Amazon Studios has lined up three well-known Hollywood producers for three movies that have emerged from its unique public development process, taking a key step toward debuting its first feature films.

Denise Di Novi (known for Crazy, Stupid, Love) will produce Touching Blue, from a script by Scott Mullen; Bill Gerber (Gran Torino) is on board for Original Soldiers, an Amazon Studios creation; and Edward Saxon (Silence of the Lambs) will produce Children Of Others, by Barrington Smith-Seetachit. All of the movies have sci-fi and fantasy themes.

Amazon Studios launched a year ago, accepting submissions from screenwriters, filmmakers and other creative minds — using monthly prizes as incentives — and leveraging the collective intuition of movie fans to find the best content through online voting. Amazon has a “first-look” development deal with Warner Bros. for the films that emerge from the process.

Like Amazon’s book-publishing initiatives, Amazon Studios is an example of the Seattle e-commerce company getting further into the business of creating content, not just selling it — promising Amazon more control over content and terms of distribution on Kindles and other digital platforms.

Amazon Studios director Roy Price tells Deadline Hollywood that more than 6,000 scripts and 600 test movies have been submitted since launch. Amazon’s approach is controversial in the movie business, as reflected in the comments on the Deadline Hollywood post.

More details on Amazon Studios in this FAQ and video.

Thanks to Isaac Alexander  for the tip.

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