Netflix has officially stepped into the big leagues with its biggest purchase yet. The streaming giant has secured a deal for Bright , “a cop thriller with fantastical elements,” according to Deadline . Will Smith and Joel Edgerton will star in the movie, which will begin filming this Fall in Los Angeles. Suicide Squad’ s David Ayer is set to direct. Deadline reports Netflix invested $90 million to beat out Warner Bros. MGM, and PalmStar, which is a staggering $30 million more than the streaming service paid for Brad Pitt’s War Machine earlier this year.
Smith will play a human cop who was forced to have an Orc, Edgerton, for a partner. The R-rated film takes place in a world where humans live side by side with magical creatures. Max Landis ( Chronicles, American Ultra ) wrote the script. Landis will also produce alongside Eric Newman and Bryan Unkeless.
We have a few more details on War Machine as well, which is expected to release sometime in 2016. According to Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos , “War Machine is a rip-roaring, behind-the-facade tale of modern war decision-makers, from the corridors of power to the distant regions of America’s ambitions.” .
Inspired by the best-selling book ‘The Operators: The Wild and Terrifying Inside Story of America’s War in Afghanistan’ by the late Michael Hastings, War Machine concerns four star, “rock star” General Stanley A. McChrystal (Brad Pitt) whose lethal reputation and impeccable track record vaults him to command the American war in Afghanistan. Determined to win the “impossible” war once and for all with a radical new approach, McChrystal and his motley staff of commanders and press advisers race across the globe navigating delicate international alliances and troop requests, the charged battlefield of Washington politics, the voracious appetite of the media, and the day-to-day management of the war itself – all the while struggling to stay connected to the lives of men and women out in the field.
Netflix has nearly a dozen more original movies planned , including another promising script starring Paul Rudd. Ben (Paul Rudd) suffers a tragedy and takes a job as a caregiver to earn money. He meets 18-year old Trevor (Craig Roberts) who has muscular dystrophy and the two embark on a road trip. Along the way they become friends with Dot (Selena Gomez). Rob Burnett, best known as the executive producer of the Late Show With David Letterman, will direct Netflix’s indie-dramatic comedy.
With Will Smith, Brad Pitt, and Paul Rudd all signed on for films in the near future, Netflix is making its presence known and is securing its place as a true replacement for TV not just in the U.S., but internationally.
