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Christopher Guest becomes newest A-lister to team up with Netflix

Guest's new movie 'Mascots' will reportedly be released by the streaming service in 2016. Other celebrities like Cary Fukunaga, Brad Pitt, Adam Sandler, and Pee-Wee Herman have also joined up with Netflix for various projects.

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Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP
Christopher Guest speaks during the HBO Winter TCA Press Tour in 2013.

Director Christopher Guest has become the newest Hollywood personality to team up with Netflix.聽

Guest鈥檚 new movie 鈥淢ascots鈥 will reportedly on the streaming service. The movie will center on the World Mascot Association championships, where men and women with 鈥渂ig heads and furry suits鈥 will vie for the title.

Guest is primarily known for directing such mockumentary-style films as 鈥淏est in Show,鈥 鈥淲aiting for Guffman,鈥 and 鈥淔or Your Consideration.鈥 He acted in many of those films and has also appeared in such films as 鈥淭his Is Spinal Tap鈥 (which he co-wrote), 鈥淭he Princess Bride,鈥 and 鈥淣ight at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian.鈥

Netflix has been acquiring various high-profile original work recently. It鈥檚 already known for the success of its original TV programming, including the shows 鈥淗ouse of Cards,鈥 鈥淥range Is the New Black,鈥 鈥淯nbreakable Kimmy Schmidt,鈥 and 鈥淒aredevil.鈥 And now, in addition to Guest鈥檚 movie, actor Brad Pitt is working with the streaming service on the movie 鈥淲ar Machine鈥 and Cary Fukunaga of 鈥淭rue Detective鈥 is making the movie 鈥淏easts of No Nation鈥 with them. In some of these instances, the movies will be in theaters and available on Netflix. A sequel to the movie 鈥淐rouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon鈥 is also being made with Netflix.

In addition, the streaming service is working with comedians Adam Sandler and Kevin James to make original films. Netflix reportedly signed on to make at least four movies with Sandler. And Pee-Wee Herman is working with Netflix on a movie titled 鈥淧ee-Wee鈥檚 Big Holiday.鈥澛

In addition to what this would mean for movie theaters if Netflix films caught on, it will be interesting to see what a (presumed) lack of data means for how Hollywood and critics receive films. Netflix is famously cagey when it comes to how TV shows are performing in terms of audience. One of the only hints we may get is when a show is canceled, as with the Netflix shows 鈥淟ilyhammer,鈥 which recently met its end, and "Hemlock Grove," though even then, many factors could contribute to the show ending rather than simply low viewership.聽

But for good or ill, opening weekend grosses are a large part of how Hollywood views a film, especially when it comes to blockbusters (indie films are often given more time to grow). A movie by an actor by Sandler would certainly be looked at this way, as evidenced by the negative box office performance of his most recent film, this summer鈥檚 鈥淧ixels.鈥

If this information is taken away from the public, prospective viewers may base their decision on whether to watch a movie on reviews from critics and fellow viewers rather than a perception of a movie being a success or a failure. This most likely wouldn鈥檛 change much behind the scenes, however. Netflix, like any other company, would most likely want to know their investment was a wise one and would probably hesitate before committing to another film with an actor or a director if a movie didn鈥檛 perform numbers-wise as they had hoped it would.

Guest's new movie will debut in 2016.

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