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<\/p>\nPaul Thomas Anderson and Michael De Luca are film geeks with a shared history. As a studio executive, Mr. De Luca championed Mr. Anderson\u2019s \u201cBoogie Nights\u201d and \u201cMagnolia,\u201d films that established the director\u2019s reputation as a creative force. So when Focus Features said it would postpone the production of Mr. Anderson\u2019s new film because of the pandemic, it was Mr. De Luca, in his new role as chairman of MGM\u2019s Motion Picture Group, who swooped in and pledged to get the movie into production in Los Angeles when Mr. Anderson wanted to shoot.<\/p>\n
And being that the two men can\u2019t resist the pull of old Hollywood, Mr. De Luca made sure to amp up the nostalgia associated with his efforts to reinvigorate MGM, the once mighty studio that in recent decades has been reduced to a financial Ping-Pong ball, volleyed back and forth by various investors eager to turn the company\u2019s 4,000-film library into a cash cow.<\/p>\n
\u201cI said, \u2018This will be fun. Come make your movie at Metro,\u2019\u201d Mr. De Luca recalled with a laugh, referring to the studio\u2019s former moniker of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.<\/p>\n
Mr. Anderson was game.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf Mike says something will happen, it happens,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s hard not to stress how rare of a quality that is.\u201d<\/p>\n
The question now is, in light of Amazon\u2019s decision last month to acquire MGM in an $8.45 billion deal, will Mr. De Luca still be able to keep his promises? Or will he simply be part of a corporate hierarchy less prone to taking chances on films and filmmakers?<\/p>\n
In the past 15 months, MGM has experienced a resurgence, led by Mr. De Luca, a one-time brash and reckless young executive who introduced filmmakers like Mr. Anderson and David Fincher to the culture when he was president of production at New Line Cinema, and now, after 36 years in the business, is seen as one of its most reliable statesmen. His deputy, Pamela Abdy, produced \u201cGarden State\u201d when she was at Jersey Films and amplified the career of Alejandro Gonz\u00e1lez I\u00f1\u00e1rritu, among others, during her time as a Paramount executive and later at New Regency.<\/p>\n
At MGM, the two have compiled a heady mix of A-list directors and compelling material they hope hearkens back to the days when Fred Astaire and Judy Garland roamed the once-hallowed studio\u2019s hallways. The next six months will show if their strategy pays off. Mr. Anderson\u2019s movie will debut on Nov. 26. It will follow Ridley Scott\u2019s pulpy drama \u201cHouse of Gucci,\u201d starring Lady Gaga and Adam Driver. In December, Joe Wright\u2019s musical adaptation of \u201cCyrano,\u201d with Peter Dinklage and featuring music from The National, will be released.<\/p>\n
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And then there is \u201cNo Time to Die,\u201d the long-awaited 25th installment of the James Bond franchise and Daniel Craig\u2019s swan song in the role, which is scheduled for theatrical release on Oct. 8.<\/p>\n
\u201cMike and Pam understand that we are at a critical juncture and that the continuing success of the James Bond series is dependent on us getting the next iteration right and will give us the support we need to do this,\u201d Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli, the sibling producing team who have long overseen the Bond franchise, said in a statement.<\/p>\n
They added that \u201cAmazon has assured us that Bond will continue to debut\u201d in movie theaters. \u201cOur hope is that they will empower Mike and Pam to continue to run MGM unencumbered,\u201d they said.<\/p>\n
Still, Amazon\u2019s priorities are inherently different from a traditional studio\u2019s.<\/p>\n
In 2019, Amazon Studios, under the leadership of Jennifer Salke, shifted away from exclusive theatrical windows, opting instead to make movies available in theaters and on Amazon Prime the same day, the strategy preferred by the prominent streaming platforms. The pandemic turbocharged that approach. Ms. Salke was able to buy films like \u201cComing 2 America\u201d and the recently released \u201cThe Tomorrow War\u201d from studios looking to offload their movies because theaters were largely closed. Viewership on Amazon Prime skyrocketed and movies, which had previously taken a back seat to television shows, suddenly became a much more attractive opportunity. Anemic overall film output would no longer do.<\/p>\n
Mr. De Luca and Ms. Abdy stress that even in light of the pending acquisition, which still needs government approval, their philosophy of movie theaters first will remain.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere is theatrical in our near future, there will be theatrical after the deal closes,\u201d Mr. De Luca said. \u201cThere will always be theatrical at MGM.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not clear how the management of MGM will be handled once the acquisition is complete. Amazon declined to comment on the record for this article. There are some in Hollywood\u2019s film community who are hopeful that Mr. De Luca and Ms. Abdy will oversee Amazon\u2019s movie business once the merger is complete.<\/p>\n
Ms. Salke has led both divisions for the past three years, managing an $8 billion annual content budget, and Amazon has made no indication that will change. Before joining Amazon, Ms. Salke spent seven years as president of entertainment at NBC. (In an interesting twist, Ms. Salke\u2019s biggest bet is a $450 million television adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien\u2019s \u201cLord of the Rings,\u201d which Peter Jackson previously adapted into a series of blockbuster films at New Line when Mr. De Luca was an executive there.) Her upcoming films include the Cannes Film Festival opener \u201cAnnette\u201d; Aaron Sorkin\u2019s \u201cBeing the Ricardos,\u201d about Lucy and Desi Arnaz; and George Clooney\u2019s \u201cThe Tender Bar,\u201d starring Ben Affleck.<\/p>\n
The producer Matt Tolmach, who has two projects in the works at MGM, including the horror film \u201cDark Harvest,\u201d set for release on Sept. 23, said Mr. De Luca\u2019s passion for good stories is infectious. \u201cHe read the script and he called me, and we had an hourlong conversation just about the possibilities and how amazing it would be and how we can push the boundaries,\u201d he said of \u201cDark Harvest.\u201d \u201cThat\u2019s what he does. He makes your movie better.\u201d<\/p>\n
As Mr. De Luca sees it, the new MGM is about \u201ctreating the filmmakers like the franchise,\u201d he said. When he and Ms. Abdy first joined forces, the duo compiled a list of 36 directors they were hoping to lure to the studio. In 15 months, they\u2019ve nabbed 20 percent of them, including Darren Aronofsky, Sarah Polley, Melina Matsoukas and George Miller.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe don\u2019t mind taking big swings and gambling because I think it\u2019s either go big or go home,\u201d he added. \u201cI think the audience rewards you if you are really original, innovative, bold and creative.\u201d<\/p>\n
In a shareholder meeting last month Jeff Bezos, Amazon\u2019s founder and executive chairman, called the reason behind the acquisition \u201cvery simple.\u201d He said MGM had a \u201cvast, deep catalog of much beloved\u201d movies and shows. \u201cWe can reimagine and redevelop that I.P. for the 21st century.\u201d<\/p>\n
That runs counter to the approach Mr. De Luca and Ms. Abdy have primarily taken.<\/p>\n
\u201cMike and I did not sit down and say let\u2019s raid the library and remake everything,\u201d Ms. Abdy said. \u201cOur focus is original ideas with original authorship and real filmmakers, but you know every once in a while something will come up that\u2019s fun and we\u2019ll pursue it if we think it makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n
Those ideas include a hybrid live action\/animated remake of \u201cPink Panther\u201d; Michael B. Jordan directing the third installment of the \u201cRocky\u201d spinoff \u201cCreed\u201d; and \u201cLegally Blonde 3\u201d with Reese Witherspoon and a script co-written by Mindy Kaling.<\/p>\n
Of course, all of MGM\u2019s success is hypothetical, as none of the projects initiated by Mr. De Luca and Ms. Abdy have been seen yet. The company\u2019s recent acquisition of Sean Penn\u2019s directorial effort \u201cFlag Day,\u201d which is set to debut at the Cannes Film Festival before opening on Aug. 20, will mark the regime\u2019s first release. The studio also has high hopes for \u201cRespect,\u201d an Aretha Franklin biopic starring Jennifer Hudson, which comes out in August (and was in motion when Mr. De Luca and Ms. Abdy came to MGM).<\/p>\n
But they said their efforts to reinvigorate the studio were more than just an attempt to make the company attractive to buyers. Anchorage Capital, the majority owners of MGM, put the studio up for sale in December and the speed with which a deal was made surprised Mr. De Luca and Ms. Abdy.<\/p>\n
Both said they were in for the long haul. \u201cIf it works, I feel like it could go on forever,\u201d Mr. De Luca said. Ms. Abdy added, \u201cUntil they carry us out.\u201d<\/p>\n
As part of their efforts, Mr. De Luca and Mrs. Abdy even had MGM\u2019s logo reworked: Leo the lion is now digital and the gold film ribbons that encircle him have been sharpened \u201cto own gold the way Netflix owns red,\u201d Mr. De Luca said. The three Latin words encircling the lion \u2014 \u201cArs Gratia Artis\u201d \u2014 are first spelled out in English: \u201cArt for Art\u2019s Sake.\u201d<\/p>\n
That\u2019s music to Mr. Anderson\u2019s ears.<\/p>\n
\u201cLong live the lion!\u201d he said. \u201cWhether it\u2019s \u2018The Wizard of Oz\u2019 or \u2018Tom & Jerry\u2019 cartoons, the lion is a symbol of our business. The healthier, the better.\u201d<\/p>\n
And how does he feel about MGM being sold to Amazon?<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d he responded.<\/p>\n