Michael Douglas is detailing just how much streaming has affected the role of producers in Hollywood. The actor/producer, who at Cannes was celebrating the 50th anniversary of “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest,” which he produced and won an Oscar for, told Deadline that Silicon Valley-based companies such as Amazon and Apple have “inhaled Hollywood.” And that’s even despite filmmaking not being their core conglomerate purpose.
“Today, streaming has taken over. It has inhaled Hollywood. It’s very lucrative,” Douglas said. “Silicon Valley made us look like paupers. For Amazon and Apple, movies are a side business. At the same time, many of the great screenwriters went to work in TV and streaming.”
Douglas, who won the Best Picture Oscar alongside Saul Zaentz for “Cuckoo’s Nest,” recalled how the iconic Miloš Forman film itself fared in theaters. The drama made history as one of the three films to ever to win all five major Academy Awards of Best Picture, Actor, Actress, Director, and Screenplay.
“‘Cuckoo’s Nest’ was an entirely independent production,” he said. “The studios all passed on it. Maybe they didn’t like the deal we offered, because we had already financed it. But they were also skeptical about the material. […] If you compare the five Best Picture nominees from our year [also nominated at the 1976 ceremony were ‘Barry Lyndon,’ ‘Dog Day Afternoon,’ ‘Jaws,’ and ‘Nashville’], with some of the recent years… Theatrically it has become very difficult.”
Douglas particularly pointed to the Apple Original film “Wolfs” starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt. Director Jon Watts revealed that Apple was first going to give the feature a wide theatrical release and switched it “last-minute” to a streaming release with a one-week theatrical window. “I wasn’t even told about it until less than a week before they announced it to the world,” Watts told Collider in 2024, adding that he canceled the planned sequel since he “no longer trusted [Apple] as a creative partner.”
Now, Douglas is citing how the “Wolfs” rollout is sadly an indicator of the priorities for tech companies turned studios. “Look at that Apple movie ‘Wolfs.’ It was meant to be theatrical, and it turned into a one-week release,” Douglas said. “I’m working on a small movie right now that I’m going to produce and I’m aware how difficult it’s going to be to get it into theaters for any length of time. The issue is whether the movie theater experience can hang in there. It’s a tough time for theater owners.”
As for whether or not Douglas will act again, he at least ruled out returning to Marvel (“I don’t think so” he said of possibly reprising his “Ant-Man” role.)
“I’m enjoying my hiatus and enjoying my life. It was overwhelming running the production company and acting at the same time,” Douglas said. “If something good comes up that I really like [I will act in it]. But I don’t feel a burning desire. I’m still producing. I still love bringing people together.”
