What in the world would possess Paramount to offend one of the... if not the... biggest directors of this generation.
Paramount Pictures bought Spielberg's baby, DreamWorks, back in 2005 and it has been one slap in the face after another.
Originally DreamWorks was to be a studio within a studio. The biggest part of the Deal was Paramount gaining control of DW's libray valued at $900 million which it later sold a 51% stake of the library to private investors for $675 million dollars. And right from the get go the marriage was ugly.
In an effort to solidify it's claim Paramount's Chief at the wheel, Brad Grey, announced the premeire of the DreamWorks produced Dream Girls alluding to it being a Paramount production. In more and more press releases, DW productions were refered to as Paramount productions which didn't bode well with Spielberg or his top brass.
Spielberg is also a loyalist in the truest sense who believes conflicts should be a private affair. He took offense to Paramounts very public thrashing of friend and actor Tom Cruise, as well as Paramounts criticisms of Clint Eastwood's marketing strategy for Flags of our Fathers.
Wonderfully Spielberg is coming to the end of the contract and can pull out and legally take DreamWorks Pictures with him. I truly hope to see Spielberg take his business elsewhere. I am not a fan of the Studio system. But I guess neither was Lucas and now he is a studio man. You may ask what is the point of this post and it is this... Paramount is crazy, Spielberg is an incredible film maker and... and... I guess that is it. Sorry for the rant.
