Atlantis Communications ceo Michael MacMillan says the rivalry between Atlantis and Alliance Communications has been the last thing on his mind these past six months. Maybe because it’s hard to duel when you’re forced to address the rival as ‘Pluto’ and he keeps calling you ‘Venus’?

MacMillan laughs and says he’s fielded many questions about how he and Lantos shelved their differences to negotiate the merger. ‘But there really wasn’t any hatchet to bury to get this deal done,’ he says.

‘We’ve never been friends – we couldn’t be because we competed head to head for scripts, writers, crews, talent, distribution, time slots and broadcasters – but we’ve always been friendly. There’s a mutual respect there because we’ve always been doing essentially the same jobs, and if there were two people who could understand the situation of being in production in Canada, it was each other.’

MacMillan says he respects Lantos’ willingness to take chances.

‘He’s got guts. He’s a hard worker and he’s built a company absolutely committed to production, distribution, development and broadcasting. He’s taken a leadership role in motion pictures which Atlantis shied away from because you can’t dabble in it; it takes a major commitment.

‘But now we have an enormous opportunity to participate in what Robert has created and carry on the tradition he’s established. That’s the really interesting part for me.’

Michael MacMillan is CEO of Alliance Atlantis Communications.