Amazon Studios partners with Nicole Kidman’s production company
In another significant production deal that is intended to strengthen its position against Netflix and other competitors, Amazon Studios has signed a first-look agreement with Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman’s production company, Blossom Films, for theatrical, television series and digital content.
The deal announced Thursday is the second major partnership that Amazon Studios has signed this month, following its first-look deal with writer-director-actor Jordan Peele’s company, Monkeypaw Productions.
Amazon said it will work with Blossom Films to develop original series that will be available exclusively on Amazon Prime Video around the world, as well as movies that will be distributed in cinemas.
Blossom Films has had a strong relationship with HBO, which makes the Amazon deal a significant win for the Seattle-based e-commerce giant. First-look deals typically give studios the first opportunity to either sign on or pass on a TV series or movie project.
Kidman’s company is behind HBO’s “Big Little Lies,” which has won Kidman multiple acting honors including Emmy, Golden Globe and Screen Actors Guild awards. The hit series is currently in production for its second season.
Blossom is also continuing to partner with HBO on David E. Kelley’s limited series “The Undoing,” in which Kidman will star and that will go into production next year.
Among Blossom Films’ other projects was the 2010 movie “Rabbit Hole,” based on the David Lindsay-Abaire stage play. The movie, about a couple coping with the death of a child, earned Kidman an Oscar nomination.
“Nicole is a force of nature as both an actress and a producer,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios, in a statement on Thursday. “She understands the focus of bringing addictive, entertaining and compelling television to our Prime Video customers as well as movies that will connect with film audiences.”
Salke joined Amazon Studios in February after serving as president of NBC Entertainment.
Prior to Salke’s appointment, Amazon Studios was struggling to land a major hit series. Though some of its show have won critical acclaim and awards — including “Transparent” and “Mozart in the Jungle” — the studio has not had a breakout hit on the scale of Netflix’s “Stranger Things.”
The studio is now aiming higher, with ambitious projects such as its forthcoming TV adaptation of J.R.R. Tolkien’s “The Lord of the Rings.” Netflix is still expected to outspend all of its rivals, with a content outlay between $7 billion and $8 billion this year.
Unlike Netflix, Amazon Studios releases its feature movies in cinemas before making them available for streaming.
Blossom Films was launched in 2010 by Kidman and Per Saari. Its other projects include the 2015 movie “The Family Fang,” which also starred Kidman.
“I’m excited to start working with Jen Salke and the Amazon team,” the actress said in a statement. “Our goal at Blossom Films is to create important and entertaining content across multiple platforms, and I can’t think of better collaborators with which to accomplish this.”
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