Industry News

‘Atlas Shrugged’ Team Takes Page from Ayn Rand

The movies didn’t do much business at the box office, and critics were far from kind. However, just getting the movies made after decades of development hell seems to have inspired producers John Aglialoro and Harmon Kaslow.

The two have taken their distribution company, Atlas Entertainment, and charged ahead with projects so far out of the Hollywood norm Ayn Rand herself would stand up and cheer.

Their biggest project is a new adaptation of Rand’s influential novel, “Atlas Shrugged.” The team has been making steps recently to get the television series made with famous producer Albert S. Ruddy of “The Godfather” fame.

ALSO CHECK OUT: Should Conservatives Binge-Watch ‘Atlas Shrugged’ Trilogy?

A television series may go a long way in redeeming the company in the eyes of some Rand fans, who saw the films as little more than Cliffs Notes versions of the book. The project could be a six or eight-hour miniseries for a Netflix-type service, according to The New York Times.

However, perhaps more impressive than their “Shrugged” plan is the company’s new way of promoting and testing their films, including Werner Herzog’s latest, “Queen of the Desert.” The movie stars Nicole Kidman and James Franco, and it just played at the AFI Film Festival.

Queen of the Desert International Trailer (2015) - Nicole Kidman HD
Through their Galt’s Gulch community website for Randists and lovers of their films, Atlas Entertainment has put together an online review team made up of only their fans.

Instead of testing their movies for people plucked off the street and then thrown into a dark theater, Atlas has shown their future movies to their fans online. They ask for feedback on everything from the movie itself to promotional ideas.

It’s a fascinating way to approach releasing movies, one perfectly attuned to today’s Internet world. Taking the product directly to the consumer and cutting out Hollywood’s red tape would make Rand proud.

Though we have yet to see how some of these future movies will perform or test with critics, the Atlas team is moving forward from their past failures. They are working independent of the Hollywood machine and creating pictures directly for the consumer.

2 Comments

  1. Great article Zach. My name is Scott DeSapio and I’m the CTO of Atlas Distribution (I’m the guy responsible for bringing Gulch members and getting their feedback). 🙂

    By the way, we have a movie coming out this week, “A Royal Night Out.” Be sure to check it out. The Gulch gang gave it the thumbs up. You can check out the trailer here: https://www.ARoyalNightOut.com

    Thanks again,
    Scott

  2. Too much to ask or even hope for but it sure would be an amazing step for society if this TV series could be aired on a lamestream channel…bet ya Fox would do it…just a little birdy’s chirp in one’s ear.
    But not to be ungrateful…we’ll happily take Netflix and enjoy.

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