We spent two hours in my office. We spent two hours in the office and we talked about a dream of a revival and a vibrant Warner Brothers motion pictures. The idea of getting people back to the theaters, this community event where they walk down the street, you go into the theater and we tell you a story. But we had to start from almost scratch. And Mike and Pam asked the question, can we rebuild this studio original film? It was at a time when people said people weren't going to come back to the theater, but we made a pact and they set out on their journey. And the only question was, 'What stories would we tell?' And we asked that question often. And the bold choices that Mike and Pam and all of the team at Warner Brothers made is one of the reasons why we're here tonight.
That day, and it's almost preant. It's hard to believe. It's almost mystical, but we talked about Paul Thomas Anderson. We said, 'What kind of Warner Brothers do we want? And what is going to bring back all the sheen and all the shine to that hundred-year history of Warner Brothers?' And we talked about Paul, the greatest of his generation, a storyteller that people came to see his stories. Could we get him under our shield? We talked about Ryan Coogler, the greatest writer, director, filmmaker of his generation. And we were really just dreaming about what could be. And then we talked about Michael B. Jordan. This is true. And we said, 'What if?' And we talked about Leo. And it's hard to believe that here we are with Paul Thomas Anderson. Where's Paul? The idea that Paul is at Warner Brothers under that shield with a film that people will remember forever. They'll remember it not just because of the incredible talent of what was written down on the page and what Paul put on the screen, but it's a movie that reflects in a serendipitous kind of way where we are in America. It's a film about rebellion. It's a film about fighting back. It's a film about family. It's a film about standing up, all of us standing up for what we believe in, which we don't see that often now. And it wasn't just an incredible film, but it's a film that will be remembered forever. And Paul, the fact that we did it with you, and where's Sarah? Amazing. And Ryan, the one-two combo, we call it around Warner Brothers, the one-two combo. And there's two one-two combos. There's Ryan and Zendaya. And so, one, two, three combo, and Michael B. Jordan. You know, for all of us, and it started for me. I've watched The Wire, you know, 10 times. My son and daughter took a course on it at Duke. But you know, Michael's ability to communicate feeling, heart, and really one of the greatest actors of all time.
So together, these two films will be bookends for Warner Brothers really forever. And I was saying to Ryan, you know, in the last couple of months, I went back and watched Midnight Cowboy. I watched The Graduate. There are so many of those great films. Casablanca. These two films are forever films. And the joy of having these two films at this one time at Warner Brothers is incredible. It built our confidence. It really made us believe at Warner Brothers that we're back. And it gave Pam and Mike all of the heart and confidence to build an incredible 26, 27, and 28. We'll see what's left to... So finally, I just wanted to share a moment, at least for me, a moment of maybe what we all hoped for when we got into this business. After the Golden Globes, we went to Bar Mama and we took a private area and I was sitting at the bar and I looked over my shoulder and I saw Paul and Ryan with our arms around each other laughing. I saw Mike and Pam and Leo and Michael B. Jordan. I saw Zendaya and Sarah all together, joyful in friendship and in kinship. And I thought to myself, that's the moment. That's what we all came here for. We all have the same story. We came to this town to on our best day tell stories that'll change the way people see themselves and change the world. Ryan, you did it. Paul, you did it. But you did it with two of the most creative leaders this industry has ever seen. Pam Abdi, Michael De Luca. Amazing. Thank you for what you've done for Warner Brothers. Thank you for all the filters and your courage and thank you. There were times when everyone said, 'What are they doing?' Well, the world's going to see and have seen what they've done. So, Michael De Luca and Pam.
