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Netflix Looking For Its Own Star Wars, Harry Potter-Like Movie Series
Tendo Nagenda, the head of production at streaming giant Netflix, says they want to create their own broad-appeal adventure movie franchise in the vein of a Star Wars or Harry Potter-type series. Netflix started as a DVD mail service, but quickly expanded its offering to streaming content online, killing the traditional video store chains like Blockbuster in the process. In recent years, Netflix has come to dominate the TV landscape, producing an incredible number of high-budget TV dramas that have spurred the traditional networks into creating their own streaming services, like Peacock and HBO Max, to compete.
However, the one place Netflix hasn't managed to compete so well has been with blockbuster movies. The streaming giant has instead focused on more adult action fare like Bright, Extraction, and The Old Guard, which have all attracted large numbers of viewers. They've also produced several Oscar-worthy movies like Marriage Story, The Irishman, and Roma. Still, They have yet to create a summer blockbuster franchise to compete with the types of series Nagenda mentions above.
But now, Nagenda tells THR that the next step for the streaming giant is to take on the big franchises. The Netflix exec says that an original franchise, not based on a comic book or other well-known property, that can appeal to a broad audience and has the potential for multiple entries is their next "dream project." He adds that he feels like Netflix, and not the big studios, is the right home for those kinds of projects. You can read his full comments below.
Nagenda also mentions that he'd love to attract more big-name filmmakers to the service, mentioning the likes of Christopher Nolan and Quentin Tarantino as the kind of directors he wants on board. Netflix, though, will have to make the deal very attractive for either filmmaker, as both are known for their love of the theater experience. But it's Nagenda's mention of wide appeal franchises that should make other studios worried.
While Netflix has proven to be immensely successful in several avenues, it hasn't managed to replace the summer blockbuster movie that fans traditionally flock to theaters to watch. However, Nagenda makes it clear that this is their next target. And if they are successful in launching a Star Wars or Harry Potter-type franchise, it may mean that they could fundamentally alter the way blockbusters are released forever.
Skeptics might say that it will take a lot for the cinema experience to go away completely, but they said the same thing when Netflix took aim at Blockbuster, and that company is long gone, while Netflix is one of the biggest companies in the world now. Traditional movie studios will have to take note of Netflix's plans and come up with a way to counter them if they don't want to end up on the scrap heap alongside the video store chains.
