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Universal has closed a two-year first-look producing deal with Robert Zemeckis and his ImageMovers shingle. ImageMovers will stay in its current headquarters and will not be based on the Universal lot. There doesn’t appear to be a specific movie that Zemeckis will make that triggered the deal; rather, studio brass just wanted to be in business with them. Zemeckis and partners Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey had a rather unceremonious exit from Disney, closing its Marin County animation facility and then watching the Zemeckis-produced performance capture film Mars Needs Moms flop badly at the box office. Zemeckis has devoted himself to the 3D performance capture format, but that seems to have run its course. Every studio is vying to have Zemeckis direct a live-action film, even though the studios know that his company deal is a very rich one. He is the guy, after all, who directed Cast Away and Forrest Gump, and he’s responsible for the Back To The Future franchise that was huge for Universal. Zemeckis has been mentioned as a possible director on several projects including the Paramount drama Flight, for which Denzel Washington has been mentioned as possible star.
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Doesn’t surprise me that the money wasters at Universal are going to waste money on this “deal.” Time for some new blood. Don’t get me wrong, Zemeckis made some classics in his day and is a legend, but let’s let the new turks take their turn and stop giving hand outs to the already rich.
All in all, Universal is once again the sucker!
SO…
MARS NEEDS MOMS was a $150 million dollar production budget…
another $75 million PR campaign…
and it does $40 million worldwide box office…
hmmmm that adds up to a lot of red ink…
so it makes total sense that Universal would embrace this deal!
Or you can look at his body of work… One of the best track records in terms of both B.O. and quality in the history of the business. Clearly not as good as yours though, or you wouldn’t be posting anonymously on this site, right? Everybody produces flops occasionally. This is as close as it comes to a safe bet. Upside is huge.
Yes, his live action films. His animated films not so much. Okay Polar Express I’m thinking did pretty well. But Beowulf and A Christmas Carol must have cost quite a bit.
He can do a zombie movie with a Glee sorta feel.
Nice to see Robert Zemeckis back at Universal. I think the director and the studio had a great relationship back in the Back to the Future days. Hopefully he will direct some more classics for Universal. I just hope their not all animations
This decision must be solely based on the odds.
What are the odds that Zemeckis will produce and/or direct yet another bomb compared to the great films of his days long past?
Other than this as a ‘gambling’ mathematical odds calculation…there is no justification for Universal to do this.
The name Zemeckis no longer opens a film…the film must speak for itself.
Adam…big risk…unless you have very little money on the line…guaranteed.
Given the schlock that’s on the cinema screens today, I rather trust a proven artist that an untested hack with my money – its a smart move – Uni won’t be disappointed – Zemikis is a proven genius – a billion dollars says it all
eh. It’ll probably be stolen material anyway.
Fast and the Furious 6 baby!!!
Just make him use humans in 2D.
HOEFULLY YELLOW SUBMARINE WILL BE BACK ON
Bring on Roger Rabbit 2!!!
Coming Soon…Back to the Future IV
fantastic that a guy like this can get work after burying an entire studio and the jobs of hundreds of employees along with it in flop after flop. BRA-VO.
The Uncanny Valley Lives! Here’s to two more years of lifeless dolls in unwatchable films! Cheers!
Is Universal trying to bankrupt itself on purpose?
What happened to Calling All Robots he was producing? I WANT THAT.
Me Too. Awesome!
I was REALLY jazzed about Yellow Submarine in motion capture and now–
I don’t know.
Dropping that project really took the wind out of my sails for Zemeckis.
Everything he will do now in live action seems…ordinary.
ha, only universal would drop gore verbinski’s deal and take on robert zemeckis’ even more expensive one in the same year, right after they both released an animated film at the same time and gore’s won by $200 million and will probably break pixar’s oscar streak. excuse me while i go fail miserably at something so that i can be handsomely rewarded for it.
He needs to get over the motion capture thing and go back to making rich, original fantasy films ala BTTF, WFRR or RTS. Even Death Becomes Her is a fun campy classic.
My bet is Zemeckis won’t be doing any mocap. Uni either want him to direct a tentpole or a Zemeckis signature piece. His next movie is that one about the drunken airline pilot hero, FLIGHT. The script is supposed to be very good. Wouldn’t bet against Denzel and Zemeckis.
I know it says there is no specific movie named, but do they know if this will be more animation? If so, it seems a lot of the public hasn’t gone for the zombie mocap. I know Tin Tin uses mocap, but they’re stylized which seems to work much better. I enjoyed Zemeckis’ Monster House, but again..stylized.