MACRO Inks First-Look Deal At Warner Bros.

MACRO, the media company founded by former WME partner Charles D. King, has set a first-look deal with Warner Bros. The announcement was made by King, WB Chairman Toby Emmerich, and the studio’s Production head Courtenay Valenti.

This comes just after Deadline exclusively broke the news that MACRO, WB, and Black Panther director Ryan Coogler are teaming on Jesus Was My Homeboy, a film about iconic Black Panther Party member Fred Hampton with Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield in talks for the lead roles.

“We are thrilled to join forces with Warner Bros. Pictures and their visionary leadership team whose bold choices have led to some of our industry’s most successful and impactful films,” said King. “This expertise, combined with WarnerMedia and AT&T’s global assets and distribution, offers MACRO an unparalleled opportunity to expand our reach and further our mission of identifying and producing authentic stories by and about people of color.”

“In just a short period of time, Charles and MACRO have helped redefine representation in feature films,” said Emmerich and Valenti. “They have an incredible track record, and we’re looking forward to working with them to produce films that highlight the authenticity and importance of diversity.”

The deal was negotiated for MACRO by Hansen Jacobson Teller & Hoberman, as well as Latham & Watkins.

Prior to the pact, MACRO and WB had teamed on the upcoming film, Just Mercy, which was co-financed by MACRO with King serving as an executive producer. The film stars Michael B. Jordan (who also recently inked a deal with WB via his Outlier Society shingle), Jamie Foxx, and Brie Larson. It’s slated to hit theaters January 17, 2020.

MACRO, the company behind critically acclaimed films such as Fences, starring Denzel Washington, Dee Rees’ Mudbound, and Boots Riley’s debut film Sorry To Bother You, has the upcoming Alan Yang-directed drama Tigertail at Netflix, and Really Love, the romantic drama directed by Angel Kristi Williams and starring Michael Ealy, Queen Sugar’s Kofi Siriboe, and Emmy winner Uzo Aduba (Orange Is the New Black).