Paul Feig Praises Streamers That “Stepped Up” As Studios Cut Back

Although the evolution of streaming remains a divisive topic in Hollywood, Paul Feig is not one to turn up his nose at opportunity.

After his latest film Jackpot! premiered on Prime Video in August, the director recently called streaming platforms “a blessing for filmmakers who simply want to get their movies made” amid an ongoing decline in production following last year’s strikes.

“We’d all love to be making theatrical films with big releases but with the studios cutting back on their output, the streamers have really stepped up to let us tell our stories with real budgets,” Feig told Empire.

Feig previously helmed Netflix‘s 2022 adaptation of the Soman Chainani young adult fantasy novel The School for Good and Evil.

Most recently, he directed Jackpot!, which stars Akwafina as Katie, a wannabe actor who, in 2030, wins the lucrative, multi-billion-dollar “Grand Lottery” jackpot. She has until sundown to collect her prize, but there’s a catch: Anyone who kills the winner and grabs the ticket can lay claim to the fortune.

Feig previously discussed working with Amazon Studios and the flexibility to make both streaming and theatrical releases as he appeared on Deadline’s Crew Call podcast. “What I know from my years of doing comedy in theaters is that people want to be out in a group,” he said in August.

Meanwhile, his upcoming sequel A Simple Favor 2 could potentially premiere in theaters. “I can’t speak for Amazon, but we did our first (test screening). I’m seven weeks into my director’s cut — but I always try to do a test screening … and we went through the roof,” he noted. “We scored really high.”

Feig added, “So, they’re going to see it at the end of this month. I’m literally in the editing room right now, fine tuning.”