Moviemaker Jordan Peele is obviously a hitmaker, with his blockbuster debut, Get Out, and his follow-up hit, Us. But with a new five-year production deal he’s inked with Universal Pictures, Peele is set to be a king (or queen) maker, too.
The major studio announced Tuesday that it had entered into a five-year exclusive production partnership with Peele. The deal not only includes Universal developing Peele’s next two movies, but will also have Peele ushering in other filmmakers’ works through his Monkeypaw Productions company.
“It would not have been possible to make Get Out and Us without the endless trust and support we received from Donna Langley and the team at Universal,” Peele said in a statement, referring to Langley, Universal Pictures’ boss as chairman of the Universal Filmed Entertainment Group.
“Their willingness to take risks and their commitment to original content makes them the perfect collaborative partner for Monkeypaw,” Peele continued. “I couldn’t be more excited for what lies ahead.”
Peele is a proven moneymaker at the box office.
Not only did Get Out earn Peele an Oscar for best original screenplay, the film also holds the record as the highest-grossing movie ever for a feature debut from a writer/director with an original screenplay.
Us was another smash hit, as the highest-grossing opening ever for an original horror film; the highest-grossing opening ever for an R-rated film; and the highest-grossing opening for a live-action original since 2009’s Avatar.
In addition, Peele has shown he knows how to pick ’em, too. His Monkeypaw Productions produced Spike Lee’s 2018 film, BlacKkKlansman, a movie that won the legendary filmmaker his first-ever Oscar—for adapted screenplay—as well as earning Peele a fourth Oscar nod.
“Jordan has established himself as a premier voice and original storyteller with global appeal,” Langley said in a statement. “He is leading a new generation of filmmakers that have found a way to tap into the cultural zeitgeist with groundbreaking content that resonates with audiences of all backgrounds.”
Currently, Monkeypaw is in production on Candyman—co-written by Peele and directed by up-and-coming filmmaker Nia DaCosta—which has an expected release date of June 12, 2020.