United Artists Is Back: Former Netflix Chief Scott Stuber to Head Label Under Amazon MGM
Scott Stuber wasn’t out of the game for long, and he’s bringing back with him a venerated classic film brand. The former Netflix film chief is teaming with Amazon MGM Studios to relaunch the United Artists label and help produce movies for both theatrical and streaming.
Stuber left Netflix this spring, and under his new production company about to launch, he’ll already have a first-look, multiyear film deal with Amazon MGM Studios and will be involved in anything released by the new United Artists.
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“With his proven track record of delivering global hits and an eye towards theatrical fare, Scott’s expertise and vision align perfectly with our film strategy,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon MGM Studios. “We are so proud to welcome him to our lot and partner with him on the relaunch of the legendary UA brand, as we work to leverage existing and new IP into big, broad films that resonate with worldwide audiences.”
“I’ve had the pleasure of working with Mike Hopkins, Jen Salke and Courtenay Valenti over the years, and I’m thrilled to partner with them to produce a slate of films and to relaunch the iconic UA brand that has such a rich history of cinematic storytelling,” said Scott Stuber. “During this dynamic and transformative time for our industry, I am excited to have the opportunity to work with partners who are committed to telling stories that reach and resonate with global audiences. I look forward to producing a wide range of films with great filmmakers, using both original story concepts and MGM and United Artists’ incredible library of existing IP.”
United Artists was founded in 1919 by Charlie Chaplin, D.W. Griffith, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks to give actors control over their financial and creative interests. The studio produced numerous all-time great silent classics from Griffith, Chaplin, and others, including Buster Keaton’s “Steamboat Bill, Jr.,” Chaplin’s “The Circus,” Griffith’s “Broken Blossoms,” and, by the ’30s, Chaplin’s “City Lights” and “Modern Times,” to name a few of the hundreds in their library from United Artists’ first two decades.
But the brand was acquired by MGM in 1981, and MGM was naturally acquired by Amazon in 2022 for $8.5 billion. That opens the door for Amazon to look to Stuber to figure out how to remake or reboot anything in the UA library. Also of potential note (no projects were announced as part of the deal so far), United Artists has previously been the home of the James Bond franchise, so it’s possible that Stuber could have creative input over that brand as the Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael Wilson look to relaunch it with a new 007 to replace Daniel Craig.
Stuber was chairman of Netflix Film from 2017 to 2024. As IndieWire wrote upon his exit, Stuber turned Netflix into a place where filmmakers wanted to work. That’s not exactly an actor taking control of their own destiny the way Chaplin envisioned it, let alone for one of the biggest corporate conglomerates in the world like Amazon, but in 2024, he’s a pretty good champion for artists.
While he produced some of Netflix’s biggest all-time hits like “Red Notice,” “The Gray Man,” and “Bird Box,” Stuber had a real itch for ambitious (and costly) awards bait and auteur projects. He made Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” Martin Scorsese’s “The Irishman,” Alfonso Cuarón’s “Roma” and many more. He never won the Best Picture Oscar for Netflix, and though he fought to put more Netflix movies into theaters, he never really won that battle, either. Amazon and United Artists will give him that chance.
Prior to Netflix, Stuber founded and ran Bluegrass Films, which produced films like “Ted,” “Central Intelligence,” and “Safe House,” among others. A former vice chairman of worldwide production at Universal Studios, he was responsible for films like “A Beautiful Mind,” “Seabiscuit,” “Cinderella Man,” “Jarhead,” “8 Mile,” “Meet the Parents” and its follow-up films, plus both the “Bourne” and “Fast and the Furious” franchises. More than 20 of the films he supervised grossed over $100 million at the U.S. box office.
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