Steven Soderbergh Inks Overall Deal With HBO Max & HBO – TCA

Denise Petski

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Steven Soderbergh is expanding his relationship with WarnerMedia with a three-year overall deal for HBO Max and HBO. Under the pact, which builds on Soderbergh’s previously announced film with HBO Max, Let Them All Talk, the Oscar-and Emmy-winning filmmaker will develop content for HBO Max and HBO, which will be exclusive in all forms of television and a first-look for features. The deal was announced today during WarnerMedia’s presentation at TCA.

Let Them All Talk, starring Meryl Streep, Candice Bergen, Dianne Wiest, Lucas Hedges and Gemma Chan, tells the story of a celebrated author (Streep) who takes a journey with some old friends to have some fun and heal old wounds. The film will launch on HBO Max in 2020. Soderbergh has been making films with Warner Bros. Pictures since 2001 and remains a long-time collaborator with HBO.

“This arrangement grew out of talks Michael Sugar and I were having with Sarah Aubrey during the negotiations for Let Them All Talk, and there were four things tractor-beaming me toward this deal: One, I have a history with both HBO and Warner Bros.; two, my definition of a good product, a good process, and a good working culture is shared by the WarnerMedia family; three, the wide range of potential outlets aligns with my range of interests, and four: I get to witness and participate in the building of something new at a very large scale. Oh, and there is a financial aspect, so that’s probably five,” said Soderbergh.

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“Steven is a groundbreaking filmmaker who not only tells unique, irresistible stories, but is also a master of so many genres,” said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content, HBO Max. “In many ways, he is the anti-algorithm constantly surprising, never predictable and his career is living proof that one gifted filmmaker can impact our culture again and again. I can’t wait for the projects that we’re working on together to premiere on HBO Max.”

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Soderbergh most recently directed the films The Laundromat and High Flying Bird, both of which debuted on Netflix in 2019. He earned the Academy Award in 2000 for directing Traffic, the same year he was nominated for Erin Brockovich. Soderbergh earlier gained an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Screenplay for sex, lies, and videotape, his feature film directorial debut. The film also won the Palme d’Or at the 1989 Cannes Film Festival. His other credits include the HBO limited series Mosaic, the television series The Knick for Cinemax, and the films Unsane, Logan Lucky, Side Effects, Magic Mike, among many others. He won a 2013 Outstanding Directing Emmy award for his television film Behind the Candelabra, which debuted on HBO in May of that year.

“From Behind the Candelabra, to The Knick and Mosaic, we know first-hand that Steven Soderbergh’s creative genius knows no bounds,” said Casey Bloys, President, HBO Programming. “An indefatigable innovator, we couldn’t be more excited to continue our relationship with Steven and provide a home for his future projects.”

The deal was brokered by Michael Sugar of Sugar 23 and Jamie Feldman of Lichter, Grossman, Nichols, Adler, Feldman & Clark.

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