Steven Spielberg partners with Netflix for the streaming service deal with Amblin Partners

Steven Spielberg is banding together with Netflix. Getting Hollywood’s premiere director represents a significant coup for the streaming service. Amblin Partners, the production organization established and led by director and producer Steven Spielberg, has signed a multi-year contract with streaming platform Netflix.

Amblin Partners, the movie and TV production studio led by the blockbuster director, reported a partnership with the streaming organization Monday that will incorporate various new feature films each year for the service, as indicated by the two organizations.

In a press release on Netflix’s website, the two organizations reported that the partnership will bring about “multiple new feature films per year.”

Some may consider it as an unexpected turn from Spielberg’s organization, given the director’s previous positions on streaming movies. Two years ago, an Amblin representative publicly reported that Spielberg planned to help changes the Academy Awards that would rename Netflix films as TV films, ineligible for Oscars like Best Picture.

The push was planned when Netflix-distributed film Roma was ready to sweep the awards shows. Yet, eventually, the Academy rejected the calls from Spielberg and others to restrict eligibility.

As is frequently the situation, the present press release was joined by prewritten statements by different executives included, including Spielberg himself.

Amblin isn’t new to streaming. The organization has already produced films that have played noticeably or exclusively on streaming platforms, maybe most prominently the Netflix original The Trial of the Chicago 7 released the previous fall. Amblin has additionally produced a post-apocalyptic drama called Finch that is scheduled to air on Apple TV+ later this year.

Production deals are ordinary in the entertainment industry, yet what makes Monday’s declaration stand out is that it’s another indication of the changing dynamics in Hollywood. Streaming services, particularly Netflix (NFLX), have developed to significant prominence in the industry. Simultaneously, traditional movie studios like Disney (DIS) and CNN parent organization WarnerMedia have gone all-in on streaming.

Spielberg directed some of the most beloved and successful movies ever, including “Jaws,” “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Jurassic Park.” So his partnership with Netflix is huge. It’s one of the greatest names of Hollywood’s old guard working with an organization that is redefining entertainment.

Spielberg, chairman of Amblin, said in a statement that “storytelling will forever be at the center of everything we do” and that when he began discussing a partnership with Ted Sarandos, Netflix co-CEO, and chief content officer, “it was abundantly clear that we had an amazing opportunity to tell new stories together and reach audiences in new ways.”

Spielberg added that he and Amblin are excited to work with Netflix and will keep on working with long-lasting partners like Universal Pictures.

The declaration is additionally outstanding because Spielberg has been critical of streaming previously. For example, Spielberg revealed to ITV News in 2018 that “once you commit to a television format, you’re a TV movie.”

Nonetheless, Spielberg has since been more clear about his help of film on the big or small screen.

“I want people to find their entertainment in any form or fashion that suits them,” Spielberg told the New York Times in 2019. “Big screen, small screen — what really matters to me is a great story and everyone should have access to great stories.

Netflix and Amblin didn’t say how long the multi-year deal would be nor if Spielberg would direct any movies that would land on Netflix. Financial details were likewise not unveiled.

“Steven is a creative visionary and leader and, like so many others around the world, my growing up was shaped by his memorable characters and stories that have been enduring, inspiring, and awakening,” Sarandos said in a statement. “We cannot wait to get to work with the Amblin team and we are honored and thrilled to be part of this chapter of Steven’s cinematic history.”

The present declaration could be a success for Netflix, which currently faces various viable competitors (like HBO Max or Disney+) in a streaming TV/film space that it has previously dominated.

However, in case you’re a fan of Spielberg’s movies, don’t get excessively excited presently: Amblin produces films made by directors other than Spielberg, so this deal is no assurance that we’ll be seeing the next Spielberg film on Netflix.