FIELD NOTES

Netflix v. Disney:
War of the Ages

E
ntertainment’s most formidable media
company and the industry’s most ferocious Feedback
disruptor have drawn lines in the sand,
For last week’s Power of Young
prompting what could shape up to be an all-out Hollywood issue, Variety
battle for industry supremacy as they fiercely caught up with three stars in
THE VOICES BEHIND THE ISSUE

their 20s — Zendaya, Chloë

compete for top talent and consumer attention.
Grace Moretz and John Boyega
Bob Iger threw down the gauntlet last week by announcing — to find out what fame means
Disney’s plans to launch its own streaming service and with- to them. Variety.com readers
weighed in on the futures of
hold all its branded family and Pixar movies from Netflix. the three young actors.
His “frenemy,” Ted Sarandos, fired back on Aug. 13 with Alan Anderson says:
shocking news that he had stolen away Disney/ABC’s most “Variety did right by realizing
powerful showrunner, Shonda Rhimes. I’d like to see Iger’s face the star-power of John Boyega.
He’s the new fresh face of young
when he reads what Sarandos told our writer Ramin Setoodeh actors, yet wise beyond his
about his cozy relationship with his neighbor: “I have sought years.”
her feedback and even delivered DVDs to her house myself for Brenda says:
our upcoming projects.” “Love Zendaya! Smart, success-
ful, and a good head on
You got to hand it to Sarandos, who pulled an Iger in keeping her shoulders.”
secret his hot pursuit of Rhimes from the press for months just
like the Disney leader was super stealth about his multibil-
lion-dollar acquisitions of Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm.
The loss of Rhimes to Netflix comes as a big blow to Disney
and a rare black eye for Iger, who has led the charge on making Uncovered
bold moves and establishing the Burbank giant as the mighti-
Photographed Aug. 4, 2017
est force on the planet.
Speaking of Marvel and Lucasfilm, Netflix has (had?) been in
negotiations with Disney to license the streaming rights to its
coveted Marvel and “Star Wars” movies. Just a guess, but I don’t
think Mr. Iger will be in the mood any time soon — or maybe
ever — to make that deal. Then, you have Sarandos hoping to
build an armory of his own superhero characters and stories
with last week’s acquisition of comic-book empire Millarworld.
But, Marvel is so dominant and so far ahead of the pack, it’d be
hard to match its success.
Iger can take some heart in the fact that Sarandos, who is
cool, calm and confident on the outside, is freaking out a bit on
the inside. Though he tries hard to downplay moves by Disney
and other traditional companies to wade into Netflix’s stream-
ing waters, he reveals his biggest fear to Setoodeh: “The more
successful we get, the more anxious I get about the willingness
of the networks to license their stuff to us.”
That said, Sarandos, clearly a ruthless business tycoon
beyond the affable personality, wants to appear sanguine — at
least that’s the message he wants to deliver to Hollywood.
VARIETY.COM

When asked in a video Q&A by our reporter Elizabeth About the Photographer
Wagmeister whom he considered his biggest competitors, he
BOYEGA: ZOEY GROSSMAN; STREIBER: STEVEN SPIELBERG

Art Streiber specializes in

quipped: “Sleep and time.” portrait, reportage, entertainment
and advertising photography. His
editorial clients include Vanity
AUGUST 15, 2017

You got to hand it Fair, Entertainment Weekly, GQ,

ESPN The Magazine and The
to Sarandos, who New York Times Magazine, and
pulled an Iger in his entertainment clients include
keeping secret all the major movie studios and
broadcast, cable and digital
his hot pursuit Claudia Eller networks. Streiber is based in
8 of Rhimes.” Co-Editor-in-Chief Los Angeles.
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