A few days ago, Hollywood was blindsided by the sudden exit of JD Lifshitz and Raphael Margules, the BoulderLight Pictures duo who’ve become some of the most talked-about young producers in the genre game. With titles like “Barbarian,” “Weapons,” “Companion,” and “Friendship” under their belt, the early-30s pair have now jumped ship from Warner Bros. to Paramount.
Puck News reports the deal is worth around $20 million over four years, with a built-in development fund and extra cash for acquisitions. Translation: Paramount is betting big on these guys, while also continuing its very public strategy of raiding rivals for talent.
But the way things went down at Warner Bros.? Messy. Very messy. Lifshitz and Margules were told abruptly kicked out of the Warner lot, told to clear out of their offices late Friday—three months before their contract was even set to expire. The timing couldn’t have been worse: as observant Jews prepping for Shabbat, they didn’t have the luxury of waiting around for a moving van that showed up late. Result: they left behind some of their stuff, fueling chatter all over town about just how abruptly this split happened.
Warner insiders say tensions had been brewing for months. Lifshitz cited “uncertainty” at the studio as a reason to explore other options, though co-chair Mike De Luca was reportedly “annoyed” that he wasn’t even given a chance to counter Paramount’s offer. Warners had already dragged its feet on a renewal, leaving the door wide open for conversations with David Ellison and Skydance.
On the creative side, things weren’t exactly smooth sailing either. Word is Lifshitz and Margules had a falling out with Zach Cregger during “Weapons,” and their involvement was scaled back. They were also asked not to be present on the set of Anna Kendrick’s “Woman of the Hour.” And BoulderLight wasn’t thrilled when Warners slashed the marketing budget for “Companion,” which critics loved but audiences barely saw.
Layer all this over the bigger picture: Paramount circling Warner Bros.’ parent company, the Ellisons pushing for a second studio, and everyone in Hollywood getting twitchy about what happens next. Producer deals, even relatively small ones like BoulderLight’s, are suddenly collateral damage in this corporate tug-of-war.
For BoulderLight, it’s a reset button at Paramount. For Warner Bros., it’s another talent loss. For the rest of the industry? Just more proof that the studio system feels shakier by the day.