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Amazon announced this week that Jennifer Salke is pace down as the head of Amazon MGM Studios — a move that could indicate gamy - layer dissatisfaction with the company ’s streaming strategy over the preceding few years .
To be cleared , Salke ’s boss , Mike Hopkins ( the promontory of Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video ) , praise her employment inan e-mail to employeesand described her loss as one that allow the caller to “ flatten our leadership social structure a bit ” — a recurring themein recent tech companionship layoffs .
In other words , Amazon does not mean to fill Salke ’s role . or else , the head word of its moving-picture show and video studios will report right away to Hopkins .
But the reporting around Salke ’s departure highlights Amazon ’s streaming disappointments and challenges under her leadership . Previously an White House at NBC , Salke joined Amazon Studios in 2018 , as the party was look to expand beyond critically praised movies and shows into more mainstream hit .
The pennant has had its share of success since then , including “ Reacher , ” “ Jack Ryan , ” “ radioactive dust , ” and “ The Boys . ” It also made a big wager on “ The Lord of the Rings : The Rings of Power , ” a show whose premieredrew a disk audience for Amazonbut has not proven to be the world - conquering phenomenon that you ’d hope for witha report budget of more than $ 1 billion .
And then there ’s “ Citadel , ” an espionage show design as the epicenter of a fictional universe of global spinoffs like “ Citadel : Diana ” and “ Citadel : Honey Bunny . ” blanket reshoots reportedly turned “ Citadel ” intothe secondly most expensive show ever made(behind only “ The Rings of Power ” ) , but its response has been even more underwhelming . The Hollywood Reporter saysthe 2d time of year has been delayed from fall 2025 to spring 2026 , with further spinoffs put on hold .
Amazon has also struggled to get another James Bond film into product , followingits acquisition of MGM in 2022 . Producers Michael Wilson and Barbara Broccoli ( longtime Bond producer Albert “ Cubby ” Broccoli was their father ) maintained creative mastery of the franchise , anda Wall Street Journal reportin December suggested that Barbara Broccoli was particularly dysphoric with Amazon — she was apparently get to in an early coming together when Salke referred to Bond as “ contentedness , ” and she was even reported to have described the technical school giant ’s team as “ cretin . ”
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Another informant aver that Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was , in turn , so anger by the WSJ fib about Broccolithat he declared , “ I do n’t care what it take , get rid of her , ” with the company after ante up Wilson and Broccoli to give up control .
Salke ’s name wasnoticeably lack from Amazon ’s victorious annunciation of the Bond deal . She will , however , be start up a unexampled film and TV yield fellowship with a first - aspect sight at Amazon .
