Legendary Reportedly Moving On From Warner Bros. Deal, Paramount and Sony in the Mix

Legendary Entertainment is reportedly considering making a partnership with a new studio, after their most recent deal with Warner Bros. Discovery recently expired. On Monday, reports from The Ankler indicated that both Sony Pictures and Paramount Pictures are in the mix to do a deal with the fan-favorite movie imprint, with Sony seemingly being eyed as the frontrunner. That being said, there’s a chance that Legendary could remain at Warner Bros., as the studio reportedly has a new deal on the table. Legendary was previously partnered with Warner Bros. from 2005 to 2014, before returning to the partnership in 2020.

In the most recent years of Legendary and Warner Bros.’ partnership, the former company has made headlines for its reaction to the “Project Popcorn” strategy that the latter used to release its 2021 films amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The project, which saw each 2021 film debut simultaneously in theaters and on HBO Max, included the Legendary-financed Godzilla vs. Kong and Dune, leading to the studio briefly considering legal action and reportedly seeking as much as $250 million to release Godzilla vs. Kong on streaming. Both films ultimately proved to be the highest-grossing entries to Project Popcorn, and both have sequels in the works.

According to the report, Legendary began to consider deals with other studios amid the recent Warner Bros. Discovery merger, as new CEO David Zaslav has cut deals or cancelled entire projects tied to high profile creators. Legendary had previously considered the possibility of a potential sale or merger as early as last summer. The company has partnered with other platforms on other recent projects, including Enola Holmes and Texas Chainsaw Massacre for Netflix, Paper Girls on Prime Video, and Fresh on Hulu.

At the moment, Legendary’s upcoming film projects include the aforementioned sequels to Dune and Godzilla vs. Kong, as well as Enola Holmes 2, A Christmas Story Christmas, reboots of The Toxic Avenger, Duke Nukem, and Gundam, and an adaptation of God Country. In terms of television, the studio is working on the Dune television spinoff Dune: The Sisterhood, a new Monsterverse series for Apple TV+, and television versions of Sin City, My Friend Pedro, and Heathcliff.

What do you think of the latest update surrounding Legendary Entertainment’s future? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

h/t: Deadline