It must be nice to come from a family with what, to a normo, seems like unlimited funds. David Ellison and his father, Larry, have just won their battle for Warner Bros. (regulators permitting), and now another family member is in the movie world’s headlines. Megan Ellison’s Annapurna Pictures production company is making a comeback, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Annpurna was massive in the 2010’s “indie” scene. Phantom Thread, Zero Dark Thirty, Her, American Hustle, If Beale Street Could Talk, Foxcatcher… it seemed like they could do no wrong. You couldn’t turn around at Sundance, or any other film festival, without seeing an Annapurna picture snag some prize.
Then it all went wrong. In 2017, they went into the distribution game and movies like Vice and Detroit underperformed, leaving them holding the bag. Bombshell, Hustlers, and more were pushed out to others in a panic, and the company started to fade in the minds of Hollywood.
Well, now they are back. It’s almost like the Ellisons have recent swagger, or something? Megan Ellison dealt with the debts and was working in independent video games.
But now, former executives Chelsea Barnard and Matthew Budman are returning to the company and have been named the co-heads of film, with more high-profile hires reportedly on the way.
Meanwhile, they have quietly begun producing movies again, back in the arena they know so well. Nimona, Nightbitch, and I Love Boosters are theirs. They recently sold The Invite to A24 at Sundance.
