Amazon announced last the week Jennifer Salke is stepping down as head of Amazon MGM Studios — this could be a sign of an unsatisfying attitude towards the company’s streaming strategy in the last several years.
To clarify To be clear, the boss of Salke Mike Hopkins (the head of Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video) has praised her work in an email sent to employees, and stated that her departure is one that would allow Amazon MGM Studios to “flatten our leadership structure a bit” -which is a common theme in recent tech layoffs.
That is, Amazon is not planning to assume the Salke’s position. Instead, the directors of its TV and film studios directly report to Hopkins.
However, the media coverage surrounding Salke’s departure from Amazon highlights the streaming company’s problems and disappointments under her direction. Formerly an executive of NBC, Salke joined Amazon Studios in the year 2018 as Amazon Studios sought to expand beyond highly acclaimed films and shows to more mainstream hit movies.
The streaming service has had numerous success since then, including “Reacher,” “Jack Ryan,” “Fallout,” and “The Boys.” It also placed a huge bet to bet on “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power,” the show that at its premiere attracted a record-setting audience for Amazon however, it hasn’t proved to be the worldwide-surpassing phenomenon you’d expect with a budget of over $1 billion.
There’s also “Citadel,” an espionage show that is designed to be the central point of a fictional world of worldwide spinoffs such as “Citadel: Diana” and “Citadel: Honey Bunny.” Reshoots that were extensive have reportedly made “Citadel” into the second most expensive series ever created (behind just “The Rings of Power”) However, the reception has been subdued. The Hollywood Reporter says the second season is being delayed from the fall of 2025 until spring 2026, and further spinoffs on hold.
Amazon has also been struggling to bring yet another James Bond film into production in the wake of its acquisition MGM by 2022. The producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli (longtime Bond producer Albert “Cubby” Broccoli was their father) kept creative control of the franchise. A Wall Street Journal report in December revealed it was Barbara Broccoli was particularly unhappy with Amazon and was believed to have been irritated at a meeting in the beginning in which Salke called Bond being “content,” and she was said to have referred to the team of Amazon’s tech giant to be “idiots.”
Another source claimed that Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was, in turn, so irritated by the WSJ story on Broccoli that he said, “I don’t care what it takes, get rid of her,” and the company then offering Wilson as well as Broccoli to surrender control.
The name of Salke was not mentioned in the Amazon’s public announcement about the Bond deal. Salke will be launching a brand new TV and film production company, with a first-look contract with Amazon.
