Skydance Media

Skydance Media, LLC (formerly known as Skydance Productions) is an American production company based in Santa Monica, California. Founded by David Ellison in 2006, the company entered a five-year partnership to co-produce and co-finance films with Paramount Pictures starting in 2009, and has renewed the agreement twice out to 2021. The company specializes in film, animation, TV and video games.

Skydance Media, LLC
FormerlySkydance Productions (2006–2016)
TypePrivate
IndustryEntertainment
FoundedApril 4, 2006 (2006-04-04)
FounderDavid Ellison
HeadquartersSanta Monica, California, United States
Area served
Global
Key people
  • David Ellison (CEO and chairman)
  • Dana Goldberg (CCO)
  • Don Granger (EVP of Feature Productions)
  • Marcy Ross (President of Television)
  • Paul Schwake (Former COO and CFO)
  • Jesse Sisgold (President and COO)
  • Larry Wasserman (CFO)
Products
BrandsUncharted (label)
Owner
Subsidiaries
  • Skydance Pictures, LLC
  • Skydance Animation, LLC
  • Skydance Interactive, LLC
  • Skydance Television, LLC
  • Skydance Development, LLC
  • Skydance Productions, LLC
  • [2]
Websiteskydance.com

Skydance is responsible for feature-length films including True Grit, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Jack Reacher, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Star Trek Into Darkness, World War Z, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Terminator Genisys, Star Trek Beyond, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Life, Baywatch, Geostorm, Annihilation, Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Gemini Man, Terminator: Dark Fate, and 6 Underground. Skydance's future feature film slate includes Top Gun: Maverick, Without Remorse, Snake Eyes, and The Tomorrow War.

History

Skydance Productions was formed in 2006 by David Ellison. The firm's first film was Flyboys in 2006, starring Ellison and co-financed with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer.[3]

In the fall of 2009, Skydance and Paramount Pictures signed a five-year co-financing, production and distribution agreement, with Paramount holding the additional option of distribution. Before August 2010, Skydance hired Dana Goldberg, formerly of Village Roadshow Pictures, to oversee development and production. In August 2010, with the Paramount partnership and an equity investment by the then sixth richest person in the world, Ellison's father Larry Ellison, Skydance raised $350 million in equity and credit to co-finance its films.[3]

On May 1, 2013, Skydance launched Skydance Television, hiring Marcy Ross as division president.[4] Skydance renewed it slate deal with Paramount in the summer of 2013 for four more years.[5]

In 2014, Jesse Sisgold joined Skydance as President of Business Affairs & Strategic Planning[6] and later that year was upped to Chief Operating Officer.[7] He was again promoted in 2017 to President & COO.[8]

In March 2014, Don Granger joined the company as the newly created post EVP Feature Productions, and he would report to Dana Goldberg, company's chief creative officer.[9]

In March 2015, Anne Globe joined the company as Chief Marketing Officer.[10]

Later that same year, Skydance raised $700 million in new financing. The refinancing included $200 million in equity from a group of investors, and a $500 million line of credit from J.P. Morgan Chase.[5] On May 3, 2016, Skydance Media used part of its new financing to purchase game developer The Workshop Entertainment, Inc. The Workshop Entertainment was renamed and organized as Skydance Interactive, LLC.[11] David Ellison's company also created a production label named Uncharted in December 2016 in order to house content that falls outside of the action, sci-fi or fantasy genre.[12]

On March 16, 2017, Skydance launched the Skydance Animation division by forming a multi-year partnership with Madrid-based Ilion Animation Studios. Two projects are already in the works, with one of them originally eyeing a March 2021 release.[13] In August 2017, Skydance and Paramount renewed their slate deal for another four years to 2021, with the addition of Skydance's animated films for distribution.[14]

On January 25, 2018, Tencent bought a 5% to 10% minority stake.[1][15] Jun Oh was hired by Skydance Media as head of theatrical, interactive and legal affairs in October 2018.[16]

In February 2020, RedBird Capital Partners and CJ ENM invested in the company.[17] More recently, the company signed a first look TV deal with Exile Content Studio.[18] Even more recently, the company signed a first look deal with Impact, a company owned by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer for TV productions.[19]

Films

Released
Release Title Co-production companies Distributor(s)
September 22, 2006 Flyboys Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Ingenious Film Partners, and Electric Entertainment MGM Distribution Co.
December 22, 2010 True Grit Mike Zoss Productions, Scott Rudin Productions Paramount Pictures
December 21, 2011 Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol Bad Robot Productions, TC Productions
December 19, 2012 The Guilt Trip Michaels/Goldwyn
December 21, 2012 Jack Reacher TC Productions
March 28, 2013 G.I. Joe: Retaliation Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Hasbro Studios, and Di Bonaventura Pictures
May 16, 2013 Star Trek Into Darkness Bad Robot Productions, K/O Paper Products
June 21, 2013 World War Z Plan B Entertainment, GK Films
January 17, 2014 Jack Ryan: Shadow Recruit Di Bonaventura Pictures
July 1, 2015 Terminator Genisys China Movie Channel
July 31, 2015 Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation Bad Robot Productions, Alibaba Pictures, China Movie Channel, TC Productions
July 22, 2016 Star Trek Beyond Alibaba Pictures, Huahua Media, Bad Robot Productions, Sneaky Shark, and Perfect Storm Entertainment
October 21, 2016 Jack Reacher: Never Go Back TC Productions, Shanghai Film Group and Huahua Media
March 24, 2017 Life Columbia Pictures, Mockingbird Pictures Sony Pictures Releasing
May 25, 2017 Baywatch under Uncharted; Shanghai Film Group, Huahua Media, Seven Bucks Productions, The Montecito Picture Company, Fremantle Productions and Flynn Picture Company Paramount Pictures
October 20, 2017 Geostorm Electric Entertainment, RatPac-Dune Entertainment Warner Bros. Pictures
February 23, 2018 Annihilation Scott Rudin Productions, DNA Films Paramount Pictures
July 27, 2018 Mission: Impossible – Fallout Alibaba Pictures, Bad Robot Productions, TC Productions
October 11, 2019 Gemini Man[20] Alibaba Pictures, Fosun Pictures and Jerry Bruckheimer Films
November 1, 2019 Terminator: Dark Fate 20th Century Fox, Tencent Pictures, TSG Entertainment and Lightstorm Entertainment Paramount Pictures (U.S. distribution),
20th Century Fox (International distribution)
& Tencent Pictures (Chinese distribution)
December 13, 2019 6 Underground Bay Films Netflix
July 10, 2020 The Old Guard[21] Denver and Delilah Productions

Upcoming
Release Title Co-production companies Distributor(s)
July 2, 2021 Top Gun: Maverick Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films, TC Productions and Tencent Pictures Paramount Pictures
July 23, 2021 The Tomorrow War Phantom Four Films and Lit Entertainment Group
October 22, 2021 Snake Eyes Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, Entertainment One and di Bonaventura Pictures
November 19, 2021 Mission: Impossible 7 TC Productions
February 18, 2022 Luck[22] Paramount Pictures and Ilion Animation Studios Apple TV+
November 4, 2022 Mission: Impossible 8 TC Productions Paramount Pictures
November 11, 2022 Spellbound Paramount Pictures and Ilion Animation Studios Apple TV+
TBA The Greatest Beer Run Ever[23] Andrew Muscato Productions Paramount Pictures
Heart of Stone[24] Pilot Wave Netflix
Rainbow Six Weed Road Pictures, Outlier Society and Midnight Radio Productions Paramount Pictures
Without Remorse Paramount Pictures, Weed Road Pictures, Outlier Society and Midnight Radio Productions Amazon Studios

In development
Title Co-production companies Distributor(s)
Buck Rogers[25] TBA
Untitled Spy Kids film[26] Spyglass Media Group Paramount Pictures

Skydance Television
See also: List of shows produced by Skydance Television

Television series
First broadcast Last broadcast Title Network Seasons Episodes Production
July 27, 2014 December 15, 2015 Manhattan WGN America 2 23 Skydance Television
May 8, 2015 TBA Grace and Frankie Netflix 6 78 Okay Goodnight!, Skydance Television
October 1, 2017 January 6, 2018 Ten Days in the Valley ABC 1 10 Skydance Television
February 2, 2018 February 27, 2020 Altered Carbon Netflix 2 18
June 4, 2018 July 30, 2018 Dietland AMC 1 10
June 6, 2018 TBA Condor Audience Network 1 10 MGM Television, Skydance Television, Paramount Television
August 31, 2018 Jack Ryan Amazon 2 16 Paramount Television Studios, Skydance Television, Platinum Dunes
TBA Untitled Miraculous live-action TV series[27] TBA TBA TBA ZAG Inc.
Foundation Apple TV+ Skydance Television
Sword Art Online[28][29] Netflix
Untitled Steins;Gate live-action TV series[30][31] TBA

Skydance Interactive

Skydance Interactive is a game studio focused on developing ambitious titles, managing projects licenses to other developers, and developing innovative game mechanics and software for VR and emerging platforms. The division of Skydance Media was launched in 2016.[32] In 2017, its first VR game, Archangel was launched. The game recently expanded into an online multiplayer upgrade, Archangel: Hellfire. [33]

In 2017, Skydance Interactive partnered with Skybound Entertainment to develop a number of original virtual reality video games based on the expansive world of The Walking Dead universe.[34] The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners will be the inaugural title co-developed by the two companies. The studio is located in Marina del Rey, CA.[35]

Games
Release Title
July 18, 2017 Archangel
April 6, 2018 PWND
January 23, 2020 The Walking Dead: Saints and Sinners

Skydance Animation
Skydance Animation
TypeSubsidiary
Industry
Founded2017 (2017)
Headquarters
United States
Key people
ParentSkydance Media

Skydance formed a multi-year partnership in March 2017 with Madrid-based Ilion Animation Studios and in July, announced its first two animated feature films — Luck, which opens on February 18, 2022, and Spellbound on November 11, 2022. On October 10, 2017, Bill Damaschke was hired to head the division as president of animation and family entertainment.[36]

Skydance Animation has signed on directors Alessandro Carloni (Kung Fu Panda 3) to direct Luck, Vicky Jenson (Shrek) to direct Spellbound, and Nathan Greno (Tangled) to helm Pookoo (formerly known as Powerless).[37] Peggy Holmes (Secret of the Wings and The Pirate Fairy) was later announced as new director of Luck, replacing Carloni who left over creative differences.[38]

Skydance Animation hired former Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios CCO John Lasseter as Head of Animation in late January 2019, supplanting Damaschke.[39] This decision was met with disapproval from some contributors to various Skydance projects, owing to prior allegations of sexual misconduct against Lasseter during his time with Pixar.[40] Conversely, Damaschke stated that many people "[...] had strong feelings and felt like it was the right thing to do [...] and were excited to get to work with him" and it was "[...] definitely not a black-and-white situation."[41] Emma Thompson was to voice a character in Luck but left the project after Lasseter was hired.[42]

Holly Edwards, who previously served as Skydance Animation's Head of Production, was promoted to the position of president at Skydance Animation.[43]

On April 2, 2020, composer Alan Menken revealed that he is working alongside Lasseter on a project for the studio,[44] which was later announced to be Spellbound.[45] Skydance formally acquired Ilion Studios and rebranded it as Skydance Animation Madrid in April 2020.[46] On July 30, the studio named Shane Prigmore for the newly created position of Senior Vice President of Development for Animation, in which he will oversee the creative development of all feature films and television series.[47] On December 16, 2020, Apple TV+ entered talks to take over the distribution rights to the films Luck and Spellbound.[48]

Animated films
Title Release Co-production with Distribution
Luck February 18, 2022 Ilion Animation Studios Paramount Pictures
Spellbound November 11, 2022
Pookoo TBA
The Fourteenth Goldfish[49] TBA

References
  1. Faughnder, Ryan. "China's Tencent acquires minority stake in Skydance Media - LA Times". latimes.com. Retrieved 20 September 2018.
  2. "Business Search on Skydance + LLC". businesssearch.sos.ca.gov. California Secretary of State. Retrieved January 10, 2019.
  3. Eller, Claudia (2010-08-16). "David Ellison raises $350 million to co-fund movies with Paramount". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2020-01-12.
  4. Lacey Rose (April 3, 2013). "Skydance Productions to Launch TV Division, Taps Former Fox Exec Marcy Ross as President". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  5. Fleming, Mike Jr. (2016-03-29). "David Ellison's Skydance Raises $700 Million In Funding For Film, TV Slates". Deadline. Retrieved 2018-04-11.
  6. Hipes, Patrick (2014-01-24). "Skydance Taps Jesse Sisgold As President Of Business Affairs & Strategic Planning". Deadline. Retrieved 2019-10-22.
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  44. Talk Back with Alan Menken (2020)
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