Tom Rothman, the CEO of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, recently called out Apple TV+’s Emmy-nominated satirical series, The Studio, for being ‘unreal,’ while his own Marvel project, Morbius, still sits with a disastrous 15% Rotten Tomatoes score.
Rothman, in an interview with Letterboxd (published August 28), answered a question about the portrayal of the life of an executive in The Studio, quipping that,
In each one of those episodes, there is a kernel of brilliant, blinding truth, and that’s what makes great satire. Besides that kernel, everything else is horseshit.
He claimed that the studio executives are not ‘morons’ as the show portrays them. He also took the humour the way it was intended and presented. But this criticism from Tom Rothman is hard to ignore, given Sony’s recent track record of poorly reviewed superhero movies, particularly Morbius, which scored a seemingly dismal score.
What Was Tom Rothman’s Real Issue With Apple TV’s The Studio?
According to Rothman, The Studio, starring Seth Rogen and Catherine O’Hara, gets the fundamental truth of the executives who are trying to do the right thing. It strongly presents fighting off the obstacles with a great deal of moral compromise.
“When I took the stage a few months ago at CinemaCon, I walked out and said, ‘Hi, everybody, I’m Seth Rogen!’ which was good for a laugh there,” Tom Rothman said, referring to Rogen’s character, Matt Remick, on the show.
Check out the table for key details of The Studio:
Key PointsDetailsShow NameThe StudioCreatorsSeth RogenEvan GoldbergCastSeth RogenCatherine O’HaraKathryn HahnIke BarinholtzChase Sui WondersIMDb8.1/10Rotten Tomatoes93%
Rothman thinks that the Apple TV+ show misinterprets the realities of studio executives and filmmaking. He sheds light on the fact that real studio leadership is more about balancing art, logistics, and risk rather than simply vanity and incompetence as often portrayed.
Notably enough, Season 1 of The Studio is lauded and critically acclaimed. It has earned 23 nominations at the 77th Emmy Awards. The series also grabbed attention for its impressive lineup of guest stars, featuring Martin Scorsese, Zoë Kravitz, and Dave Franco.
Sony can’t Shake Off the Shadow of Morbius and Its 15% RT Score
Jared Leto in a still from Morbius | Credits: Sony Pictures Releasing
Released in 2022, Morbius was Sony’s attempt to expand its Spider-Man villain universe with a darker and more experimental character. But, despite heavy marketing and a stellar acting cast, including Jared Leto and Adria Arjona, the movie was panned by the critics.
Check out the table for key details of Morbius:
Key PointsDetailsTitleMorbiusBased OnMarvel ComicsDirectorDaniel EspinosaCastJared LetoMatt SmithAdria ArjonaJared HarrisAl MadrigalIMDb5.1/10
The film became infamous and had a dry run for its wooden dialogue, messy narrative, and lack of originality. Furthermore, rather than building credibility for Sony’s Marvel branch, the film turned into a meme sensation. Though Jared Leto’s acting was lauded, given the circumstances, phrases like “It’s Morbin’ time” took over social media, underscoring its value in the franchise scope.
At last, in the battle between satire and reality, Tom Rothman’s insistence that Apple TV’s Studio gets it wrong is unparalleled. With Morbius still haunting Sony’s Marvel reputation, it’s hard to ignore that sometimes it doesn’t need satire to look ridiculous; rather, it does the job all by itself.
Do you think satire makes Hollywood more fun to watch? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
The Studio is currently available to stream on Apple TV+, whereas Morbius can be streamed on Disney+ (USA).
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