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All the Cannes lameass publicity news aside, and frankly it makes me want to puke even though Deadline has to post most of it for our readers, here’s something else to induce nausea: I don’t know how James Robinson can show his face there. He’s attending the festival to announce a $90M Keanu Reeves-starring sci-fi flick — yet here in Hollywood his Morgan Creek is the target of an unprecedented 3-guild (the Writers Guild, Directors Guild, and Screen Actors Guild) investigation regarding unpaid residuals for over 30 features. This has been going for over a year, meaning Robinson’s Morgan Creek will be forced to pay an exorbitant 18% late fees on all those titles. And, dammit, talent and their families live on those residuals.
Granted, Robinson has always been one of Hollywood’s bigger sons-of-a-bitch, and Morgan Creek one of the crummiest filmmakers. But it’s revolting how he clearly has no shame. He’s ensconced at Cannes presiding over a brunch for press and international buyers Sunday at the Moulin des Mougins, boasting with his SVP of worldwide marketing son Brian at his side, about the “newly reinvigorated” Morgan Creek and its “new focus” is on bigger budget projects. Really? Then pay up, you putz.
Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.
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Well said.
yah it sucks to be the producer and have to pay residuals on 30 films that tanked. guess the joke’s on him.
Is he still obsessed with Dr. Brown’s Cherry soda? Had a mtg with once and he could barely stop talking about it. Quite hilarious how he made of show of getting his assistant to trot to the fridge and fetch it.
So why is Keanu Reeves doing a movie with him?
If journalists don’t ask questions at press conferences or write about it in their papers then these guys just do whatever the hell they want. I wish more news outlets like VARIETY and the NY TIMES and the WALL STREET JOURNAL had the balls to bring this up in print. What Morgan Creek is doing is breaking the law. And in any other business if you withheld money from employees for services rendered you would be shut down and fined and jailed.
You mean Joe Nussbaum hasn’t gotten his appropriate residuals from SIDNEY WHITE??
what a crime!!!
1 pissed off guild could be explained as a misunderstanding.
2 pissed off guilds could be explained as incompetence.
3 pissed off guilds can only be explained as deliberately bad business practices.
This sort of thing is a sign that Morgan Creek might very well join the ranks of all the other sunken companies.
Well here is NOT to you, Mr. Robinson.
FANNED!
Robinson is a total schmuck but the residual thing is a game that all the studios play. They’ve figured out that the guilds will always settle so they wait until they have arbitration scheduled and they collect interest. Until the guilds stop hiring clueless lawyers who don’t understand that they have the power to enforce the MBAs of their respective unions unpaid residuals will continue to be the norm.
The WGA has two or three arbitrators and a backlog of years. While I think the producers are the criminals, the system to bring them to justice has failed miserably.
Robinson is clearly one of the biggest (if not THE biggest) douchebags in hollywood, and that’s saying alot. i did a film for them, worst professional experience of my life. they did another tri-guild audit about 10 years ago that resulted in some ‘found’ unpaid residuals to the tune of nearly 100k. wondering what i’ll get this time.
U tell it N. Let the scumbies know who they are – and that they are indeed being watched for the scum they eat.
It just goes to show that if you pay enough upfront then no one cares about residuals. I think that most of us, at this point, don’t even believe we are going to actually ‘earn’ any of those ‘net’ profits in our contracts…and some producers clearly think that they should be sued to distribute them…and why not, it clearly makes good business sense. Use the money until you’re forced to part with it.
Great article Nikki, but with all due respect to you, you are forgetting that top guys like Robinson (and Madoff, Lay, Kozlowski, Dreier, Blankfein et al and all the other creeps/crooks) are CEO’s because they have no shame, and no conscience. If shame worked, the guilds would have a chance at getting what is owed to them. You can probably define leaders from followers simply by how shame affects them……
Is what’s-his-face — Rick Nicita — still there? Talk about a down ending to a career!
Perfect post, first word to last.
Seriously? Who cares about residuals – this is NOT important here. Getting movies financed and made are. This is small time guild griping. If he didn’t put the pictures together, there would be no pay for any writers. Being a writers’ mouthpiece is so BORING, Nikki. Bigger picture please.
Bigger picture: word spreads that you’re the biggest douchebag in town and the best talent will steer clear of you. Good luck with your Keanu Reeves movies.
And being this hack producer’s mouthpiece probably means you’re on the Morgan Creek payroll.
So you’re saying Mr. Robinson is so important “putting pictures together” that it’s okay for him to ignore his contractual obligations to talent, and “the bigger picture” is everyone should just be grateful we get to suck his ass. I’m sorry, but maybe his “re-invigorated Morgan Creek” should make their movies without DGA/WGA/SAG. Let’s put this asshole on the strike list and see how far he gets.
Nikki, when you say it like it is…anhonestanswer…it hurts many people. Unfortunately, Mr. Robinson is so wealthy it will not hurt him.
Thank you Nikki for always having the guts to speak the truth, regardless of many of the lemmings on here ie; Ed Helms is still wallpaper and it’s the mediocrapy of our times that allows him not only a job, but to be a “star,” who makes millions? That goes for many directors ie; Brett Ratner (who is really a great producer) and McG (another producer not a director), writers, singers etc. It’s just the time we live in. Wasn’t it Justin Bieber who sang “The Times They Aren’t A Changin’…
Thank you.
As opposed to raping a 13 year old girl? How many times has Polanski showed up at Cannes?
Robinson AFAIK has not been accused of drugging and raping a 13 year old girl.
So that right there puts him way ahead, of Cannes favorite Director and a man honored a number of times by the festival.
And people in Hollywood wonder why the audience doesn’t like them, and takes joy in their misfortunes.
whiskey can you please take your acidic, anti-Hollywood sentiments to another planet..?? Polanski has been made a scapegoat because he’s rich and famous.He made a deal, and the judge reneged. Many many many people have done much worse and faced far less scrutiny.I’m not defending his actions,don’t get me wrong, but his pregnant wife had been massacred,along with other friends,& he was very messed up and on drugs. His victim has gone on record, repeatedly, asking that he be given a break..so if she’s willing to forgive him,why can’t you?
Every post of yours is a soapbox of nasty,anti-Hollywood blather.. and could you be a little more general?:”people in Hollywood (would that be ALL people?) wonder why the audience (would that be all audiences,everywhere?) doesn’t like them. Uh, no, we don’t wonder that whiskey. So, have another whiskey and please go haunt another website
Why wasn’t CAA able to place rick nicita anywhere better than working for this despotic joke when they cut the cord with RN? Or moreso, why weren’t they willing to help him?? It seems after a long agenting career that sprialled downward, the guy crashlanded into a hole lamer than hawking for money-launderers in Colombia. Humiliating to think that’s all that a long career with caa is worth.
Robinson deserves everything he gets. He’s a piece of shit. Even his sons hate him, but they are stuck so far up his ass they can’t tell him the Emperor has no clothes. I’ve worked with the Creek before on a film (granted it was before Rick was there, not that him being there has produced or changed anything) and they have no creative sense whatsoever and they don’t care. As long as Robinson ges his $1-2M “producing” fee and his credit, he doesnt care what shit he puts on screen and he doesnt believe in paying to promote his films. It’s not that he makes BAD movies, it’s that he doesnt distinguish between the good and the bad. This is what happens when crooked former car salesmen become star fucking producers. What do you expect from the guy who used to partner with Elie Samaha on a ton of projects?
I feel bad for Rick and the execs working there, because they have no power and no say. They are all just running scared of Robinson. Hopefully the Guilds will put him in his rightful place…out of business.
What would REALLY work: at Cannes – during the BIG press conferences for his movies/announcements, what if several journalists asked questions about it – how Morgan Creek is doing breaking the law – and WHEN is Robinson going to pay these people? I guarnatee this would embarrass him much more than anything else. Make him sweat. Someone like him has to be SQUEEZED in public. Repeatedly.
BTW, great job, Nikki
The overwhelming majority of Morgan Creek’s residual obligations are paid directly to the various guilds by Universal and Warner, on Morgan Creek’s behalf. Check your facts.