A favorite producer/director of mine, M. Night Shyamalan, received a deal from Media Rights Capital inc in late July. The deal is like no other made before in Hollywood: Shyamalan will get to keep his name on all the films produced with the studio.
The terms of the agreement are like this:
- There are three films to be made
- The films will be released at the rate of one per year
- The films will be a collaborative work between Shyamalan and MRC
- The films will be part of a series known as The Night Chronicles
- Shyamalan will keep a large portion of the rights of his productions
This is almost unheard of from today’s big name producers, who usually take the lion’s share of the profits and do a pretty poor job of distributing the wealth. If this agreement ends up a big success (which really depends on the quality of Shyamalan’s work) then this could lead the way for new producers to enter the big movie industry.
Shyamalan is known for several popular and very unique movies, such as The Sixth Sense, Signs, and The Village. His recent works have not been as successful as The Sixth Sense, but MRC (and I) still think there is great potential for another breakout hit. Just wait and see! =)
Shyamalan’s first film of the deal will be Devil, slated for release in 2009. The project was literally announced just days ago, so details are scarce. I will post some more links and news as I find it.
If the smaller producers come into power, then the actors, screenwriters, directors, and other supporting members will receive more credit and payment for their hard work. Another great benefit is that we will start to see the variety that fills the Independent Film world enter the Featured Film world. A change is always good when it comes to scripts in the video industry.
Personally, that’s what Omega Squid Studios stands for; Treating everyone who helps out with the respect, credit, and pay they deserve. Kudos to MRC, and congratulations to M. Night Shyamalan!
