Toby Emmerich potentially moving over to Netflix 0

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With 18 months left on his contract, is Warners film studio chairman Toby Emmerich exploring job opportunities? While it is far from clear that Emmerich will leave the studio after more than 20 years, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter that David Geffen in recent weeks placed a call to Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos to inquire whether there might be a possible role for Emmerich at Netflix.

 

Geffen, 78, and Emmerich, 58, were both guests at a January dinner hosted by music mogul Jimmy Iovine; Emmerich started out in the music world and worked at Atlantic Records from 1987 to 1992; Geffen has credited Atlantic cofounder Ahmet Ertegun with giving him a start in the record business. Sources close to Emmerich say he had no knowledge of Geffen making any calls on his behalf. Others with knowledge of the situation say top Netflix executives did not see a place for Emmerich at the streamer. A source close to Sarandos said “no call was placed to him, and there was no discussion about a position.” A Netflix spokesperson declined to comment.

 

Emmerich was rumored to be departing in December; instead, he was given full control of films not only for theaters but also for HBO Max. Hits during his tenure as a top executive include Wonder Woman, Crazy Rich Asians and A Star Is Born. Misses include 2019 films The Goldfinch and The Kitchen. The exec was named president of the film studio in 2018 and promoted to chairman the following year. Emmerich’s contract was last renewed in October 2019 and runs through the end of 2022.

 

A WarnerMedia rep, when asked for comment about Emmerich, confirmed that the exec is under contract and stated, “Any other speculation is just that, speculation,” noting that he “has a wonderful relationship with [studio chief] Ann Sarnoff and there is no truth to the rumors.”

 

One Emmerich associate speculated that a call from Geffen to Sarandos may have been intended to help Emmerich gain leverage in a future negotiation with Warners.

 

Another industry veteran says that while Geffen has said he no longer wants to be involved in the entertainment business, he still likes “to move chess pieces around” and has been making behind-the-scenes calls “just looking for action again … trying to extract information, like the old days.” If he gets someone a job, this person adds, “he calls in favors for the rest of your life.” This person adds that Geffen played a major, previously unreported behind-the-scenes role in getting Paul Simon to sell his music catalog to Sony Music Publishing, a deal that was announced in March. Geffen did not respond to requests for comment.