Zachary Levi is launching his own production company, Wyldwood Productions, with plans to eventually expand into Wyldwood Studios. He recently took to social media to criticize Hollywood’s trend of rebooting and recycling old content rather than exploring new and original ideas.
Levi responded to a fan’s question on X (formerly Twitter) about the industry’s reliance on familiar intellectual property instead of taking risks with fresh material, especially in genres like sci-fi and fantasy.
X user Hero’s Guild Publications tweeted in response to Levi announcing the formation of his own company: “ZacharyLevi what are your thoughts on movies/tv shows constantly regurgitating old material vs taking the risk of something new? With the company you are building, will you be forging ahead into more new material, particularly anything in the sci-fi/fantasy direction?”
“It’s one of my biggest gripes with the current state of my industry. When the people in power desperately lack creative vision and the courage to back it up, we fall into what we’re seeing now,” responded Levi. “It’s all completely fear based. They don’t actually know what a good project is, and they don’t know what audiences want. So, they feverishly dig thru old IP hoping that since there used to be an audience for it, at least some of that former audience will come back to watch it. It’s insulting, to both great creative talent and the public.”
Levi continued with the notion that current industry leaders lack the courage and creative vision necessary to foster original projects, resulting in a heavy reliance on old intellectual property.
“We need people in leadership who are capable of recognizing true talent and creativity when they see it, then know how to support it when they do,” said Levi. “Hollywood used to have a lot of leaders like this, but then umbrella corporations started buying up all the studios and networks and replacing the visionary leaders with what we have today.”
While Levi doesn’t rule out reboots entirely, he clarified that his vision for Wyldwood Studios is to “create, find, and promote original ideas” in ways that Hollywood has largely abandoned.
Wyldwood Studios, he explained, is in its early stages, with a final investment deck underway as he prepares for fundraising. Levi shared that establishing Wyldwood has been a dream for over 25 years, one inspired by “a vision God put on [his] heart from the very beginning.” His hope is to build a space dedicated to storytelling excellence—”a refuge for all who want to get back to excellent storytelling.”
It’s one of my biggest gripes with the current state of my industry. When the people in power desperately lack creative vision and the courage to back it up, we fall into what we’re seeing now.
— Zachary Levi (@ZacharyLevi) November 13, 2024
It’s all completely fear based. They don’t actually know what a good project is, and… https://t.co/OFZWT4i8iY
Ha! Well, kudos for trying, but in actuality Wyldwood Studios is only Wyldwood Productions at present. I am in the process of finalizing the investment deck, and will be going out for a raise very soon. It’s been calling and dream of mine for 25 years though. A vision God put on… https://t.co/yfDMG7BeHA
— Zachary Levi (@ZacharyLevi) November 9, 2024
