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Sean Parker, the entrepreneur behind Napster and Facebook, has taken a minority stake in Weta Digital, the New Zealand-based visual effects company formed by Peter Jackson.
Weta Digital is the team behind the CGI characters Gollum in the “Lord of the Rings” films and Caesar from the “Planet of the Apes” movies, as well as designing Middle Earth and Pandora from “Avatar.”
“I’ve long admired Peter Jackson’s and Fran Walsh’s work, and the ground-breaking VFX and animation that Weta Digital has created over the last two decades. The visionary leadership, imagination, and technical expertise of Weta Digital was vital to the creation of Academy Award-winning films such as ‘Avatar,’ ‘King Kong’ and ‘Lord of the Rings.’ I look forward to helping grow Weta Digital and I’m excited to partner with Peter, the leadership of Weta, and its incredibly talented team,” Parker said in a statement.
“Sean Parker brings an invaluable expertise that will fortify Weta Digital from a technological perspective, while also focusing on its growth as an industry leader,” Jackson said. “As I have gotten to know him, I have been extremely impressed with his curiosity, intelligence and passion.”
Parker last generated serious buzz in Hollywood over his proposed day-and-date movie release model called The Screening Room, which was introduced in 2016. The plan would allow consumers to pay about $150 for a set-top box and receive access to new releases for $50 on the day of their theatrical release. Jackson was just one of many filmmakers who embraced the idea and became a stockholder in the company.
Weta Digital is led by senior visual effects supervisor Joe Letteri, and the company’s artists collectively have landed six visual effects Oscars. Some of their recent projects include “Alita: Battle Angel,” “Mortal Engines,” “Avengers: Infinity War,” “Avengers: Endgame,” “Game of Thrones” and “Umbrella Academy.” They also worked on the de-aging technology for the upcoming “Gemini Man” starring Will Smith.
Parker is the founder and President of the Parker Foundation, which focuses on life sciences, global public health and civic engagement. In April 2016, the Parker Foundation announced a $250 million grant to form the Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy.
12 Hollywood Heavyweights for and Against Sean Parker's Screening Room Proposal
AGAINST: Roland Emmerich The "Independence Day: Resurgence" director joined the chorus of Parker detractors saying, "it's crucial that we support and protect the cinematic experience."
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FOR: Peter Jackson The "Hobbit" helmer said the device "does not play off studio against theater owner. Instead it respects both, and is structured to support the long term health of both exhibitors and distributors."
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FOR: Steven Spielberg Perhaps the most important of all backers, Mr. Spielberg is also an advisor to Parker.
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AGAINST: James Cameron The "Titanic" and "Avatar" director joined producer Jon Landau in blasting the conceit, saying, "we don’t understand why the industry would want to provide audiences an incentive to skip the best form to experience the art that we work so hard to create.”
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FOR: Martin Scorsese The iconic director also serves as one of Parker's advisors.
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FOR: J.J. Abrams The gatekeeper of the "Star Wars" universe sits on Parker's panel of advisers.
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AGAINST: Jon Landau The mega-grossing producer blasted Parker's notion in a joint statement with director James Cameron, saying "both Jim and I remain committed to the sanctity of the in-theater experience. For us, from both a creative and financial standpoint, it is essential for movies to be offered exclusively in theaters for their initial release."
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AGAINST: Christopher Nolan The "Interstellar" director echoed support for Screening Room dissenters James Cameron and Jon Landau, saying "it would be hard to express the great importance of exclusive theatrical presentation to our industry more compellingly than Jon Landau and James Cameron did."
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FOR: Ron Howard In remarks with Grazer, Howard said "Screening Room uniquely provides [a] solution."
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AGAINST: M. Night Shyamalan The "Signs" director has opposed the proposal, tweeting, "Once filmmakers & theater owners open the door to this idea, there is no going back. The movie going experience is something to fight for!"
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FOR: Brian Grazer In a joint statement with director Ron Howard, the prolific producer said Screening Room is "fair, balanced and provides significant value for the entire industry that we love. We make movies for the big screen and for as many people to see it."
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FOR: Frank Marshall The prolific producer is on a board of Parker's advisors for this specific concept.
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Major directors and producers are divided over the tech entrepreneur’s plan to stream new movies at home for $50 the week of opening