Bad Robot Productions
Bad Robot is an American film and television production company founded on May 27, 1999 and led by Katie McGrath and J.J. Abrams as Co-CEO. Under its Bad Robot Productions division, the company is responsible for the television series Alias, Lost, Fringe, Person of Interest, Revolution, and Westworld alongside the feature-length films Cloverfield, Star Trek, Super 8, Star Trek Into Darkness, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Star Wars Episodes VII and IX, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Star Trek Beyond, The Cloverfield Paradox, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, and Overlord.
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| Type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | |
| Founded | May 27, 1999 |
| Founders | Bryan Burk J.J. Abrams |
| Headquarters | Santa Monica, California, United States |
Key people | J. J. Abrams (Chairman and Co-CEO) Katie McGrath (Co-CEO) Brian Weinstein (President and COO) |
| Divisions | Bad Robot Productions Bad Robot Interactive Bad Robot Television Bad Robot Games Loud Robot |
| Website | www |
History
Bad Robot was originally based at Touchstone Television, but was moved by Abrams to Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Television, after his contract with ABC expired in 2006. Bad Robot produced Lost in association with ABC Studios, formerly Touchstone Television. The two companies jointly produced Six Degrees and What About Brian. The deal was first recommended and presented in 1999 as part of a presentation deal, with J.J. Abrams being contracted to Disney.[1] In 2004, Thom Sherman joined Bad Robot Television as president of the studio.[2] The company had developed presentation pitches for ABC and The WB, none of them would eventually got to series.[3]
Abrams is Chairman and Co-Chief executive officer of Bad Robot, and Katie McGrath serves as the Company's Co-Chief executive officer. In June 2017, Bad Robot announced that Brian Weinstein would become President and Chief Operating Officer, overseeing daily operations and spearhead the company's growth strategy in its existing businesses, while developing new areas of expansion across the entire Bad Robot platform and pursuing alternative financing options.[4] In May 2015, Ben Stephenson left the BBC where he had been head of drama to helm Bad Robot Television. Lindsey Weber leads Bad Robot's feature film division.
The production logo has appeared since 2001, featuring a red rectangular headed robot running through a meadow silhouetted until it appears suddenly in front of the camera, followed by voices provided by two of Abrams's children, Henry and Gracie Abrams, saying "Bad robot!"[5] Although some fans believe that the name comes from a line in the animated film The Iron Giant, Abrams told Entertainment Weekly that it simply came to him during a writers' meeting.[5]
In February 2013, it was announced that Bad Robot would be partnering with the Valve Corporation to produce possibly a Half-Life or Portal film in the distant future.[6] In August 2015, Valve released a new beta game mode to Team Fortress 2, PASS Time, which Bad Robot worked on.[7] On July 7, 2016, the PASS Time game mode became official.[8] Bad Robot released a trailer entitled "Stranger" (otherwise known as S.), rumoured to be Abrams' next film or television project, perhaps even a Lost spin-off, but it was finally explained to be promoting S., Abrams and Doug Dorst's new novel, as a new trailer for S. was released. In February 2017, it was announced Julius Avery is attached to direct a Paramount coproduction, the World War II zombie film Overlord, from screenwriter Billy Ray.[9]
Bad Robot Productions is currently based in Santa Monica, California,[10] in a building which is incorrectly labeled on purpose as the home of the fictional "National Typewriter Company" because Abrams "likes typewriters — and misdirection."[11]
In June 2018, the company announced a spin-off venture formed with the Chinese video game publisher Tencent to launch Bad Robot Games for the development of video games on mobile, computer and consoles, with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment as a minority investor. Bad Robot Games will develop and publish titles related to Abrams' works and other Bad Robot Production contents, with Tencent holding the rights for distribution in China. The division will be helmed by Dave Baronoff, who has worked on the Cloverfield franchise and in developing Spyjinx as a joint project between Bad Robot Productions and Epic Games (also partially owned by Tencent), while Tim Keenan, who helped develop Duskers, will serve as the creative director.[12]
In 2006, Bad Robot teamed up with Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Television for a $60 million development deal [13] that lasted through 2018.[14]
In late 2018, it was announced that Bad Robot was leaving Paramount and seeking a new overall deal.[15] In January 2019, it was announced that Universal, Disney, and Warner Bros. were the top three studios battling it out for what could be a record breaking overall deal including theme parks, music labels, TV, merchandising, and streaming services as Bad Robot plans on ramping up production significantly in the coming years.[16] It was also announced that Bad Robot would be co-producing a remake of the British series The Wrong Mans for American network Showtime along with BBC Studios, but Showtime later cancelled the project.[17][18][19]
Bad Robot launched a subsidiary record label called Loud Robot in late 2018,[20] in partnership with Capitol Music Group.[21] Loud Robot is headed by co-general managers McKee Floyd and Nicky Berger along with Charles Scott, who currently heads Bad Robot's music division and has been the leading music supervisor for the company's films. Artists signed to the label include Cleveland-born rapper Nnena,[22] neo soul singer/songwriter UMI,[23] Nashville, Tennessee-based alternative rock artist Chaz Cardigan,[24] and London-based rhythm and blues artist DWY.[25]
On September 12, 2019, Bad Robot officially announced a new five-year overall deal with WarnerMedia. According to The Hollywood Reporter, WarnerMedia agreed to pay Bad Robot at least $250 million (plus various financial incentives) to produce feature films, television shows, video games, and digital content.[26]
On May 25, 2021, Abrams announced that a Portal film adaptation, which has been in development since 2013, was still in production and a script has been written for the film.[27] In November 2021, the company launched its podcast division with a multi-year first-look deal at Spotify.[28]
On April 25, 2022, it was announced that Bad Robot will team up with Mattel Films and Warner Bros. Pictures to produce a live-action Hot Wheels film based on the toy line of the same name.[29]
Productions
Films
| Year | Title | Director | Co-production with | Budget | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Joy Ride | John Dahl | 20th Century Fox | $23 million | $36.6 million |
| 2008 | Cloverfield | Matt Reeves | Paramount Pictures | $25 million | $170.8 million |
| 2009 | Star Trek | J. J. Abrams | Paramount Pictures Spyglass Entertainment |
$150 million | $385.7 million |
| 2010 | Morning Glory | Roger Michell | Paramount Pictures | $40 million | $60 million |
| 2011 | Super 8 | J. J. Abrams | Paramount Pictures Amblin Entertainment |
$50 million | $260.1 million |
| Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | Brad Bird | Paramount Pictures TC Productions Skydance Productions |
$145 million | $694.7 million | |
| 2013 | Star Trek Into Darkness | J. J. Abrams | Paramount Pictures Skydance Productions K/O Paper Products |
$190 million | $467.4 million |
| 2014 | Infinitely Polar Bear | Maya Forbes | Sony Pictures Classics | $6.7 million | $2.1 million |
| 2015 | Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation | Christopher McQuarrie | Paramount Pictures Skydance Productions China Movie Channel Alibaba Pictures |
$150 million | $682.7 million |
| Star Wars: The Force Awakens | J. J. Abrams | Lucasfilm Ltd. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
$245 million | $2.068 billion | |
| 2016 | 10 Cloverfield Lane | Dan Trachtenberg | Paramount Pictures | $15 million | $110.2 million |
| Star Trek Beyond | Justin Lin | Paramount Pictures Skydance Media Alibaba Pictures Huahua Media Sneaky Shark Productions Perfect Storm Entertainment |
$185 million | $343.5 million | |
| 2018 | The Cloverfield Paradox | Julius Onah | Netflix Paramount Pictures |
$45 million | N/A |
| Mission: Impossible – Fallout | Christopher McQuarrie | Paramount Pictures TC Productions Skydance Media Alibaba Pictures |
$178 million | $791 million | |
| Overlord | Julius Avery | Paramount Pictures | $38 million | $41.7 million | |
| 2019 | Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker | J. J. Abrams | Lucasfilm Ltd. Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
$275 million | $1.074 billion |
| 2022 | Lou | Anna Foerster | Netflix | $36 million | N/A |
Upcoming films
| Year | Title | Director | Co-production with | Budget | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | Star Trek 4 | TBA | Paramount Pictures Skydance Media |
N/A | N/A |
| Hot Wheels[30][31] | TBA | Warner Bros. Pictures Mattel Films | |||
| Billy Summers[32] | TBA | Warner Bros. Pictures Appian Way Productions | |||
| Oh, the Places You'll Go![33] | Jon M. Chu | Warner Bros. Pictures Animation Dr. Seuss Enterprises | |||
| The Pinkerton[34] | Jason Bateman | Warner Bros. Pictures | |||
| Portal[27] | TBA | Warner Bros. Pictures Valve Corporation | |||
| Your Name[35][36] | Carlos López Estrada | Paramount Pictures | |||
| Untitled Cloverfield film | Babak Anvari | ||||
| Untitled Elseworlds Superman film[37] | TBA | Warner Bros. Pictures DC Studios | |||
TV series
| Year | Title | Creator(s) / Developer(s) | Co-production with | Notes | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–06 | Alias | J. J. Abrams | Touchstone Television | ABC | |
| 2004–10 | Lost | Jeffrey Lieber J. J. Abrams Damon Lindelof |
|||
| 2006–07 | What About Brian | Dana Stevens | Sachs/Judah Productions (season 1) Touchstone Television |
||
| Six Degrees | Raven Metzner Stuart Zicherman |
Nosebleed Productions Touchstone Television |
|||
| 2008–13 | Fringe | J. J. Abrams Alex Kurtzman Roberto Orci |
Warner Bros. Television | Fox | |
| 2009 | Anatomy of Hope | Pilot | — | ||
| 2010 | Undercovers | J. J. Abrams Josh Reims |
Warner Bros. Television Good Butter Productions |
NBC | |
| 2011–16 | Person of Interest | Jonathan Nolan | Kilter Films Warner Bros. Television |
CBS | |
| 2012 | Alcatraz | Elizabeth Sarnoff Steven Lilien Bryan Wynbrandt |
Warner Bros. Television | Fox | |
| Shelter | Pilot[38] | The CW | |||
| 2012–14 | Revolution | Eric Kripke Jon Favreau |
Kripke Enterprises Warner Bros. Television |
NBC | |
| 2013–14 | Almost Human | J. H. Wyman | Frequency Films Warner Bros. Television |
Fox | |
| 2014 | Believe | Alfonso Cuarón Mark Friedman |
Esperanto Filmoj Warner Bros. Television |
NBC | |
| 2015 | Dead People | Pilot[39] | The CW | ||
| 2016 | 11.22.63 | Bridget Carpenter | Carpenter B. Warner Bros. Television |
Hulu | |
| Moon Shot | Web series | — | |||
| Roadies | Cameron Crowe | Vinyl Films Warner Bros. Television Showtime Networks |
Showtime | ||
| 2016–22 | Westworld | Jonathan Nolan Lisa Joy |
HBO Entertainment Kilter Films Jerry Weintraub Productions (season 1) Warner Bros. Television |
HBO | |
| 2018–19 | Castle Rock | Sam Shaw | Old Curiosity Shop Darkbloom Productions Warner Bros. Television |
Hulu | |
| 2020 | Little Voice | Jessie Nelson | Dear Hope Productions Warner Bros. Television Studios |
Apple TV+ | |
| Lovecraft Country | Misha Green | Afemme Monkeypaw Productions Warner Bros. Television Studios |
HBO | ||
| Challenger: The Final Flight | Glen Zipper Steven Leckart |
Zipper Bros Films Sutter Road Picture Company |
Docuseries | Netflix | |
| 2021 | Lisey's Story | Stephen King | 40/60 Productions Warner Bros. Television Studios |
Apple TV+ | |
| UFO | Glen Zipper | Zipper Bros Films Sutter Road Picture Company |
Docuseries | Showtime |
Upcoming series
| Year | Title | Creator(s) / Developer(s) | Co-production with | Notes | Network |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TBA | Duster | TinkerToy Productions Warner Bros. Television Studios |
Max | ||
| Presumed Innocent | David E. Kelley Productions Old Curiosity Shop Productions Warner Bros. Television Studios |
[40] | Apple TV+ | ||
| Speed Racer | Warner Bros. Television Studios | [41] | |||
| Untamed | [42] | TBA | |||
| Batman: Caped Crusader | Bruce Timm | 6th & Idaho DC Entertainment Warner Bros. Animation |
[43] | Amazon Prime Video[44] |
Shorts
| Year | Title | Co-production with |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | KRE-O Star Trek | Paramount Pictures Skydance Productions CBS Consumer Products Hasbro |
| 2022 | The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse | Apple Studios BBC NoneMore Productions |
Video games
| Year | Title | Platform |
|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Action Movie FX | iOS |
| 2023 | Silent Hill: Ascension | TBA |
| TBA | Spyjinx | TBA |
Awards and recognition
- Nominations
- 2002 Emmy Award Nomination, Outstanding Writing for A Drama Series (Alias)[45]
- 2005 Emmy Award Nomination, Outstanding Writing for A Drama Series (Lost)[46]
- 2007 Golden Globe Award Nomination, Best Television Series – Drama (Lost)[47]
- Wins
References
- Littleton, Cynthia (May 27, 1999). "Abrams, Disney ink deal". Variety. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
- Schneider, Michael (February 4, 2004). "Staying in Touchstone". Variety. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
- Adalian, Josef (September 21, 2004). "'Mission' man touts net gains". Variety. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
- Kroll, Justin (June 13, 2017). "Bad Robot Names Brian Weinstein President and COO". Variety. Archived from the original on December 15, 2017. Retrieved June 13, 2017.
- Fonseca, Nicholas (December 7, 2001). "'Alias': The Story Behind J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot". Entertainment Weekly. Archived from the original on November 16, 2018. Retrieved November 8, 2018.
- Variety (February 12, 2013). "Star Trek's JJ Abrams and Valve's Gabe Newell - Full Keynote Speech - D.I.C.E. SUMMIT 2013". Archived from the original on December 2, 2015. Retrieved April 18, 2015.
- "Team Fortress 2". www.teamfortress.com. Archived from the original on July 29, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- "Team Fortress 2 - Meet Your Match". teamfortress.com. Archived from the original on August 12, 2016. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
- "Bad Robot's D-Day Movie 'Overlord' Finds Director (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. February 2, 2017. Archived from the original on January 31, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
- Abramian, Alexandria (September 11, 2013). "Source: J. J. Abrams Building 'Star Wars' Post-production Facility in L.A. (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on August 28, 2014. Retrieved July 28, 2014.
- Bruni, Frank (May 26, 2011). "Filmmaker J. J. Abrams Is a Crowd Teaser". The New York Times Magazine. Archived from the original on December 9, 2017. Retrieved December 22, 2015.
- Shanley, Patrick (June 7, 2018). "J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Launches Video Game Division". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 8, 2018. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
- "Bad Robot marches with Clark, Lingg". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- Fleming, Mike Jr. (February 18, 2015). "J.J. Abrams And Bad Robot Re-Ups With Paramount Through July 2018". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- Fleming, Mike Jr. (November 14, 2018). "Seeking New Studio Home, Bad Robot Sets Six New Homegrown Film Projects". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- Andreeva, Nellie; Fleming, Mike Jr. (January 16, 2019). "Bad Robot: Sizing Up the Field As Race To Land JJ Abrams' Business Enters Home Stretch". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 17, 2019. Retrieved January 17, 2019.
- White, Peter (August 2, 2019). "'The Wrong Mans': Pilot Not Going Forward At Showtime". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on October 21, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
- Carr, Flora (April 17, 2018). "BBC comedy The Wrong Mans with James Corden set for US remake". Radio Times. Archived from the original on April 3, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
- Brown, Brigid. "Casting News: U.S. Version of James Corden's 'The Wrong Mans' is Switching Things Up". BBC America. Archived from the original on September 16, 2019. Retrieved September 13, 2019.
- "Bad Robot Launches Indie Music Label Loud Robot (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
- "Bad Robot Partners With Capitol Music to Launch Indie Label Loud Robot". Billboard. August 21, 2018. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
- Betancourt, Bianca. "Meet Nnena, the Soulful Rapper Signed to J.J. Abrams Music Label". Teen Vogue. Archived from the original on July 26, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
- "Sacks & Co. /// UMI". sacksco.com. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
- "Chaz Cardigan Signs to Capitol Records/Loud Robot". Music Connection Magazine. January 24, 2020. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
- Vigil, Dom. "DWY Releases New Single, "BMX"". Prelude Press. Archived from the original on June 5, 2020. Retrieved June 5, 2020.
- Goldberg, Lesley (September 12, 2019). "J.J. Abrams Officially Closes Sizable WarnerMedia Film, TV Partnership". The Hollywood Reporter. Los Angeles. Archived from the original on September 13, 2019. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
- Jorgensen, Tom (May 24, 2021). "Portal Movie Still Alive, in Development at Warner Bros., Says Producer JJ Abrams". IGN. Archived from the original on May 24, 2021. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
- Spangler, Todd (November 17, 2021). "J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Launches Podcast Division, Inks Spotify First-Look Deal". Variety. Archived from the original on November 18, 2021. Retrieved November 18, 2021.
- Rusak, Rotem (November 17, 2021). "A HOT WHEELS LIVE-ACTION MOVIE IS ZOOMING INTO EXISTENCE". Nerdist. Archived from the original on May 20, 2022. Retrieved May 19, 2022.
- Grobar, Matt (April 25, 2022). "J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot To Produce Live-Action 'Hot Wheels' Film For Mattel & Warner Bros". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- Galuppo, Mia (April 25, 2022). "'Hot Wheels' Movie Adds Bad Robot as Producers". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 26, 2022. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony; Fleming Jr., Mike (February 3, 2023). "Warner Bros Takes Stephen King Bestseller 'Billy Summers', Bad Robot & Appian Way To Produce". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 3, 2023. Retrieved February 3, 2023.
- "J.J. Abrams Will Produce Oh, the Places You'll Go! as Part of a Dr. Seuss Cinematic Universe". io9. Archived from the original on October 4, 2020. Retrieved October 4, 2020.
- Humphrey, Julia (January 30, 2023). "Jason Bateman to Direct 'The Pinkerton' for Warner Bros". Collider. Archived from the original on January 30, 2023. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
- Borys Kit (September 27, 2017). "J.J. Abrams, Paramount Team Up for Sci-Fi Love Story 'Your Name'". Archived from the original on September 28, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- Dave McNary (September 27, 2017). "J.J. Abrams Developing Remake of Japanese Hit 'Your Name' With Paramount". Variety. Archived from the original on September 28, 2017. Retrieved September 28, 2017.
- D'Alessandro, Anthony (February 26, 2021). "'Superman' Reboot In The Works At Warner Bros With Ta-Nehisi Coates Writing, J.J. Abrams Producing". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved February 26, 2021.
- Andreeva, Nellie (May 7, 2012). "NBC Pilots 2012 Analysis: Single-Camera Comedies and J. J. Abrams Among Early Orders". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
- Andreeva, Nellie (February 25, 2015). "Andrew J. West to Play the Lead in CW Pilot Dead People from Bad Robot". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on February 25, 2015. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
- "Apple orders limited series 'Presumed Innocent', based on author Scott Turow's novel". The Economic Times. Archived from the original on February 4, 2022. Retrieved February 4, 2022.
- Goldberg, Lesley (May 25, 2022). "'Speed Racer' Live-Action TV Series From J.J. Abrams in the Works at Apple". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on May 27, 2022. Retrieved May 27, 2022.
- "Bad Robot Options Glennon Doyle Memoir 'Untamed' for Television". Variety. August 6, 2020. Archived from the original on May 6, 2021. Retrieved May 6, 2021.
- Milligan, Mercedes (May 19, 2021). "'Batman: Caped Crusader' Swoops to HBO Max & Cartoon Network". Animation Magazine. Archived from the original on May 22, 2021. Retrieved May 28, 2021.
- Golberg, Leslie (March 9, 2023). "'Batman: Caped Crusader' Moves to Amazon With Two-Season Order". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on March 9, 2023. Retrieved March 10, 2023.
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- "Winners & Nominees Best Television Series - Drama". goldenglobes.com. Archived from the original on January 18, 2016. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
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- "57th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". Emmys.com. Archived from the original on June 8, 2015. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
External links
- Official website
- Bad Robot Productions on Twitter
- iOS App Action Movie FX. On iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/action-movie-fx/id489321253?mt=8
- "Bad Robot Productions Signs Far-Reaching Production Deals With Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Television" (Press release). Time Warner. July 15, 2006.
- Andreeva, Nellie; Siegel, Tatiana (July 17, 2006). "Abrams builds his Robot". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on October 14, 2008.