J.J. Abrams Chose Warner Bros. Deal Over Apple For “Deep Bench Of IP”

J.J. Abrams Warner Bros Apple

A report claims that despite Apple’s higher offer, J.J. Abrams chose the partnership with Warner Bros. because of its “deep bench of IP”.

THR reports that J.J. Abrams, his wife and Bad Robot partner Katie McGrath have opted to remain with WarnerMedia for their new partnership in a five-year pact. J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot are set to produce new content for Warner Bros., HBO and the upcoming HBO Max streaming service. This deal is worth at least $250 million.

Apple reportedly offered J.J. Abrams a deal in the range of $500 million to set up Bad Robot as exclusively part of the $1 trillion company. Ultimately, J.J. Abrams rejected Apple’s deal due to the fact that it was asking for Bad Robot to produce content exclusively for them, preventing him from working on projects from other companies that include Disney (of which he’s currently working in post-production for with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker) and Paramount, where he has an established history working on both the Star Trek and Mission: Impossible franchises.

J.J. Abrams also expressed concern about Apple’s lack of a theatrical distribution model, which WarnerMedia still has thanks to Warner Bros. Pictures and New Line Cinema. Along with theatrical distribution, J.J. Abrams was offered access to a “deep bench of IP” to work on as well as opportunities to create new franchises.

When it comes to his career as a film director and producer, J.J. Abrams is known for his journeyman approach in directing films in already-established franchises such as Mission: Impossible, Star Trek and of course, Star Wars. Given that Warner Bros. has a few franchises for J.J. Abrams to work on, this certainly was a major factor into choosing this partnership.

Many DC Comics fans have expressed interest in having J.J. Abrams step into the DC Extended Universe to direct a film – perhaps a Superman movie. After all, he penned a script entitled Superman: Flyby in 2002.

Given this new deal with Warner Bros., what kind of projects and established IP do you think J.J. Abrams and Bad Robot will work on? Also, was this the right decision over Apple’s $500 million offer? Sound off in the comments below, and be sure to continue following Heroic Hollywood for all the latest news regarding J.J. Abrams, Warner Bros., Apple TV Plus and more.

Source: THR

Noah Villaverde

Noah Villaverde

Cinema lover. Saxophone player. Coffee consumer. Chronic complainer. Oh, I also write. #TeamHeroic