Tinsel Town is in panic mode as the studio behind Oscar-winning movies like “Green Book,” “Spotlight,” and “An Inconvenient Truth” faces its demise. With Netflix exiting the auteur business and Hollywood grappling with the rise of AI and waning audiences, the industry is in chaos.
Participant, formed in 2004 by progressive eBay co-founder Jeff Skoll to create socially aware films, has seen considerable success. With projects like “Truth,” “RGB,” and “When They See Us”, it managed to walk the line between message and merriment. Skoll’s decision to shutter Participant says something about the state of affairs in Hollywood. Prestige filmmakers are struggling to get their visions made in the 21st century. Netflix had provided a haven for these auteurs but has now announced a shift towards populist original films, leaving big names like David Lynch and Katherine Bigelow struggling.
A Harper’s Magazine piece highlighted various issues plaguing the industry, with layoffs hitting talent agencies, streaming giants, and other studios. The industry is also wary of AI technology’s potential to displace human workers, causing further panic.
Desperate measures like reviving dead franchises such as “The Blair Witch Project” and the “Scary Movie” series are being resorted to, but it may require innovation, understanding audience expectations, and less ideological content to truly save Hollywood. Actors should also be less dismissive of their dwindling fan bases — embracing balanced narratives and steering clear of polarizing political commentary.
The industry should learn from Kevin Costner’s “Horizon” film saga, an old-fashioned western spanning four feature films, which he co-funded. It represents a risk-taking approach that the film industry desperately needs. If Hollywood is bold, resourceful, and lucky enough, it may remake itself anew – just as the promise of America once beckoned dreamers.
