Paramount Pictures today announced a two-year extension of its first-look deal with acclaimed producer Neal Moritz. The new deal extends the studio’s relationship with Moritz through December 31st, 2023.
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“I am incredibly grateful for the support, confidence, and faith that Jim and everyone at Paramount have shown me since we forged this partnership. I am overjoyed to be continuing this relationship and to see where our shared vision for pushing the boundaries of great entertainment takes us,” said Moritz.
“I am thrilled to extend this relationship with Neal and Original Film, which already has been so fruitful with the success of Sonic the Hedgehog. Neal has a unique talent for identifying, developing, and building franchises that truly capture audiences and embody the spirit of moviegoing. I couldn’t be happier that he is continuing to make Paramount his home as we move into our next phase of creating incredible entertainment for audiences everywhere,” added Paramount Pictures Chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos.
In the course of his partnership with the studio, Moritz produced the groundbreaking hit Sonic the Hedgehog and will be returning to produce the sequel as well. In addition to a sequel to Sonic the Hedgehog, alongside Paramount, Moritz will also be producing To Catch a Thief and the upcoming mobster thriller American Son. Based on Jacques Audiard’s French film A Prophet, American Son will star Russell Crowe (The Loudest Voice, The Nice Guys), with Andrew “Rapman” Onwubolu (Blue Story) directing and Dennis Lehane (Mr. Mercedes, The Wire) writing the screenplay. Moritz and Toby Jaffe (Bloodshot, Total Recall) will be producing through their production company, Original Film.
Moritz is also known for producing highly-successful and iconic franchises including Fast & Furious at Universal Pictures and 21 Jump Street at Sony. Other credits include I Know What You Did Last Summer, Cruel Intentions, Sweet Home Alabama and I Am Legend, among others. Moritz is among the top-performing filmmakers in the industry, with movies he has produced earning a combined total of over $10 billion in box office gross.
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Upon its release, Sonic the Hedgehog became the #1 opening weekend of all time for a movie based on a video game and went on to domestically become the #1 highest-grossing movie based on a video game of all time. The movie has to-date earned nearly $307 million at the worldwide box office. After its home entertainment release, the film also set Paramount’s record for first-day digital sales, becoming the studio’s all-time record-holder in less than three weeks.
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
