At The Playlist, we’re of the mind that new Lord and Miller projects are always a good thing. After the duo somehow made “21 Jump Street” a relevant comedy franchise in the 21st century and made “The LEGO Movie” work, when it clearly shouldn’t have, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller have been pretty much bulletproof in our eyes. Even when there was the whole ‘Solo’ debacle with Lucasfilm, the filmmakers rebounded with last year’s “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse,” which won an Oscar. So yeah, new Lord and Miller anything is okay by us.
That’s what makes the news that the filmmaking duo signed a massive “nine-figure” deal (via Variety) with Sony such amazing news. The deal brings Lord and Miller’s TV production banner to Sony, after years under Fox. Under the new partnership, Sony will give the duo the opportunity to develop a variety of live-action and animated series, covering both comedy and drama. In addition to this, Lord and Miller will also spearhead a Sony initiative to create a “suite” of series based around the studio’s licensed Marvel superheroes, including potential spin-offs of their own ‘Spider-Verse.’
“We are so grateful to everyone at Sony Pictures Television for choosing to partner with us and expand our enduring relationship with the studio,” Lord and Miller said. “Together we aim to make groundbreaking work of the highest quality and integrity, and to place that work in convenient proximity to your eyeballs and earholes, wherever you may be.”
“This is a significant milestone for our television business, having the opportunity to work with two of the most creative forces in the industry in both our film and television businesses,” said Mike Hopkins, chairman of Sony Pictures Television. “Building on our strong IP and creating new franchises has been a key focus for SPE, and the best way to do that is to invest in remarkable storytellers like Phil and Chris.”
READ MORE: ‘The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part’: Entertaining, Silly & A Little Exhausting [Review]
This deal is far from the first time that the filmmakers have developed TV series. In recent years, they produced and directed episodes for “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “The Last Man on Earth.” And they’re currently prepping the launch of new series “Bless the Harts” and “Business as Usual.” But now, the duo will focus on creating original content for Sony, whether it be more network or cable series, or perhaps something in the realm of streaming.
Whatever comes of this deal, especially if ‘Spider-Verse’ is involved, we couldn’t be happier to let Lord and Miller continue to entertain us.
