. The firm broadened its ambitions in 2016, launching subsidiary Skydance Interactive after buying developer The Workshop with an eye toward mining its IP in the gaming and virtual reality space. Skydance now has two interactive game teams, one focused on titles like VR shooter, and another on AAA titles for Marvel and Lucasfilm.
The Santa Monica-based Skydance, which now has 1,200 staffers in total, plans to use the investment to scale its John Lasseter-led animation efforts as well as build out its sports division and interactive efforts. “Our animation group today stands at 900 people globally.
Skydance’s $400 million funding round marks the latest move by private equity firms eying star-driven or IP-flush production companies as smart investment bets. Since asset manager Blackstone bankrolled former Disney execs Tom Staggs’ and Kevin Mayer’s bid to roll up production companies — beginning with an acquisition of Reese Witherspoon’s banner Hello Sunshine last August in a deal valued at $900 million — multiple shingles have hung “for sale” or “seeking investment” signs on their doors.
Others, like Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment, indie distributor Neon, Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment andbacker Village Roadshow, have been cited as exploring investment options but haven’t yet unveiled deals. At the beginning of this year, Skydance ended its decade-long agreement with Paramount and signed a non-exclusive first-look deal with Apple Original Films that kept the rights to IP developed to fuel adaptations in other media . Films that are part of that Apple pact include action comedy, with Chris Evans and Ana de Armas, as well as, from director Scott Derrickson and stars Miles Teller and Anya Taylor-Joy.
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Fuente: WSJ - 🏆 98. / 63 Leer más »