Big changes are afoot at Bad Robot. Details are still being worked out, but sources say J.J. Abrams is starting to wind down his production banner.
The sources did not reveal the exact number of layoffs planned as a result of the job cuts, but it is notable that this is a general change rather than specific to one division of the company versus another. Additionally, Bad Robot will close its Los Angeles office and move operations to New York. With this small footprint, Abrams will continue to work with outside producers to develop features and television projects.
The move comes amid serious tensions across Hollywood. In December 2024, Bad Robot extended its long-term contract with Warner Bros., the company’s home studio since 2006. But instead of the five-year overall deal the company signed in 2019 (estimated at nine figures in a structure that allows Abrams to sign overall deals with other screenwriters), Bad Robot signed a more modest first-look pact that covers film and TV work.
For nearly 30 years, Abrams and Bad Robot have been behind blockbuster film and television hits, especially in the sci-fi genre, including Alias, Lost, Fringe, Westworld, Super 8, Cloverfield, the Mission: Impossible sequels and the recent big-screen reboots of Star Trek and Star Wars.
Abrams founded the Santa Monica-based production company in 1999. Abrams co-leads the banner with executive VP Brian Burke, with Katie McGrath overseeing culture and philanthropy as co-CEO.
Bad Robot recently produced a new sci-fi thriller, End of Oak Street, starring Anne Hathaway and Ewan McGregor. The film, directed by director David Robert Mitchell (It Follows), is scheduled to be released in theaters on August 14th. Abrams’ first directorial work since 2019’s Star Wars Episode IX: The Rise of Skywalker, The Great Beyond, starring Glen Powell, Jenna Ortega, and Samuel L. Jackson, is scheduled to be released in IMAX theaters this November.
The company also produced the animated feature version of Dr. Seuss’ classic “Oh the Place, You’ll Go.” Directed by Jon M. Chu and Jill Culton, the film also features the voices of Ariana Grande and Josh Gad. WB has given the film a date of 2028. Other titles scheduled include the films “Hot Wheels,” “Them!,” and the animated film “Emily the Strange.” On the TV side, Bad Robot is producing a U2 biographical scripted series on Netflix and Season 2 of Presumed Innocent on Apple TV.
Last year, Bad Robot’s games division also signed a deal with Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE) to produce and publish the studio’s next project, a four-player cooperative shooter.
Bad Robot also branched out into theater, supporting several successful stage productions including Broadway’s Sunset Boulevard, which won three of seven Tony Award nominations (including Best Original Play), the musical 50 First Dates, and the play Barcelona in London’s West End.
Cynthia Littleton contributed to this report.
