Jim Carrey Fires United Talent Agency

[TNPihl]

By Nicola West
(Web Correspondent)

It seems Tom Cruise is not the only actor affected by a major proffesssional upheaval.

It's been reported today that Jim has parted company with his agent of the last fifteen years, Nick Stevens at United Talent Agency.
The reasons are as of yet unclear but the reported loss of two major film film projects may have influenced the decision.

Jims Publicist, Marleah Leslie, issued this statement:

"Mr. Carrey has shared an enormous amount of success with UTA over the years for which he is truly grateful. It was a difficult decision to make but he felt it was time to move on."

Source: TMZ.com

With thanks to Nancy Latimer

[jimlover]

Oh.

[gothichyppie]

Mmm!

[JT Carrey]

meow

[omnipresence]

Good descision. He needs to do something like he did in the early ninties.

[fluffy]

perhaps Hollywoods biggest guns -Tom, Jim, Brad, Tom H, Julia, Angie, etc should start their own studio operations............imagine their cumulative power?

fluffy

[gothichyppie]

perhaps Hollywoods biggest guns -Tom, Jim, Brad, Tom H, Julia, Angie, etc should start their own studio operations............imagine their cumulative power?

fluffy

They would probably morph into golden giants going 'mouhouahaha', consumed by power!

[carreypunkrawker]

UTA wasn't fired. he just left. that's what I heard.

[KL70]

The Variety story is below.
It's understandable Jim may have felt frustrated at the recent stalling of a couple film projects Jim wanted to do, because cheap assed, tight fisted film studios felt the costs were getting too high, but any A list actors know there's little your agents can do, when both they and an actor are at the behest of cheap assed, tight fisted studios. It was UTA who helped Jim nab hundreds of millions of dollars, thanks to back end profit participation deals they negotiated for him on some films.

Jim's better off going the way of Tom Cruise and getting hedge fund money to finance film projects he's keen on, that get stalled when tight fisted studios start complaining about escalating costs and A list actor 8 figure salaries.


Posted: Wed., Sep. 13, 2006.
Carrey up for grabs
Thesp ankles UTA after 15 years, By MICHAEL FLEMING.

Jim Carrey has left UTA, ending one of the longest-running relationships between a star and agent. Carrey had been represented for 15 years by Nick Stevens, who with managers Jimmy Miller and Eric Gold guided the comic from an ensemble performer on 'In Living Color' to bankable comic star and the first to earn $20 million for a film.

Carrey, who discharged the agency Wednesday afternoon, remains with managers Gold and Miller. He hasn't yet signed with a new agency. Speculation is he might go to CAA. Miller-managed director Jay Roach just exited ICM for CAA, and Miller-managed star Will Ferrell moved from UTA to CAA when that agency brought over his primary dealmakers, Jason Heyman and Martin Lesak.
Reasons for Carrey's exit were unclear. Roach is believed to have left ICM partly because of Fox's decision to unplug 'Used Guys' over a $6 million discrepancy. Fox wanted a budget of $106 million, while Roach requested $112 million. Carrey had been ready to star in that film with Ben Stiller. Nobody got paid after a prolonged development process.

Shortly after that, Paramount put the brakes on 'Ripley's Believe It or Not', the Tim Burton-directed tentpole that Carrey was set to do next. While Paramount was concerned about that film's budget, the studio called the latter move a postponement, one that occurred because Carrey came up with a slew of ideas that changed the movie and necessitated a rewrite. After 'Ace Ventura, Pet Detective' put him on the map, Carrey's $300,000 salary for that film jumped to $450,000 for 'The Mask' and then catapulted to $7 million for
'Dumb & Dumber'.

He got the job as the Joker in 'Batman Forever' and then made the quantum leap to $20 million for 'The Cable Guy'. His paydays on hits like Liar, Liar,
How the Grinch Stole Christmas and Bruce Almighty, thanks to backend participation, were rumored to be as high as $80 million on each film.

Carrey was a catalyst for the growth of UTA's comedy department, with agency clients populating films like The Cable Guy and Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Stevens rose from agent to partner and board member during that 15-year ride. Carrey had just agreed to voice the title character in a Fox Animation adaptation of 'Horton Hears a Who, and he's reteaming with Cameron Diaz in 'A Little Game', the Gabriele Muccino-directed romantic comedy for Focus Features. Like his upcoming drama, the Joel Schumacher-directed 'Number 23', Carrey is believed to have reduced his upfront salary and made a gross-heavy deal, as he has on non-tentpole comedies.

[jimliker]

Well i guess Jim knows its good for him.

[CinnamonGirl]

I read this on the Defamer site (very funny):

UTA's classy farewell betrays just how deep a loss Carrey means to them, as our sources deep within the agency's walls have alerted us that every assistant has been sent an e-mail instructing them to show up shirtless in the main conference room at 9 a.m. for an hour-long, self-flagellation session. (Leather floggers provided.) Unstoppable agenting monolith CAA, meanwhile, is in the midst of mounting an impressive courting ritual for the newly unencumbered talent, rounding up a colorful array of plump, juicy newborns, for which their agents will unhinge their lower jaws and proceed to swallow whole as a demonstration of their bloodthirsty commitment to restoring Carrey's former, A-list glory.

[fluffy]

y'know, if you want your field to produce good crops, every few years you have to burn them bare and start again...without change we stagnate..i guess Jim's burned his field clean. ..respect!

fluffy

[Niobe]

Sad, but good move.

Now let's see Jim move away from the constraints of big Hollywood films. Let's see some interesting independant films coming our way.

It bodes really well for someone like me, who wants more from him...

[MandyCarrey]

The man knows what he wants

[lammy]

He doesn't need an agency to find him projects... Gosh, isn't he famous enough to do it himself . That's what I don't understand about stars - they need people to find them their next project .