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UTA has been Wes Anderson’s longtime home ever since the agency’s chairman Jim Berkus signed him off of that cult classic 1994 short, Bottle Rocket. Two years later, Anderson turned the short into his breakout feature debut with Berkus’ help. In fact, Berkus helped the infamously quirky filmmaker put together all of his films, including Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums, The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, The Darjeeling Limited, and his current The Fantastic Mr. Fox. I’m told the motive Anderson’s exit was Anderson’s unhappiness with that pic’s performance at the box office — which may have little to do with Berkus and more to do with Anderson. But that’s the agency biz. I’m told Anderson now will be repped by WME’s Robert Newman.
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I said long ago that parents aware of Anderson’s support of Roman Polanski would keep their kids away from The Fantastic Mr. Fox, and I was correct. Anderson was asked at one point before the release of the film if he would take back his support of Polanski, and he declined to do so. You made your bed, Mr. Anderson, and now you are lying in it. Memo to Wes: If you are going to support pedophilia, don’t make childrens’ films and expect people to pay to see them.
Bullshit! Parents kept their children away from that films because it didn’t look appealing.The majority of parents don’t know who directed The Fantastic Mr Fox, who the directed supports, or Roman Polanski for that matter.Like the majority of people on the net, you are full of shit.
redmenace: You are a 12-year old if that’s how you react to everyone you disagree with. Read very, very carefully my first sentence “…parents AWARE of Anderson’s support…” I did not say that’s why ALL people stayed away from the movie. It is, however, most certainly the reason *I* kept MY family away.
I was a big Anderson fan and was very much looking forward to the movie until I learned of his undying support of Polanski. Now quirky-looking-and-acting Wes Anderson to me has become that weird-looking stranger down the street that you keep your kids away from.
Please. Brothers broke even at the box office, and Natalie Portman foolishly signed the petition as well. Probably because Nichols did. The fact that she was awful in that movie (and every other picture she’s in) is beside the point. She has the awful habit of running her mouth too much lately.
Bottom line is, Anderson’s movies don’t make money, he’s grossed around 125 total for 6 movies. And although Mr. Fox did incredibly, incredibly well with critics, most of his stuff lately has not. So if the acclaim isn’t there, and the box office isn’t there, he should look in the mirror first and foremost.
And stop writing movies with Baumbach, because the only time your movies have been good are when Owen has co-written them. That says a lot about the real brains behind his better works.
At the same time, why is UTA always losing clients? It’s not because of the hideous building, the in-fighting, or because other shops are more impressive, it’s because they never work with a sense of urgency for their clients, big and small. I hear more complaints from UTA clients than anyone else. And they need to get together and realize that despite his own loyalty and public statements, Apatow will not be around forever. They lost an incredible amount of money when the comedy stars left, but it’s looking bleak over there now. Anderson was a big fish in terms of credibility, and Johnny Depp is about all they have left. No talent in front of the camera that anyone wants to work with, no talent behind the camera either. Good writers, but that’s not going to carry them. There figures to be lots of Anderson bashing here over the weekend and through the early part of next week, but his leaving is going to have an effect on the mindset of every other client, because a guy Wes is still the type of guy who other talent says, Well, we have Wes over there. Whenever they package a film, it’s filled with B-list names, and just has that run-down, second-tier feel to it. They need to have a long, air-clearing meeting and buckle down.
Wow, have you ever heard of Occam’s Razor?
congratulations, you have posted probably one of the dumbest comments I’ve read on here, or the internet for that matter.
Fantastic Mr Fox failed because it was boring and indulgent. The emperor’s new clothes of animation. Sorry folks, it’s actually crap.
Actually, I loved it. It was neither boring nor indulgent. I found it a fun, diverting and intelligent film.
I thought agents lined up gigs, and negotiated deals for those gigs, but don’t decide if said gigs would be successful or not.
Maybe Anderson resented Berkus for not telling him that directing a stop motion animated film with little or no experience in animation might be a case of ego overreaching talent? I haven’t seen Mr. Fox, but from all the previews I got the feeling that no one involved didn’t seem to burning many calories about it.
Anyway, it’s only a matter of time before his new agent at WME defects to UTA. In Hollywood, it’s the circle of life.
Newman has Boyle, Scorsese, and now Anderson, among others. No one on his list would ever be at UTA. Scorsese called Anderson the new Scorsese at one point, so anyone could have called this.
Christopher Donnelly reps Martin Scorsese not Robert Newman.
ok, that’s the 2nd time you’ve made me laugh in the comments this morning! Thank you. Circle of life indeed.
Thanks, I live to bring sunshine to people’s lives.
This would be cataclysmic news if Wes Anderson was a guy who had any inkling whatsoever about how to deliver a reasonably profitable film. His movies are so indulgently fascinated with themselves and Fox was no exception. A talented guy, but a guy whose primary audience of concern is limited entirely to himself.
Yep, I’m sure Berkus encouraged Anderson to give a robust defense of noted child-rapist Roman Polanski (via that inane petition, and in an interview w/ Movieline.com) on the eve of the roll-out of a family feature like “Mr. Fox”.
Unless WME can convince him to find a new writing partner (his work w Noah Baumbach seems to indulge all of his smug and precious tendencies), or get him to engender more loyalty from his underlings (to prevent the future press debacles like cinematographer Tristan Oliver badmouthing him for never being on set and being difficult), I doubt this change of agencies will do much to give a shot in the arm to Anderson’s work.
“Bottle Rocket” and “Rushmore” had zeal and genuine/offbeat optimism – qualities were both fresh and in short-supply in film. From “Tennenbaums” onward it seems like Anderson takes dour family situations and dresses them up with twee set design. Instead of holing himself up in his Paris apartment and blaming his agents, Anderson may want to get back in touch w/ a less effete sector of society and bring some realism back to his work.
If I had my life to live over again I would do everything the same way except I wouldn’t see any Wes Anderson films.
That is possibly the single best comment I’ve ever read on the internet.
I don’t blame him. UTA is a sinking ship! Jared Hess fired them last week. Jason Bateman fired them today. Who’s left? They should pray the Coen Bros don’t fire them too!
Jim Berkus was not the one writing Anderson’s increasing shitty scripts, and therefore should not be blamed or fired. Hey Wes, we are bored by your films!
Jim Berkus is a nice guy, but his best days are behind him. Time to retire…
Maybe, but Robert Newman is not exactly a young turk!
Watch CAA and WME come in and pick off the clients one by one. Get ready for an exodus.
I for one thought for years and years that I was a big Wes Anderson fan from Bottle Rocket, Rushmore, and Royal Tenenbaums but after Life Aquatic and halfway through Darjeeling I started to question my own taste.
The guy is extremely self indulgent and overly talky to the point where you begin to realize maybe he isn’t as smart as you think he is and is certainly not as smart he himself thinks he his. For some odd reason, I went against my better judgment and went to see the Fantastic Mr. Fox which further solidified my disappointment with Wes.
Add him to the list of filmmakers that peaked early and have fallen off a steep cliff. I could care less which agency he goes to. I’m sure UTA is not nearly as upset as they would have been 10 years ago.
Owen Wilson helped write the screenplays for the first three films, and although it’s weird to think of OW as a grounding influence I think he went a long way to prevent WA from travelling up his own rectum. The balance tipped towards indulgence after OW’s departure.
Wow – Jason Bateman (comic genius and hardest working actor in show business) and now Wes Anderson (say what you will about the success of his films, but the guy is a great auteur) exit UTA in the last 48 hours. These guys have been with uta forever, so why are they jumping ship now? Oh, right because UTA ain’t CAA or WME. Maybe Verve should buy UTA.
But what is UTA anyway? The Coen Brothers and Johnny Depp and Charlie
Kaufman and Mike White. Is that an agency that can compete?
You put Mike White in with that group? He wrote School of Rock, and a bunch of garbage. It’s not even like he brings in that much money, but even if he did, his work has no merit whatsoever. They have Chase, Wolf, Ball and Lauren Conrad. So they have Depp via his good graces of staying with T. all these years, the Coen brothers who’s last (great btw) film grossed eight million, and Kauf’s last (great btw) film grossed two million. So Depp, two writer/directors who bring in no money, a few t.v. guys, and Lauren Conrad.
But they do have 48 partners!
MR. FOX was Wes Anderson’s best movie since ROYAL TENENBAUMS. Doesn’t Tom Rothman hate Berkus? I’m sure that didn’t help. Bad
situation for what is really a great movie.
critic/agent/executive/entertainment journalist/wannabe with laptop at bourgeoise pig/message board poster, circa 1998: “is it cool to like wes anderson films? then i totally love his shit, so unique and original. he’s going to save filmmaking.”
critic/agent/executive/entertainment journalist/wannabe with laptop at bourgeoise pig/message board poster, circa 2009: “hold on, it’s only hip to hate on him now? oh. then, yeah, he’s so self indulgent and precious and has always just been about set decoration.”
Can you blame an agent for making a movie nobody wants to see? Did anybody see the trailers for Mr. Fox, it is like they said lets put all the unfunny parts in the trailer. That aside, it was another boring, self-indulgent mess from Anderson. Here is an idea stop making movies you, and a coterie of the New York intelligentsia think are clever and make movies people actually want to see and your movies won’t bomb.
Yes, the general assessment is correct: Anderson began to believe his own press–a fiction more interesting than those he created post-Rushmore, some of which were wildly over-praised to his evident detriment as an artist.
Why would people pay money to see a new Wes Anderson movie when they’re all exactly the same?
So does this mean I should put away my corduroy suits?
I tell you, I am so over the self-indulgent ‘quirk du soleil’ hipster thing. WME can give Wes some puppets to play with and tell him they’re actors and he won’t notice the difference – holed up in his Paris eagle’s nest of twee.
Given the amount of excruciatingly slow work stop motion animation takes I’m sure Berkus was just thrilled to hear that would be Anderson’s next film. “Davey and Goliath” was cool when we were all in first grade. Not so much anymore.
Anderson makes his own bed and then blames his agent. Oy…Amazing how many chances he gets when most of his films don’t make any money, but to be fair, Owen Wilson’s suicide attempt didn’t help the marketing of Darjeeling.
I’m sure WME will suddenly turn him into a commercial property. UTA has better things to worry about than managing a small director
Like what?
You want a movie to make money Wes?
Try making one without Owen Wilson.
Leave him at home riding his Horse.
personally, i find wes anderson’s last 3 films unwatchable, and certainly unprofitable…but still hes a marquis name as a director and theres always the brad pitts and the george clooneys etc who will work with him and that means a great deal to an agency when you control a piece of talent who can dictate the actions of our 10 million dollar plus actors…uta has been losing some substantial names, notably bateman, hess, anderson, and dont underestimate the loss of guillod’s biggest client oni press….a content provider which uta should have treated as a priority and not an afterthought to cutting guillods weighty salary.
Wes Anderson does not know what’s going on in the real world. A lot of actors / directors have never experienced a fistfight or had their utlities shut off. Hollywood. The land of make believe.
What the hell does this comment have to do with anything? If this is how you feel, why are you on this site? Jesus, I wish people like you would go live in your trailers or farms or whatever and leave the hardworking people of the entertainment industry be. i’ve lived all over this country and this is the first place I’ve lived outside of New York where working from 9a till 9p is the norm, not an exception, and it’s not at all unusual to work six and seven days a week. I’m so sick of bullshit trolls like this jackass trying to pretend that everyone who has been able to do well in Hollywood is some kind of sycophant who doesn’t have to do anything but dream big.
Self-indulgent? Yes. But I can’t believe all this hate for Mr. Fox. It was funny, charming, very well done, and combined the best aspects of Anderson’s aesthetic with some creative animation and great voice acting.
I am not a huge Wes Anderson fan and was actually going to skip Mr. Fox because I was so annoyed after reading an article about how he refused to even be physically present while they made it– something about preferring to live in France instead during the production. However, I was taken to it by my husband, and I LOVED the movie. It was beautiful and had an engaging and charming story, the soundtrack was exceptional, and there’s no denying that Anderson is one talented guy, despite being as pretentious as he appears to be.