Netflix may be about to add another big Hollywood name to its stable, with legendary French director Luc Besson said to be preparing to sign a multi-movie deal with the streaming company.
Besson, who directed classics including The Fifth Element and Leon: The Professional, would have a $30 million budget per movie, with the films coming under the Netflix Originals banner.
The deal could also expand to include the rights to the film library of EuropaCorp, Besson's production company, and even a stake in the company too. This would potentially give Netflix control of franchises including Taken, Taxi and The Transporter.
Besson bouncing back?
Besson has as much, if not more, to gain from the deal than Netflix. Last year the director's sci-fi epic, Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets, flopped, leaving EuropaCorp $285 million in debt and reducing its valuation to $73 million, a fall of 60% from where it was before the release of the movie.
However, Besson retains a pedigree that's no doubt attractive to Netflix, despite recent woes. He would be following in the footsteps of Mark Millar, the comic book legend responsible for Kingsman and Kick-Ass, whose company Millarworld was recently acquired by Netflix.
We were lucky enough to have Luc Besson act as TechRadar's guest editor for a day last year. Click here to check out the fantastic sci-fi focused features and content Besson brought to TechRadar's world.
Via: Variety
