David Ellison’s new Paramount is reportedly in talks with Legendary Pictures to strike a global theatrical distribution deal.
The latest development comes less than two weeks after Ellison’s Skydance Media and RedBird Capital acquired Paramount in an $8.4bn merger that has seen the young mogul and his executives race to build a robust pipeline.
It is understood the deal would exclude China and comes after Legendary’s prior output deal with Sony Pictures expired last December.
Prior distribution partner Warner Bros still releases the Dune and ‘Monsterverse’ films, and the partners teamed up on A Minecraft Movie, which on $955m worldwide ranks as the second highest-grossing Hollywood release of the year to date behind Disney’s Lilo & Stitch.
Paramount’s film group led by Josh Goldstein and Dana Goldberg told reporters at an event on the Melrose lot in Los Angeles last week they plan to release 15 films a year as soon as possible, rising to 20. The studio’s recent annual output has fallen in the 11-14 range.
So far, the studio has struck a deal for Timothée Chalamet’s reunion with his A Complete Unknown director James Mangold on heist project High Side; and is understood to be in talks with Stranger Things creators the Duffer Brothers.
Paramount had not returned calls at time of writing.
No comments yet