Washington: Oscar-winning filmmaker Phil Lord and Chris Miller have signed a first-look deal with Universal Pictures.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the deal marks the first overall feature film agreement for the duo under their Lord Miller banner, which recently signed a nine-figure, five-year overall television deal with Sony Pictures TV.
Lord Miller also recently named Aditya Sood as president of the film group — he will lead the company’s motion picture group that includes longtime film executives Will Allegra and Rebecca Karch, who serve as senior VP and VP, respectively.
“In this competitive landscape, our ongoing ambition is to partner with visionary filmmakers who have true authorship and a voice that is unmistakable,” said the group chairman Donna Langley.
“Phil and Chris speak to the culture and have brought their singular, original perspective to every project they’ve touched. We are thrilled to collaborate with them and welcome them to the Universal family,” Langley added.
“Universal has a history of breaking new ground and championing unexpected voices, so for us, it’s a very welcoming environment to make bold, original films that push the medium forward,” said Lord and Miller. “We also feel a deep obligation to leave something behind for future generations of studio executives to reboot.”
On the work front, Lord and Miller have several projects at various stages of development, including an adaptation of the Andy Weir novel ‘Artemis’ at Fox and the live-action tentpole ‘The Last Human for Sony’, both which will be helmed by the duo.