Legendary Signs Deal With Sony After Leaving Warner Bros.

It looks like the production team behind Dune and the MonsterVerse has found its new home. After all, Variety reports Legendary Entertainment is now looking to work with Sony Pictures on its future projects. This comes after the company severed ties with Warner Bros. and announced it was looking for another distribution partner in Hollywood.

According to the reports, Sony is set to market and distribute Legendary’s new motion pictures. However, there are some caveats to the deal. For instance, select Legendary titles will carry on with Warner Bros. such as Dune: Part Two. At this time, no word has been given on the MonsterVerse, but Legendary Entertainment has signaled its involvement with the IP’s next movie.

“It’s a rare opportunity to partner in this mutually beneficial way with true pros, who are completely aligned in our theatrical commitment and vision for this business,” Josh Greenstein and Sanford Panitch, the presidents of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, shared. “The creative brilliance and power of Legendary is huge and we look forward to bringing their work to theaters across the world.”

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Of course, Sony Pictures and Legendary are eager to kickstart their deal as both companies released a joint statement confirming their deal. The companies admit they have an “ongoing commitment to theatrical distribution as a driver for other downstream windows and the theatrical window’s long-term value for films.” This likely means Legendary’s next titles will make theatrical appearances before they hit streaming services, and this model has become fairly standard post pandemic. However, Sony doesn’t have a proprietary streaming service like Warner Bros. does with HBO Max. Legendary may have more options in streaming its projects thanks to Sony.

“As we continue to grow our content offerings, we are excited to forge this relationship with Tony, Tom, Sanford, Josh and the rest of the exceptional Sony team,” Legendary CEO Joshua Grode shared in his own statement regarding the partnership.

“Sony’s commitment to theatrical distribution aligns with our vision of how to best derive the most value for Legendary’s movies. The incredible slate of movies that Mary Parent has amassed are built for the theatrical experience and we are excited about our partnership with Sony for this next phase of Legendary’s growth.”

Currently, Legendary is busy working on a number of projects. The company expects to release films like Toxic Avenger and Brothers next year before Godzilla vs Kong’s sequel drops in 2024. Other upcoming projects at Legendary includes Gundam, God Country, and Duke Nukem. 

What do you think about this new deal? Share your thoughts with us in the comments section below or hit me up on Twitter @MeganPetersCB.