Jordan Peele’s production company, Monkeypaw, has signed a multi-year television overall deal with Universal Studio Group. Jordan Peele and Monkeypaw President Win Rosenfeld previously had a two-year deal with Amazon Studios, which they signed in 2018.
NBCUniversal and Monkeypaw have had several successes on the film side, including the recent Candyman, which was distributed by Universal and produced by Monkeypaw along with MGM. Directed by Nia DaCosta, Candyman debuted last weekend at No. 1 at the box office, making DaCosta the first Black female filmmaker to achieve this. Peele and Rosenfeld also co-wrote the film with DaCosta. Rosenfeld shared his excitement for this new deal and for the chance to continue working with NBCU.
“We are so excited to partner with Pearlena and the incredible team at USG to produce the future of Monkeypaw’s television slate,” Rosenfeld said. “Their expertise, creativity and collaborative spirit is an ideal match for our company. This opportunity to continue making dynamic, diverse programming, while deepening our relationship with NBCU, is truly thrilling.”
NBCU has also been the location of Peele’s directorial efforts including the Academy Award winning Get Out, Us, and his upcoming film Nope. All of these films also fall under the Monkeypaw umbrella. In addition, Monkeypaw has produced other films including the comedy Keanu and the Spike Lee joint, BlacKkKlansman.
According to Deadline, this new deal “will cover Peele and Monkeypaw’s television development and production across Universal Studio Group divisions Universal Television and UCP.”
“The term ‘visionary’ is thrown around all too frequently in our business but in the case of Jordan Peele, it could not be more apt,” said Pearlena Igbokwe, Chairman, Universal Studio Group. “He brings a clarity of purpose as well as cultural specificity to everything he does, and audiences worldwide have responded. I am truly honored that Jordan and his partner Win Rosenfeld have chosen our studio as their TV home for the foreseeable future.”
Monkeypaw has also experienced plenty of success in television. It began with Key & Peele, the sketch show from Peele and Keegan-Michael Key. Peele gained tremendous popularity from this series and it won the Peabody Award, American Comedy Award, and was nominated for 12 Emmy’s. Other shows include The Last O.G. on TBS which starred Tracy Morgan and Lovecraft Country on HBO, which is nominated for 18 Emmy Awards. Monkeypaw also produced the reboot of The Twilight Zone on CBS and is currently producing the second season of Hunters on Amazon Prime Video.
Universal Television President Erin Underhill, who worked with Igbokwe to close this deal, added, “In the short amount of time I’ve spent with Jordan, Win and the fantastic Monkeypaw team, I have no doubt this will be a fruitful and fun collaboration. Given the diverse range of ideas we discussed, the sky’s the limit.”
Monkeypaw has been a home so far to many of the most unique creators in the industry. With a broad range of genres including horror and comedy, Monkeypaw has already found success in projects with a powerful voice and will continue to do so with NBCU.
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