Warren Beatty believes streaming services will "rescue" the movie industry.
The 80-year-old actor has seen a lot of changes in Hollywood over the years and believes the fact there is no longer a need to rely on a cinematic release to attract attention to a film has freed moviemakers from restrictions such as running time, and as such thinks it will lead to more original content and fewer guaranteed money-making sequels.
Speaking to the Metro newspaper, he said: "I think we’re on the verge of another big change, which is the acceptance of home video (streaming).
"With the advent of the home screen, we’re finding movies that last six hours or 15 minutes.
"So all the necessities in storytelling are up for grabs. This will, I think, ultimately rescue us… rescue what David Lean once said to me was ‘the great near-art form of the 20th century’.
"It will rescue us from sequels."
The ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ actor was recently embroiled in the Oscars controversy after he handed the Academy Award for Best Picture to ‘La La Land’ instead of the intended recipient ‘Moonlight’ after being given the wrong envelope, but he has dismissed the outcry as "silly".
He said: "It was just silly – I think that’s the word for it. Maybe we overly dramatise these award ceremonies.
"They [the Academy Awards] have always been nice to me – I’ve been nominated a lot of times. It’s been very nice.
"I feel I’m part of the community. I feel sorry for the poor guy who made the mistake."
The Hollywood legend is now starring alongside Lily Collins in ‘Rules Don’t Apply’, where he plays millionaire producer and director Howard Hughes and believes the filmmaker’s narcissism is still relevant in people today.
He said: "With the inherited wealth, he was able to manipulate and do things the way he wanted, to create this feeling that appealed to his own narcissism.
"Which I think has become more and more a characteristic that is mandatory in public life today – to be narcissistic."
Warren Beatty thinks industry needs to accept streaming
