Amazon MGM Studios boss Jennifer Salke, Octavia Spencer and Priyanka Chopra-Jonas were among the big names lauding the role of women in TV and film at a Prime Video event today.
“Women are at the core of our business – from our incredible actors, our inventive producers and our executive teams,” said Salke, at the Trailblazers event in Central London. The event saw multiple stars, producers and directors touching on issues such as pay parity and production, with several trailers and first looks also unveiled.
During a conversation with Academy Award-winner Octavia Spencer, Salke said the pitch for The Help star’s untitled comedy thriller series opposite Hannah Waddingham was among the best she had heard in her career.
“I have heard thousands of pitches, maybe tens of thousands, and it was a top three, — the relationship of two women at the center with action, humor and heart,” she said.
The show, from Feel Good‘s Tessa Coates, was ordered at the back end of last year and will see Spencer and Ted Lasso star Waddingham playing best friends who go on the run and try to repair a broken friendship when it’s revealed Spencer’s character is secretly an assassin.
“Tessa has this way of telling a story that has you on the edge of your seat,” said Spencer, noting she had bought into the idea “in the room” when brought it by Skydance, with which she has a production deal.
Spencer responded to Salke’s complements of her work by saying: “You’re supporting us in a wonderful way. It is a gift to have amazing collaborators and material at this juncture in my career.”
Spencer later said that while “a lot of men” had given her jobs in the industry early on in her career, she was “here because of the decisions women made… It’s important we have you guys as decisions makers.”
In a separate conversation with Chopra-Jonas, who is producing Prime Video’s spy thriller world Citadel and stars in the streamer’s upcoming feature Heads of State, Salke recalled how the pair had a “six-hour meeting” when they first met five years ago at a hotel to talk through ideas and projects. The pair traded praise as they talked through Chopra-Jonas’ career, and said the industry is at “the precipice of change.”
Chopra-Jonas said her starring role opposite Richard Madden in Citadel was “the first time in my career I received pay parity,” adding: “I didn’t even think it could happen. Did that happen because the head of this studio was female? Maybe. But that’s how the landscape changes.”
Salke was joined also at Trailblazers by the likes of Bryce Dallas Howard and Jessica Raine, directors Charlotte Brändström and Louise Hooper, and producers Amy Pascal, Sue Vertue and Lindsey Weber at Trailblazers, which was held to celebrate women within the streamer’s ecosystem.
Several announcements came during the event, including the confirmation of and a first look at the untitled Reacher spin-off starring Maria Sten as Frances Neagley. Deadline first revealed the show last month and followed up with the official word earlier today.
“Neagley has so much complexity and I’m so grateful people will be able to go further into her world,” said Sten during the event this morning. “It has something that is very much Neagley and not Reacher and I love that.”
An exclusive clip for Citadel: Diana, the Prime Video Italy contribution to the AGBO-led Citadel universe, was screened ahead of its global launch on October 11, while first look images of UK movie My Fault: London, starring Asha Banks and Matthew Broome, were unveiled. The feature is a spin-off of Spanish flick Culpa Mia (My Fault) and based on the first book of Mercedes Ron’s bestselling Culpables trilogy.
The Devil’s Hour Season 2 also got an official trailer, which was presented by star Jessica Raine.
Early in the morning, Amazon MGM content chief Salke talked up the role of women in content, saying: “We also know that women around the world love to be moved by incredible storytelling and we look forward to bringing them all a compelling slate featuring some of the most talented women working both in front and behind the camera.”
Kelly Day, VP of Prime Video International, added that “women will be central to driving” the growth of the streamer internationally. “From the millions of viewers globally, to the women running the Prime Video and Studios teams in Europe, Latin America, Asia-Pacific and the US, to the women starring in and delivering our biggest shows and movies, Prime Video is being shaped by trailblazing women.”
Despite the celebration of women, Salke noted early on that Clarkson’s Farm remains “on a hot streak.” Star Jeremy Clarkson caused outrage last year by writing a vicious article about Meghan Markle. He later apologized, but the situation placed great strain on his career. Clarkson’s Farm was ultimately recommissioned.
