LONDON BRIDGE
Longtime collaborators Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner have parlayed British content into an $8 billion global business
For decades, Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner have successfully served up U.K. culture to the world
From “Bridget Jones’s Diary” to “Mr. Bean,” Working Title has for the past three and a half decades helped ensure that the sun never sets on British pop culture. ¶ The leaders of the London-based film and television production company, Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, have been important emissaries from across the pond, backing stories that resonate with global audiences. ¶ Be they quirky rom-coms or costume-heavy historical epics, their films have enjoyed commercial and critical success. Since it was founded in 1984, Working Title has produced more than 100 features, which have generated $8 billion globally. They have been nominated for 86 Oscars and won 14 statuettes. ¶ Despite its sterling track record, the company, housed in Central London offices near the West End, is an anomaly in today’s movie business. The films that form the spine of its reputation, such as “Four Weddings and a Funeral,” “Notting Hill” and “Billy Elliot,” are part of a vanishing style of moviemaking. They are human stories that don’t rely on caped heroes or explosions to draw crowds.
“All the time you’re thinking is this compelling?” says Bevan.“can it cut through? Because there's so much noise out there for consumers now, from streaming services to television.”
So far, the company seems to be navigating the churn in the industry. Just this summer, Working Title scored with the surprise comedy hit “Yesterday,” which imagines a world in which nobody knows the music of the Beatles. It’s hoping to close out 2019 on a high with the Dec. 20 release of “Cats,” the risky big-screen version of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s stage smash.
And yes, Bevan, Fellner and their team have seen the memes and read the mean tweets that greeted the first trailer for “Cats.”
Commentators feasted on the way that an A-list cast that includes Taylor Swift and Judi Dench had been feline-ized with whiskers and swishing tails, calling the transformation creepy. The two executives are taking a “there’s no such thing as bad publicity” stance, noting that the online furor raised the movie’s profile.
“What does one say?” says Fellner.“the reality is that 100 million people or more saw the trailer, and, yes, there were some people that didn’t like it, and as is the world we live in, those who didn’t like it were the most vociferous.”
Bevan has his own theory: “They were probably people who didn’t know ‘Cats,’ and the fact is they were either anticipating something animated or something that was on four legs. Among people who know ‘Cats,’ the reaction was pretty solid.”
Moreover, the cats themselves have changed in appearance. The versions that were shown in the initial trailer were not the finished renditions; they were the result of a mad scramble to get visual effects shots completed in time for the teaser, says Fellner.“you’re seeing subtle changes,” he says.“the characters have progressed and are progressing every day.”
Still, many view “Cats,” with a production budget of roughly $100 million, as a big gamble for backer Universal Pictures. Currently celebrating its more-than-20-year business partnership with Working Title, the studio views the company as an essential element in its overall strategy. Universal is in the process of renewing its first-look deal with the production entity and believes that the kinds of movies it makes — from biopics to musicals — play a vital role in helping to shape its slate and that of its indie label, Focus Features.
“Because of our shared history, there’s a great shorthand and a huge amount of trust,” says Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group.“i talk to them two or three times a week. They may be in London, but I feel like I speak to them more than a lot of people on the lot.”
A key ingredient to Working Title’s stature as one of Europe’s preeminent production operations is its long-standing relationships with talent. It’s easy to understand the loyalty. It gave filmmakers such as Stephen Daldry and Joe Wright their first features, and has collaborated with Edgar Wright and the Coen brothers on many of their most notable offerings.
“I consider Working Title to be my home creatively,” says Daldry, who made “Billy Elliot” with