So I’ve got to ask: If Taylor Lautner was supposed to be paid $7.5 million to co-star in David Ellison’s Northern Lights, then what’s Liam Hemsworth worth now to play the same role? Say, half? A quarter? The project by the son of Oracle’s Larry Ellison has seen several young actors pass ever since Taylor dropped out. ”It’s scaring some actors off because David has written himself a big role in the movie which he’s also financing,” an insider tells me. [Ellison's people say he is not financing the pic, just producing it.] ”What, you’re going to work for your co-star who doesn’t have a big body of work? I’ve never seen anything like this before.” You may recall that Lautner was being paid per ab, making the then 17-year-old the highest paid Hollywood teen. Northern Lights was supposed to have a start date of April 1st. The pic is about extreme flying and follows four young pilots as they compete against the world’s best. It’s being made by David Ellison’s new company Skydance Productions, and Paramount has a first look at his development.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.


Quite honestly a joke. Have you read the script. Lautner was smart to bail.
Totally agree. David Ellison can’t seem to get it right. This film has been “about to be produced” for over three years. None of his deals seem to ever come through aside from what he writes the check for himself. He needs better business people around him…Not the “Billionaire heavy guns” his dad has hanging around.
Mr. Ellison is credited with writing/producing/co-staring and financing this picture. His film experience is what again?
Skydance was snookered into way overpaying for Taylor’s services (Paramount was on the hook for half) , he then drops out , his crazy quote is established and it looks like “Northern Lights” will bite the dust.
Skydance has three people at the company. two have absolutely no film experience, and the other is a finance guy.
All daddy’s $ and no leadership.
Reminds me of the early days of Bold films when Litvak’s wife had to be in everything they made. But when you’ve got the coin, you can pull this kind of mishegoss.
read the script and you’ll know why you’d need to overpay any actor to appear in it. and it would still be a career-killer for them.
It’s unsettling how companies like Paramount allow themselves to get in bed with such inexperience just cause someone is allowed to throw around daddy’s money. All the kid is interested in is making movies so he can put himself in them and become famous. Wouldn’t be surprised if Brad G. & Larry are golfing buddies.
Now he’s listed as an executive producer on True Grit and MI-4??? Is he dating Dimbort’s grandaughter to boot?
Leave producing to the people who have paid their dues.
Can we please stop referring to Taylor Lautner’s abs? He’s barely old enough to shave and routinely talking about his 145 lbs body is kinda sick.
Or better yet, if women can talk about Lautner’s abs, guys can talk about Miley Cyrus’ ass and not get criticized for it.
Deal?
Like Liam Hemsworth has a big body of work?
Typical sour grapes… just because a guy born into wealth also has a dream like the rest of us. Young Mr. Ellison is also financing many of Paramount’s tent pole sumer movies because, unlike him, they have no money. Mr’s Ellison’s creative abilities will reveal themselves naturally. In the meantime, he may be single handedly keeping one of Hollywood’s finest institutions alive… for a little longer. That means people will be working and paying their bills… a little longer. So instead of gleefully attacking a guy because he was born into an affluent family, why don’t you applaud the guy who embodies the spirit of betting on himself. A guy how may well give YOU a job someday. I’m pulling for his success. ANY movies he gets made benefit us all.
Agreed, 100%. I know plenty of wealthy men who CHOOSE to work for a living – really work, not for appearances’ sake – believing (rightly, I think) that character is revealed in part by what someone chooses to do when they can do almost ANYTHING they want to, without impunity.
Good for him indeed.
I’m sure Jason Reitman could have directed several movies because of his first few short films and his family’s affluence but, they probably wouldn’t have been as good as “Thank You for Smoking.”
Folks, trust me on this, from an “insider’s perspective,” Ellison is far from a creative genius. I give the kid props for trying, but if you knew what his definition of work is, you’d agree he’s not set up to be a major success. Or success at all for that matter. I wish him well, but being born into billions is more of a curse than a blessing sometimes. This is a perfect example.
Liam has been offered 2 mil
Why does everybody alwaysw have to hate? His sources say he’s not financing, so as far as i’m concerned he’s taking a change just like everybody else. However lets see if he can really get this thing made.