Prime Highlights:
- Amazon MGM Studios boss Jennifer Salke departs to establish a fresh production company.
- Leadership restructuring puts the heads of studios directly beneath Mike Hopkins.
Key Facts:
- Salke’s departure comes as there have been uneven takes on expensive productions such as The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power and Citadel.
- Conflicts with James Bond producers emerged in Amazon’s 2022 MGM buy, which affected franchise strategy.
Key Background:
Jennifer Salke, who started her job at Amazon Studios in 2018 after previously working at NBC, passed on the head of Amazon MGM Studios position. With her departure, Amazon resumed wide entertainment and more-risky material. Certain releases saw Reacher, Jack Ryan, Fallout, and The Boys find varying degrees of success. Yet Amazon’s huge investments in The Rings of Power, costing over $1 billion, were unable to develop hoped-for cultural steam. In like fashion, Citadel, a spy development as international franchise, was shot the second-most costly show ever with pervasive reshoots yet received poorly. Its sophomore season is now being delayed to spring 2026, while spinoffs have been placed in standby mode.
One of the more difficult issues Amazon had to navigate after its 2022 MGM acquisition was navigating its relationship with veteran James Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. There were some creative tensions when Amazon sought greater control in shaping the Bond brand. Broccoli was said to be discontented with Amazon’s approach, most recently following Salke’s statement that Bond was “content,” comments said to put negotiations at risk. Amazon has since worked to gain more control of the franchise’s future.
To counter these challenges, Amazon has refused to name a direct successor to Salke. The film and television divisions will report to Mike Hopkins, who oversees Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video. The reorganization is meant to streamline decision-making and sharpen Amazon’s approach on expensive streaming content. Salke, on her part, will start her own production company with a first-look agreement at Amazon MGM Studios for upcoming films and television shows.
