The chains that bind Spielberg to Paramount have just about rusted through and people are starting to wonder what his next move may be. This story was brough tto our atention thanks to the wonderful caves of Yahoo:
Hollywood studios are getting ready to wine and dine Steven Spielberg as his contract with Paramount winds down. The filmmaker has endured a bumpy ride at Paramount, but executives at the Viacom Inc-owned studio believe they have a shot at keeping him in the fold. Spielberg’s contract actually runs until 2010, but he has the right to terminate it at year’s end. While top Paramount insiders say they don’t expect him to decide until the summer, a window opens May 1 on his ability to talk to other studios.
Paramount acquired Spielberg’s services in 2005 when it paid $1.6 billion for DreamWorks, the studio he co-founded with David Geffen and Jeffrey Katzenberg. There’s considerable consensus that while things might not have worked out as swimmingly as Spielberg had hoped, much has been done to address his most serious misgivings.
I am not too concerned with what studio Spielberg decides to sign with, as long as he is allowed the freedom to make the movies that interest him. I am not sure it is in his best interest to sign any contracts at this point. He is big enough to call his own shots and should shop around each film rather than being shackled to one studio. Spielberg has worked for the man long enough and I wouldn’t be surprised if he decides to ride out the rest of his days as a lone wolf.
