After months of speculation, it was finally made official today that directorSteven Spielbergis heading back to his former home at Universal Pictures, where he directed iconic classics such asJaws,E.T. the Extra-TerrestrialandJurassic Park. Back in September, a report surfaced that the director’s next filmThe BFGwas his is last under his deal with Disney, and that the filmmaker may take his DreamWorks company back to Universal. Part of that report speculated that Universal wantedSteven Spielbergback because he would be an important asset to the studio’s potential remakes of Jaws andBack to The Future. Shortly after the Universal deal was announced,Deadlinespoke with the filmmaker, who unequivocally shot down rumors of a Jaws remake.
“I would never remake one of my own movies - starting withJaws- but there are Amblin titles in the library that could inspire new stories that were made popular by the films. There isn’t a single title that I’ve earmarked, but yes, I would like to. I will be discussing that with Jeff (Skoll) andRonnie (Meyer)and Donna (Langley). I would never remake Jaws.”
The director’s new company will be entitled Amblin Partners, which is aligned with Participant Media, Reliance Group and Entertainment One. The filmmaker added that this new company doesn’t mean he’s relinquishing his stake in DreamWorks, a company he co-founded withJeffrey Katzenbergand David Geffen. The initial announcement earlier today revealed that the first film released under the Amblin Partners banner will beThe Girl on the Train, which is set for release in October 2016.Deadline’s report reveals that another DreamWorks project, directorLasse Hallström’s family filmA Dog’s Purpose, has also shifted to Amblin Partners, with an early 2017release datenow set.
Universal Pictures signed a multi-year deal with Amblin, where the studio will market and distribute films produced by Amblin Partners domestically and in select international territories. Both Universal Pictures and Focus Features will handle distribution and marketing for approximately four to seven Amblin Partners films each year. It isn’t known if this studio will be bringing any other DreamWorks/Disney projects over, but we’ll have to wait and see how their initial slate lines up.
Ironically, just a few months ago, Universal released a fake trailer forJaws 19, as part of the studio’s30th Anniversarycelebration forBack to The Future, whichSteven Spielbergexecutive produced. It seems this will be the closest fans will ever see to a sequel or remake of the filmmaker’s beloved 1975 classicJaws. Are you glad that aJawsremake will never see the light of day? Let us know what you think, and stay tuned for more on the director’s new company, Amblin Partners.
