Michael De Luca

The Oscars producer on Fifty Shades’ future, how Hollywood is ‘antiseptic’ and why he ditched L.A. for Texas

- Pamela McClintock

Michael De Luca never cared about the Oscars as a kid until Star Wars was nominated for best picture. He made sure to watch the April 7, 1978, telecast — and while his favorite film lost to Annie Hall, it didn’t matter. Nearly four decades later, the veteran studio executive and producer — himself nominated for three Oscars for The Social Network, Moneyball and Captain Phillips — will try to restore the glory to the ceremony Feb. 26. He’s co-producing the show for the first time alongside Jennifer Todd.

De Luca, 51, got his start at New Line Cinema during the 1990s, when he built a reputation as one of the hottest (and most hard-partying) young producers in Hollywood. Some of his early hits included the Austin Powers franchise and Boogie Nights. He moved on to run production at DreamWorks, then spent nine years producing at Sony (where he got his Oscar noms) before becoming the studio’s president of production. De Luca left Sony after the hack for a producing deal at Universal, where he is tackling the Fifty Shades franchise.

The married father of two recently invited THR to his office on the Universal lot to explain why he feels studio chiefs are complacent, what’s next for Fifty Shades and why his family left L.A. for Fort Worth, Texas.

What is the best and worst part of being a producer these days?

The best part is eclecticism. As a producer, I’m not bound by one format. Content is king again because there are so many pipelines to fill. You have Netflix and Amazon. I can go after television projects, miniseries, small features and big features. You are the master of your own destiny. The downside is you have to sing for your supper and find money. I actually wish more studio executives sang for their supper.

Meaning what?