Jordan Peele Inks Rich Five-Year First-Look Deal With Universal

Peele and Monkeypaw, which is headed by president Win Rosenfeld, will also produce original films from other filmmakers. (Universal inked a two-year overall deal with the filmmaker in May 2017, prior to Peele collecting a best original screenplay Oscar for Get Out.)

“Jordan has established himself as a premier voice and original storyteller with global appeal. 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,” said Universal Filmed Entertainment Group chairman Donna Langley, who made Tuesday's announcement. “We also share an important goal with Monkeypaw when it comes to increasing representation onscreen in the characters that are portrayed, the stories that are told and the people who tell them.”

“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. Their willingness to take risks and their commitment to original content makes them the perfect collaborative partner for Monkeypaw. I couldn’t be more excited for what lies ahead,” said Peele.

Peele's feature directorial debut Get Out became a massive breakout, grossing $176 million at the North American box office on a $5 million budget. He followed that up by earning a best picture Oscar nomination as a producer on Spike Lee's BlacKkKlansman, while his sophomore feature, the Lupita Nyong'o-starring social thriller Us, took in $255 million at the global box office.

Monkeypaw is currently in production on a feature remake of Candyman, written by Peele and Rosenfeld. On the small screen, the banner, which has a first-look TV pact with Amazon Studios, is behind The Twilight Zone on CBS All Access and the upcoming HBO series Lovecraft Country.