Bad Robot is an American film and television production company led by J. J. Abrams. Under its Bad Robot Productions division, the company is responsible for the television series Alias, Lost, Fringe, Person of Interest, Revolution and Westworld alongside the feature-length films Cloverfield, Star Trek, Super 8, Star Trek Into Darkness, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Red Tails, 10 Cloverfield Lane, Star Trek Beyond, The Cloverfield Paradox, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, and Overlord.
History[]
The original Bad Robot Productions logo used from 2001 through 2008.
Bad Robot was originally based at Touchstone Television, but was moved by Abrams to Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Television, after his contract with ABC expired in 2006. Bad Robot produced Lost in association with ABC Studios, formerly Touchstone Television. The two companies jointly produced Six Degrees and What About Brian.
Abrams is Chairman and Co-Chief Executive Officer of Bad Robot, and Katie McGrath serves as the Company's Co-Chief Executive Officer. In June 2017, Bad Robot announced that Brian Weinstein would become President and Chief Operating Officer, overseeing daily operations and spearhead the company’s growth strategy in its existing businesses, while developing new areas of expansion across the entire Bad Robot platform and pursuing alternative financing options.[1] In May 2015, Ben Stephenson left the BBC where he had been head of drama to helm Bad Robot Television. Lindsey Weber leads Bad Robot's feature film division.
The production logo has appeared since 2001, featuring a red rectangular headed robot running through a meadow silhouetted until it appears suddenly in front of the camera, followed by voices provided by two of Abrams's children, Henry and Gracie Abrams, saying "Bad robot!"[2] Although some fans believe that the name comes from a line in the animated film The Iron Giant, Abrams told Entertainment Weekly that it simply came to him during a writers' meeting.[2]
In February 2013, it was announced that Bad Robot would be partnering with the Valve Corporation to produce possibly a Half-Life or Portal film in the distant future.[3] In August 2015, Valve released a new beta game mode to Team Fortress 2, PASS Time, which Bad Robot worked on.[4] On July 7, 2016 the PASS Time game mode became official.[5] Bad Robot released a trailer entitled "Stranger" (otherwise known as S.), rumoured to be Abrams' next film or television project, perhaps even a Lost spin-off, but it was finally explained to be promoting S., Abrams and Doug Dorst's new novel, as a new trailer for S. was released.[citation needed] In February 2017, it was announced Julius Avery is attached to direct a Paramount coproduction, the World War II zombie film Overlord, from screenwriter Billy Ray.[6]
Bad Robot Productions is currently based in Santa Monica, California,[7] in a building which is incorrectly labeled on purpose as the home of the fictional "National Typewriter Company" because Abrams "likes typewriters — and misdirection."[8]
In June 2018, the company announced a spin-off venture formed with the Chinese video game publisher Tencent to launch Bad Robot Games for the development of video games on mobile, computer and consoles, with Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment as a minority investor. Bad Robot Games will develop and publish titles related to Abrams' works and other Bad Robot Production contents, with Tencent holding the rights for distribution in China. The division will be helmed by Dave Baronoff, who has worked on the Cloverfield franchise and in developing Spyjinx as a joint project between Bad Robot Productions and Epic Games (also partially owned by Tencent), while Tim Keenan, who helped develop Duskers, will serve as the creative director.[9]
In 2006, Bad Robot teamed up with Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Television for a $60 million development deal [10] that lasted through 2018.[11]
In late 2018, it was announced that Bad Robot was leaving Paramount and seeking a new overall deal.[12] In January 2019, it was announced that Universal, Disney, and Warner Bros. were the top three studios battling it out for what could be a record breaking overall deal including theme parks, music labels, TV, merchandising, and streaming services as Bad Robot plans on ramping up production significantly in the coming years.[13]
Productions[]
Films[]
| Year | Title | Director | Budget | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Cloverfield | Matt Reeves | $25 million | $170.8 million |
| 2009 | Star Trek | J. J. Abrams | $150 million | $385.7 million |
| 2010 | Morning Glory | Roger Michell | $40 million | $60 million |
| 2011 | Super 8 | J. J. Abrams | $50 million | $260.1 million |
| Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol | Brad Bird | $145 million | $694.7 million | |
| 2012 | Red Tails | Anthony Hemingway J. J. Abrams | ||
| 2013 | Star Trek Into Darkness | J. J. Abrams | $190 million | $467.4 million |
| 2015 | Infinitely Polar Bear | Maya Forbes | $6.7 million | $2.1 million |
| Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation | Christopher McQuarrie | $150 million | $682.7 million | |
| 2016 | 10 Cloverfield Lane | Dan Trachtenberg | $15 million | $110.2 million |
| Star Trek Beyond | Justin Lin | $185 million | $343.5 million | |
| 2018 | The Cloverfield Paradox | Julius Onah | $45 million | N/A |
| Mission: Impossible – Fallout | Christopher McQuarrie | $178 million | $791 million | |
| Overlord | Julius Avery | $38 million | $41.7 million | |
| TBA | Samurai Jack | J.J. Abrams |
Television series[]
| Year | Title | Creator(s) | Co-production(s) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001–06 | Alias | J. J. Abrams | Touchstone Television | |
| 2004–10 | Lost | Jeffrey Lieber J. J. Abrams Damon Lindelof |
Touchstone Television (season 1–3) ABC Studios (season 4–6) |
|
| 2005 | The Catch | Pilot | ||
| 2006–07 | What About Brian | Dana Stevens | Sachs/Judah Productions (season 1) Touchstone Television |
|
| 2006–07 | Six Degrees | Raven Metzner Stuart Zicherman |
Nosebleed Productions Touchstone Television |
|
| 2008–13 | Fringe | J. J. Abrams Alex Kurtzman Roberto Orci |
Warner Bros. Television | |
| 2009 | Anatomy of Hope | Pilot | ||
| 2010 | Undercovers | J. J. Abrams Josh Reims |
Warner Bros. Television Good Butter Productions |
|
| 2011–16 | Person of Interest | Jonathan Nolan | Kilter Films Warner Bros. Television |
|
| 2012 | Alcatraz | Elizabeth Sarnoff Steven Lilien Bryan Wynbrandt |
Warner Bros. Television | |
| 2012 | Shelter | Pilot[14] | ||
| 2012–14 | Revolution | Eric Kripke | Kripke Enterprises Warner Bros. Television |
|
| 2013–14 | Almost Human | J. H. Wyman | Frequency Films Warner Bros. Television |
|
| 2014 | Believe | Alfonso Cuarón Mark Friedman |
Esperanto Filmoj Warner Bros. Television |
|
| 2015 | Dead People | Pilot[15] | ||
| 2016 | 11.22.63 | 11/22/63 by Stephen King Bridget Carpenter |
Carpenter B. Warner Bros. Television |
Miniseries |
| 2016 | Moon Shot | Web series | ||
| 2016 | Roadies | Cameron Crowe | Vinyl Films Warner Bros. Television Showtime Networks |
|
| 2016– | Westworld | Westworld by Michael Crichton Jonathan Nolan Lisa Joy |
HBO Entertainment Kilter Films Jerry Weintraub Productions Warner Bros. Television |
|
| 2018– | Castle Rock | Sam Shaw | Old Curiosity Shop Darkbloom Productions Warner Bros. Television |
|
| 2020- | Little Voice | J.J. Abrams
Sara Bareilles Jessie Nelson Ben Stephenson |
Warner Bros. Television | |
| TBA | Contraband | J.J. Abrams | Warner Bros. Television | |
| TBA | Lovecraft Country | Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff Misha Green |
HBO Entertainment Monkeypaw Productions Warner Bros. Television |
|
| TBA | Lisey's Story | Lisey's Story by Stephen King |
Warner Bros. Television | |
| TBA | The Wrong Mans | The Wrong Mans by James Corden Mathew Baynton |
Fulwell 73 Productions BBC Studios Warner Bros. Television |
|
| TBA | My Glory Was I Had Such Friends | Warner Bros. Television | miniseries |
Shorts[]
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2013 | KRE-O Star Trek |
Mobile Apps[]
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 2013 | Action Movie FX |
Awards and recognition[]
- Nominations
- 2002 Emmy Award Nomination, Outstanding Writing for A Drama Series (Alias)[16]
- 2005 Emmy Award Nomination, Outstanding Writing for A Drama Series (Lost)[17]
- 2007 Golden Globe Award Nomination, Best Television Series – Drama (Lost)[18]
- Wins
- 2005 Emmy Award Winner, Outstanding Drama Series (Lost)[19]
- 2005 Emmy Award Winner, Outstanding Directing for A Drama Series (Lost)[20]
- 2006 Golden Globe Award Winner, Best Television Series – Drama (Lost)[18]
References[]
- ↑ "Bad Robot Names Brian Weinstein President and COO", Variety, 13 June 2017. Retrieved on 13 June 2017.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Fonseca, Nicholas (December 7, 2001). "'Alias': The Story Behind J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot". Entertainment Weekly. https://ew.com/article/2001/12/07/alias-story-behind-jj-abrams-bad-robot/. Retrieved 8 November 2018.
- ↑ Variety (February 12, 2013). "Star Trek's JJ Abrams and Valve's Gabe Newell - Full Keynote Speech - D.I.C.E. SUMMIT 2013". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a7mihllgiro&t=19m36s.
- ↑ "Team Fortress 2". http://www.teamfortress.com/post.php?id=17833.
- ↑ "Team Fortress 2 - Meet Your Match". http://www.teamfortress.com/meetyourmatch/.
- ↑ "Bad Robot’s D-Day Movie ‘Overlord’ Finds Director (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. February 2, 2017. https://variety.com/2017/film/news/son-of-a-gun-director-bad-robots-nazi-zombie-pic-overlord-1201975823/. Retrieved February 2, 2017.
- ↑ "Source: J. J. Abrams Building 'Star Wars' Post-production Facility in L.A. (Exclusive)", The Hollywood Reporter, September 11, 2013. Retrieved on July 28, 2014.
- ↑ "Filmmaker J. J. Abrams Is a Crowd Teaser", The New York Times Magazine, The New York Times Company, 26 May 2011. Retrieved on 22 December 2015.
- ↑ Shanley, Patrick (June 7, 2018). "J.J. Abrams' Bad Robot Launches Video Game Division". The Hollywood Reporter. https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/jj-abrams-launches-bad-robot-games-1118151. Retrieved June 7, 2018.
- ↑ "Bad Robot marches with Clark, Lingg" (in en). https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/bad-robot-marches-clark-lingg-146394.
- ↑ Jr, Mike Fleming; Jr, Mike Fleming (2015-02-18). "J.J. Abrams And Bad Robot Re-Ups With Paramount Through July 2018" (in en). https://deadline.com/2015/02/jj-abrams-paramount-new-deal-july-2018-1201376296/.
- ↑ Jr, Mike Fleming; Jr, Mike Fleming (2018-11-14). "Seeking New Studio Home, Bad Robot Sets Six New Homegrown Film Projects" (in en). https://deadline.com/2018/11/jj-abrams-bad-robot-new-films-stefan-grube-logic-megan-amram-1202501991/.
- ↑ Andreeva, Mike Fleming Jr,Nellie; Jr, Mike Fleming; Andreeva, Nellie (2019-01-16). "Bad Robot: Sizing Up the Field As Race To Land JJ Abrams’ Business Enters Home Stretch" (in en). https://deadline.com/2019/01/jj-abrams-bad-robot-new-deal-near-disney-warner-bros-universal-apple-1202536008/.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (May 7, 2012). "NBC Pilots 2012 Analysis: Single-Camera Comedies and J. J. Abrams Among Early Orders". http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/analysis-nbc-bets-on-single-camera-comedies-and-j-j-abrams-in-early-orders/. Retrieved October 9, 2012.
- ↑ Andreeva, Nellie (February 25, 2015). "Andrew J. West to Play the Lead in CW Pilot Dead People from Bad Robot". http://deadline.com/2015/02/andrew-j-west-cast-dead-people-bad-robot-pilot-cw-1201380999/. Retrieved February 26, 2015.
- ↑ "54th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". -Emmys.com. http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2002/outstanding-writing-for-a-drama-series. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ↑ "57th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". Emmys.com. http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2005/outstanding-writing-for-a-drama-series. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ↑ 18.0 18.1 "Winners & Nominees Best Television Series - Drama". goldenglobes.com. http://www.goldenglobes.com/winners-nominees/best-television-series-drama. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ↑ "57th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". Emmys.com. http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2005/outstanding-drama-series. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
- ↑ "57th Emmy Awards Nominees and Winners". Emmys.com. http://www.emmys.com/awards/nominees-winners/2005/outstanding-directing-for-a-drama-series. Retrieved January 8, 2016.
External links[]
- Official website
- Template:Twitter
- iOS App Action Movie FX. On iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/action-movie-fx/id489321253?mt=8
- "Bad Robot Productions Signs Far-Reaching Production Deals With Columbia Pictures, Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. Television" (Press release). Time Warner. July 15, 2006. http://www.timewarner.com/newsroom/press-releases/2006/07/15/bad-robot-productions-signs-far-reaching-production-deals-with.
- Andreeva, Nellie. "Abrams builds his Robot", The Hollywood Reporter, July 17, 2006.
Template:J. J. Abrams