Disney Wants Bruckheimer to Be the Happiest Producer on Earth - LA Times 4/23/05

[BigPigletFan]

Original article published by The Los Angeles Times April 23, 2005

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-jerry23apr23,1,1966021.story?ctrack=1&cset=true

The same story was run by Newsday under the title: "Can Disney produce a deal?"
The Los Angeles Times - April 28, 2005

http://www.newsday.com/business/ny-bzdisn4235892apr28,0,7481321.story?coll=ny-business-headlines

Last week, Walt Disney Co. stole one of Hollywood's biggest producers, Scott Rudin, from Paramount Pictures.

Now, Disney is working to make sure its own biggest marquee producer, Jerry Bruckheimer, stays in the fold.

"Much is at stake for Disney in keeping Bruckheimer happy. For more than a decade, the producer has delivered the kind of large-scale, adrenaline-laced films the studio needs to anchor its yearly movie offerings, including 'Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl,' 'Armageddon,' 'The Rock,' 'Crimson Tide' and, most recently, 'National Treasure.'

Bruckheimer has been courted by game developers and is eager to expand into the business. Disney, meanwhile, is moving back into developing its own games and wants Bruckheimer be a part of it. Disney recently announced that it was buying a small Utah video game developer and investing in a Canadian venture."

One issue Disney and Bruckheimer must agree on his the profits from DVD sales; however, he is one of the highest paid producers already. Although most of his films have done amazing financially, 'Pearl Harbor' and '"King Arthur' didn't do as well as planned.

''Jerry's been our power hitter for many years, and it is our desire for him to continue to be our power hitter for years to come,' said Walt Disney Studios chairman Dick Cook.

Bruckheimer, who is shooting two 'Pirates of the Caribbean' sequels back-to-back, also expressed a desire to extend his run there.

'I've had a phenomenal relationship over the past 15 years with Dick Cook and his team, and I hope we continue for another 15 years,' said Bruckheimer, 59."

So both sides appear to want to make this relationship continue. How you feel about it? Are the films worth the high costs of Jerry Bruckheimer? Is the risk too high with some recent mishaps with films or should they be overlooked?

[Gwyren]

Well, it is a bit wrong, in my opinion, for ANYone to ask to share in the profits and not share in the risk. If he gets profits from DVD sales, grosses, etc, maybe he should have to help cover a similar percentage of losses?

[Fishbulb]

I think Bruckheimer has contributed a great deal to the dumbing down of America. His cinematic sewage has made money only by pandering to the ebb and flow of idiotic pop culture through the most basic plots conceivable. His movies, or "Event" movies, make a great deal of money because they are big eye/ear candy that doesn't tax the brain in the least and that is what the majority of moviegoers want.

The reason why his last couple of movies did not fair so well is because he tried to dip his foot into the "Important" movie pool. That would require vision, forethought, and a message, or something to say. Bruckheimer has nothing to say except 'come to my movies to escape reality', (I paraphrase but he did actually mention, in an interview once, that particular sentiment.)

Bruckheiner and Disney are, unfortunately, a great match. Neither wants to do anything particulary daring, thoughtful, or risky, and both are out to make money. Because of my particular hatred for the deliberate stupidity in most of his films I have refused to watch anything Bruckheimer produces. I don't want to contribute to that man's bombastic career. Yeah I missed Pirates, and I hear it's actually not bad. That could be because Bruckheimer lucked into good decisions in hiring a very good director like Gore Verbinski. J.B could actually put out a movie with substance, but I an certain it wouldn't be intentional. That would be too original.