Production company Vertigo Entertainment is making business moves as it has now inked a first-look deal with the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group.
Variety reports that the production company -- which is behind hits like The Lego Movie and It -- will now become one of the primary suppliers for Lionsgate. The deal covers a wide range of mediums, from video games, podcasts, location-based entertainment, stage, and motion pictures.
Vertigo has already collaborated with Lionsgate before, with their producer Roy Lee working with Lionsgate chairman Joe Drake and president Nathan Kahane on the Grudge franchise and The Strangers.
Deadline quotes Lee as saying that this new deal is an “exciting opportunity.” He said that he relished being able to work on different entertainment mediums and also expressed his admiration and respect for Drake and Kahane.
Drake, for his part, called Lee one of their first friends in the business and described him as a respected producer. He also shared that he was thrilled to work with Lee as Lee has been able to bring together distinct voices as well as elevate genre films to blockbuster status.
Aside from Lee, Vertigo Entertainment is also made up of fellow producer Miri Yoon, vice-president Andrew Childs, director of development Aengus McLoone, and Robin Jones for the company’s television side.
Currently, Lionsgate and Vertigo Entertainment are working on the thriller Cobweb. The project is a collaboration with Point Grey and features Lizzy Caplan, Antony Starr, Cleopatra Coleman, and Woody Norman as part of the cast.
Another first-look deal that was recently agreed upon was one between satellite radio company Sirius XM and comedian Kevin Hart. The deal expands Hart’s Laugh Out Loud comedy network and adds new regular and live programs to his slate.
Hart praised the creative control the new deal gives him, while Sirius XM president and CCO Scott Greenstein described the deal as an exciting new chapter.
Athlete and activist Colin Kaepernick also recently signed a first-look deal with Disney that involves ESPN films producing a documentary series on the path Kaepernick took towards civil rights activism.
Netflix will also be producing Colin in Black and White, a series that will cover Kaepernick’s time as a high school athlete and his childhood in a mostly White neighborhood.
Pharrell Williams, on the other hand, was signed on to write and executive produce the unscripted series Voices of Fire for Netflix. Starring Bishop Ezekiel Williams, Pharrell’s uncle, Voices of Fire will chronicle Williams’ attempt to form an inspiring gospel choir.