The biggest and best talent in the industry doesn’t come cheap, but that hasn’t stopped Netflix from shelling out exorbitant sums to secure an enviable collection of A-listers and hand them complete creative freedom to develop original projects. Martin Scorsese and Michael Bay’s career paths couldn’t be more different, but they’re two of the most recognizable filmmakers in Hollywood, and the streaming service had no issue stumping up a combined total of over $350 million in production costs for The Irishman and 6 Underground.
David Fincher, meanwhile, became the latest big name to sign an exclusive agreement with Netflix, after the Mank director tied himself down for the next four years. Stranger Things creators the Duffer brothers have also extended their working relationship to develop a slate of new offerings, The Haunting of Hill House‘s Mike Flanagan is on board for the foreseeable future, Grey’s Anatomy and Scandal‘s Shonda Rhimes inked a $100 million contract, and Ryan Murphy was handed the single largest development deal in television history that’s worth a reported $300 million over five years.
Insider Daniel Richtman is now claiming, though, that those figures could pale in comparison to what Netflix are preparing to offer Adam Sandler and his Happy Madison Productions, with the numbers on the table said to make it the most lucrative contract in the company’s history, which means it could conceivably be close to half a billion dollars.
“Netflix is looking to extend Sandler’s contract again and will be offering him the biggest deal they’ve ever offered,” says the tipster. “[He] is getting more money from Netflix than any other talent for his newest deal.”
In the eyes of the executives, it would certainly be a worthwhile investment, because everything Adam Sandler touches turns to gold for Netflix. Even his older movies easily crack the Top 10 most-watched list when they get added to the library, and his originals are guaranteed to draw in massive numbers, making him arguably the platform’s single most popular and reliable in-house creator, as well as a massively valuable commodity.
Published: Dec 18, 2020 09:57 am