HOW TO MAKE A MOVIE. A 🎥🧵on Hollywood, 2024.

To commemorate my most recent trip around the Sun, below are a few thoughts on getting a film made in today’s Hollywood.

It’s a tough time in the business, but I believe content will always be king.

For context, I’ve been involved in producing 6 studio films with combined production budgets north of $250M. I’ve developed dozens more.

DISCLAIMER: All the normal caveats apply, and there are exceptions to every rule. No film comes together the same way. The business is constantly evolving, so you must continually adapt.

That said, there are 4 paths to studio caliber films.

1.IP
2.Talent

4.Sheer Force of Will

Let’s explore each in more detail.3.Cash 1.INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (IP):

The most common path to a film is rooted in IP. This comes in a variety of form:

- books (HARRY POTTER)
- comic books (AVENGERS)
- plays (A FEW GOOD MEN)
- true stories (OPPENHEIMER)
- toys (BARBIE)
- video games (SUPER MARIO BROS)
- short stories (THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION)

Control the IP, you can get yourself a seat at the table and help produce a movie.

To be clear, it will likely take YEARS to successfully adapt the IP. As one of the more famous examples, Michael Ulsan famously shopped the BATMAN rights to studios for a decade before a film was made. He saw the value of the IP before others, and as a result remains an EP on every Batman project.

Stephen King, one of the most adapted authors of all time, has literally hundreds of titles that have yet to be produced into films and are technically available.

Incredible true stories happen every day. Constantly keep your eyes open to new stories.

The lesson: control meaningful IP, there is a viable path to a movie.