As Netflix’s profile continues to rise in the film industry, it was only be a matter of time until the streaming titan would extend its ambitions to include one of Hollywood’s most lucrative industries: the business of big-budget action flicks featuring top-tier movie stars. Much like the rules don’t say that a dog can’t play basketball, there’s nothing restricting the asset-rich company from taking on the studios in a more direct way, eliminating those $15 ticket prices in the process.
During last night’s entirely dull and unmemorable Oscar ceremony, Netflix released the first teaser for Bright, David Ayer’s follow-up to his smash hit (well, financially), Suicide Squad. Per Netflix, the sci-fi/action feature is “Set in an alternate present-day where humans, orcs, elves and fairies have been co-existing since the beginning of time. ‘Bright’ is a genre-bending action movie that follows two cops from very different backgrounds. Ward (Will Smith) and Jakoby (Joel Edgerton) embark on a routine patrol night and encounter a darkness that will ultimately alter the future and their world as they know it.”
It’s a premise that could either work well in Ayer’s violence-minded hands, or turn ridiculous, but with the talent on hand (from Smith and Edgerton to Noomi Rapace to Max Landis on the screenplay) and the endorsement of a new studio looking to break into the blockbuster business, there’s a chance that Bright could make some real noise. Bright won’t hit Netflix until December, but the rumored $90 million that Netflix spent on the film virtually guarantees that you’ll be hearing plenty more about it in the coming months. In the meantime, have a look at the brief, gritty first teaser.
