Entertainment Weekly - 04.2020

MOVIES

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MEET YOUR MAKER

Jeffrey Katzenberg

THE QUIBI FOUNDER AND FORMER

DISNEY AND DREAMWORKS

EXECUTIVE, 69, REVEALS SIX OF

HIS GREATEST INSPIRATIONS

THROUGHOUT HIS LIFE AND CAREER

1 / Walt Disney

Pinocchio is one of the

first movies Katzenberg

remembers seeing,

and he looked to the

animation legend for

inspiration while helping

to run the mogul’s

eponymous company.

“It’s incredible how

someone I never met

could be such a pres-

ence in my life,” he says.

“His words and his work

opened up my world to

a level of pure creativity

I never imagined.”

2 / Lawrence

of Arabia

David Lean’s “ultimate

big-screen epic,” released

when the New York

native was 12, showed

him “what limitless

ambition in great film

narrative can achieve.”

3 / Barry Diller

Katzenberg became

Diller’s assistant in

the 1970s, and he cites

the former Paramount

chairman as one of

his most important

mentors. “He created

a unique environment

in which risk-taking

was encouraged and

failure wasn’t fatal,”

Katzenberg explains.

4 / Nature

“My travels to Africa,

China, and Norway

directly resulted in

movies about lions,

panthers, and dragons.”

Katzenberg says.

“I first went to Africa

in my very young 20s,

and I saw a place

that one day became

Pride Rock, and met

two people named

Pumbaa and Timon who

became movie stars.”

5 / Who Framed

Roger Rabbit

Robert Zemeckis’ 1988

film, which Katzenberg

oversaw at Disney,

helped spark the studio’s

1990s renaissance.

As Katzenberg notes,

“It reminded the world

that animation isn’t

just for kids.”

6 / Schindler’s List

Directed by his fellow

DreamWorks cofounder

Steven Spielberg, the

1993 Holocaust drama

remains “seared” in

Katzenberg’s memory,

“because it deals

with a moment in one’s

life when you have

to make a choice and

take responsibility for

your actions.” — TA

Night’s Late Night, for the latter

slate.) And lest anyone remain

skeptical, a raft of A-list talent

have lined up to produce and star

in these projects, with 175 shows

expected to launch in Quibi’s

first year. Read on for a sample of

what’s on the way.

Chrissy’s Court

Chrissy Teigen will preside over

real-life small-claims cases, Judge

Judy-style (“There is no claim that

is too small for Chrissy’s Court,”

Katzenberg teases), with final and

legally binding verdicts. Oh, and

her mom is the bailiff.

Killing Zac Efron

The High School Musical star goes

off the grid, venturing into the jun-

gles of a remote island for 21 days.

The ominous title also nearly

came true, as Efron fell ill during

filming in Papua New Guinea.

Just One Drink

From writer Nick Hornby (High

Fidelity) comes this “series of one-

act vignettes” starring Oscar winner

Laura Dern as a bartender serving a

lineup of distressed customers.

Mapleworth Murders

Call it Murder, SNL Wrote. This

comedy from EPs Lorne Michaels

and Seth Meyers stars Paula Pell

(A .P. Bio) as a murder-mystery

author determined to solve a spate

of killings in her quaint, small

town. A murderers’ row (sorry) of

comedy veterans pop up in sup-

porting or guest roles.

Punk’d

Punk’d is back, and no, you’re not

being punk’d. Chance the Rapper

will step into Ashton Kutcher’s

shoes to host a reimagined version

of the MTV show, and terrorize a

new generation of celebrities with

elaborate pranks.

Spielberg’s After Dark

(working title)

Appointment TV has returned,

sort of. The legendary filmmaker

is writing a “super creepy” story

(per Katzenberg) that can only be

viewed after the sun goes down.

Die Hart

Kevin Hart stars as himself on this

series that chronicles his quest to

become an action-movie lead. To

get there, he’ll face a gauntlet of

over-the-top stunts at the hands of

a lunatic teacher (John Travolta).

Survive

Two survivors of a plane crash

on a snowy mountain (Game of

Thrones’ Sophie Turner and 24:

Legacy’s Corey Hawkins) battle

the elements and their personal

demons to return to civilization.

Good thing Turner has plenty of

experience with winter weather.

Most Dangerous Game

Liam Hemsworth plays a terminally

ill man who, desperate to provide

for his pregnant wife, accepts an

offer from a mysterious man (Chris-

toph Waltz) to join a potentially

lucrative, but also potentially

deadly, game of cat and mouse.

I Promise

This documentary follows a year in

the life of six third-graders at

LeBron James’ I Promise School in

Ohio. “It is both the most hearten-

ing and heartbreaking story all in

one,” Katzenberg says. “It makes

me cry every time I watch it.” �

← (Clockwise

from top) Zac

Efron, Chance

the Rapper, and

Sophie Turner

are emerging

on Quibi

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