NBCUniversal entertainment chairman Donna Langley used the Bloomberg Screentime stage to explain how the studio turns instability at rivals into a talent edge. The clearest case: Taylor Sheridan, the creator of Yellowstone, is leaving Paramount and bringing his next film deal to Universal first.
Why film was the opening for Sheridan
Sheridan is best known for television hits such as Landman, Tulsa King and Lioness, but he also wrote and directed films including Sicario, Wind River and Those Who Wish Me Dead. Langley said that background shaped the pitch: “Where I started talking to Taylor was about film.” Sheridan’s Paramount film arrangement was a first-look deal with less strength than his TV agreement, she noted. The Universal film deal begins next year, while his TV deal follows in 2028.
That sequencing matters. Universal gets a chance to prove itself in film before competing for the more valuable television relationship, and Sheridan gets a lower-risk way to test the partnership.
Nolan prefers to stay a free agent
Langley’s team moved Christopher Nolan to Universal for Oppenheimer, which grossed $975 million worldwide and won the best picture Oscar. His follow-up, The Odyssey, passed $1.684 billion globally in September and now stands at $1.753 billion, making it the studio’s highest-grossing film to date.
But Universal does not treat Nolan as a locked asset. “It’s open every time. He chooses not to have a home; we’re just fine with that,” Langley said. Each project goes to market, a reminder that even the strongest studio-director relationship has to be re-earned.
The franchise lesson in two misses
Universal’s record year came with softer results. Langley addressed them directly.
- Minions & Monsters grossed $523 million worldwide, nearly half the $940 million earned by Minions 2 in 2022.
- The franchise is 17 years old, and Langley said a longer gap between films might have built anticipation.
- She also suggested the 1920s Hollywood setting was “a little over” younger audiences’ heads.
Steven Spielberg’s Disclosure Day earned $241 million globally. Langley framed the Spielberg relationship as bigger than any single directing result: he is an “incredible producer” and thought partner across the Jurassic World franchise, theme parks and news operations.
For media planners and entertainment buyers, the signals are practical: top-tier talent is now being recruited through the deal format where they have the least encumbrance, and a beloved IP can still underdeliver if the audience fit or release gap is off. Langley’s wishlist is also telling — she named Ryan Coogler as a filmmaker she still hopes to work with, joining a stable that includes Jordan Peele and the Daniels, whose next feature stars Matt Damon.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
