Hollywood’s New Playbook For The Red States

Hollywood loves to copy successful movie formulas. To a point.

When “Halloween” broke out in 1978, we saw a flood of slasher films like “Friday the 13^th” and “Prom Night.” More recently, the “John Wick” saga let loose a crush of hit men movies, asking us to root for ruthless killers.

Yet when “Top Gun: Maverick” helped save the theatrical experience (according to Steven Spielberg) in 2022, we didn’t see a crush of films feeling the need for speed … or patriotism.

For some reason, major studios didn’t want to duplicate its success. Will that change assuming the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger happens?

One fascinating part of the potential merger is the Ellison connection. The uber-wealthy father-son duo has ties to Team Trump, for starters. That already makes the Paramount owners a bit different than your traditional studio head.

What, no boardrooms overstuffed with Obama alums? It goes beyond corporate or political connections.

David Ellison, the son, is heavily invested in pop culture. He not only co-produced “Top Gun: Maverick,” but he also helped nudge along the film’s third installment and a sequel to 1990’s “Days of Thunder.”

That’s no accident. Ellison knows the Tom Cruise racing drama has strong Heartland appeal. Hollywood, Inc. may not have been keen on reviving the film as a franchise, but Ellison saw its potential.

Now, Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway is part of the sequel’s cast. The Ellisons make things happen, and fast.

Paramount is one of Hollywood’s biggest studios. What happens when it joins forces with Warner Bros. Discovery, adding both that studio’s legacy and a treasure trove of intellectual properties?

“Harry Potter.” DC Comics. “Game of Thrones.” Looney Tunes.

It’ll potentially be as big as any rival studio. That’s cultural power, and the Ellisons are open to flexing their might as they see fit.

They just did it again with “Mayday.”

David Ellison produced the Apple TV original starring Ryan Reynolds as a Maverick-style Navy pilot who gets shot down over Russia in 1987. The Cold War has been raging for years, and Reynolds’s character could become its latest victim unless a former KGB agent steps in.

That’s Kenneth Branagh as Nik, a Russian who fell in love with American culture while growing disillusioned with his homeland’s government.

Few movie characters heart America quite like Nik. He longs to sink his teeth into a McDonald’s burger, imagining it tastes like the U.S.A.

Despite Reynolds’ shocking lack of appreciation for the Reagan decade, the film is a love letter to the 1980s, down to the “Born in the USA” album needle drops. And, while a subplot hints at an American dark side, the film’s anti-communist bent is impossible to ignore.

Communism, Reynolds’s heroic character says early in the film, “flies in the face of human nature.” That’s an actual line from the movie. Somewhere, New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani just choked on his buttered popcorn.

The Ellisons could be making movies either more patriotic or, at the very least, more red-state-friendly. That could be an elixir for success. But it won’t be easy on several levels.

Let’s bypass the obvious one: the concerted attacks on the merger deal from folks like California Attorney General Rob Bonta, which could eventually crush it.

The media and film critics may not take kindly to any center-to-right-leaning content from the mega studio. The latter group could dismiss the titles out of hand, while Legacy Media reporters frame the super-studio’s efforts negatively.

The actors themselves may bristle – even if they sign on and give it their all. Look at what Reynolds did on the red carpet with his anti-80s spin, and he’s one of Hollywood’s most savvy marketing minds. Look how he made an obscure character like Deadpool into a household name.

Some stars may reject roles in an American-friendly story or sabotage them in press interviews, too (long after the checks have cleared).

Other factors suggest the Ellisons could have a winning hand with this strategy. “Maverick’s” box office success speaks for itself. What if Paramount starts consistently reaching an audience Hollywood has largely ignored?

Remember when Hollywood turned its back on faith-friendly films and independent studios offered spiritual counter-programming? Now, major media players like Netflix and Prime Video are in the faith-based game with shows like “House of David” (Prime) and “Ruth and Boaz” (Netflix).

Why? Scrappy indie films started delivering faith-friendly content to the masses, and many titles overperformed in a big way.

TV showrunner Taylor Sheridan has gotten very rich by zigging while Hollywood zagged. He creates center-right programs such as “Yellowstone” and “Landman” that offer counter-programming to left-leaning Hollywood fare.

The Ellisons could do just that at the theatrical level, in theory.

Call it the Fox News strategy. If every news outlet leans Left, often aggressively so, it makes sense to serve up an alternative.

David Ellison isn’t a newbie. He’s produced dozens of films to date. He’s not cranking out hard-Right treatises on immigration or climate change. He’s a storyteller, and he senses some vibrant stories aren’t being told.

Perhaps the feverish attacks on the Paramount-Warner Bros. Discovery merger are partly tied to the sense that the Ellisons mean business about bringing something new to Hollywood.

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Christian Toto is an award-winning journalist, movie critic and editor of HollywoodInToto.com. He previously served as associate editor with Breitbart News’ Big Hollywood. He’s also the host of The Hollywood in Toto Podcast. Follow him at @HollywoodInToto.