batman, giving us all some hope it own’t suck, but he gave us the Planet of the Apes trilogy, turning campy sci-fi into one of the best trilogies ever made. Having him direct for you is a pretty big deal, and that’s why it’s a pretty big deal that the director/producer’s production company, 6th & Idaho, has signed a deal with Netflix for first-look rights.
That means Netflix gets the first chance to produce any film Reeves wants to make (whether he’s directing or just producing), and could deliver the streaming service some of the best blockbuster films in the upcoming years. He says of the deal, “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.”
That is, of course, exactly what Netflix is doing. Directors and actors are swarming to the service because they seem to give a lot more leeway for what can be made. Plus, distribution is easier and you don’t have to rely on box office success for your survival. With Fox moving over to Disney this might also be a sign that creatives aren’t so sure about where that studio is going… but it’s probably not. My guess is a director like Reeves just wants as much control as he can have.
