 Logo used since 2011 | |
| Company type | Division |
|---|---|
| Industry | Film production company |
| Founded | February 24, 2009; 16 years ago (2009-02-24) |
| Founder | Peter Chernin |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles, California |
Key people |
|
| Products | Motion Pictures |
| Parent | The Chernin Group (2009–2022) The North Road Company (2022–present) |
Chernin Entertainment is an American film and television production company owned by The North Road Company that is based in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on February 24, 2009 by producer and former media executivePeter Chernin, who is chairman and chief executive officer of the company.Jenno Topping is the president of film and television, withDavid Ready as executive vice president of film and TV. Kristen Campo is executive vice president of television.[1] Twenty-seven films have been produced by the company, most of them with 20th Century Fox (now known as20th Century Studios).[2]
Chernin Entertainment was founded by Peter Chernin after he stepped down as president of Fox's then-parent companyNews Corporation in 2009. The firm's first film wasRise of the Planet of the Apes in 2011.[2] Chernin Entertainment's five-yearfirst-look deal for the film and television was signed with20th Century Fox and20th Century Fox Television in 2009.[3]
In March 2011, after leaving Maguire Entertainment,Jenno Topping joined the company as executive Vice President of film division,[4] and then in February 2013 she was promoted to President of films, vacated byDylan Clark.[5][6]David Ready was hired as Senior VP to report to Topping.[5] In June 2015, the company's TV division's president Katherine Pope left the company, while Topping was promoted to President of Film and Television.[7][8] In August 2015,Dante Di Loreto was hired and appointed as President of Television at the company, reporting to Topping. Kristen Campo joined the company in 2016 to run television after Di Loreto's departure.[9]
In November 2014, the company signed an extension of the first-look deal with 20th Century Fox for film at a less lucrative terms. With only one hit TV show, New Girl, the TV pact was being shopped around.[3] In June 2015, Chernin signed its television production deal for two years withNBCUniversal, in which Chernin would develop and produce projects for NBC thoughUniversal Television.[7] That deal was followed with one with Endeavor Content for a scripted drama pact in 2017.[2]
On January 17, 2020,20th Century Studios, now under the operation ofWalt Disney Studios, ended its production deal with Chernin Entertainment, which had about four years remaining. The move was cited to Disney's preference of self-financing its films, and the studio's mandate of having 20th Century refocus on its franchises. Chernin will continue to work with Disney and 20th Century on thePlanet of the Apes franchise and about 9 other films with the studio, while taking 70 out of 80 films in development in the split.[2] On April 7, Chernin made a multi-year first-look deal withNetflix to make films.[10]
In September 2020, Chernin Entertainment signed a multi-year partnership agreement withSpotify to allow the former to adapt films and TV shows from Spotify's original podcast catalog.[11][12][13]
In February 2021, Chernin Entertainment announced that it had launched a non-scripted documentary production studio that could produce documentaries both inside and outside the sports genre namedWords + Pictures with formerESPN content chiefConnor Schell who became the chief executive officer of the new unscripted programme company with Chernin Entertainment's president Jenno Tapping overseeing the company's relationship with them.[14][15][16]
On October 27, 2021,Nancy Utley, former veteran of Searchlight Pictures had started Lake Ellyn Entertainment, with a first-look affiliate deal at the studio, and Netflix.[17]
In April 2022, Chernin Entertainment announced that they hired former chairman and CEO ofRed Arrow Studios and the president ofWestbrook International Jan Frouman in an unspecified role as Chernin Entertainment announced that they were going to expand their film and television operations with them eyeing the acquisition of German production and distribution companyRed Arrow Studios fromProSiebenSat.1 Media.[18]
In July 2022, Chernin Entertainment's president & founder Peter Chernin announced that he established a global independent and production content studio that would bring his film & television production company Chernin Entertainment and its unscripted production studio Words + Pictures entitled The North Road Company as the two subsidiaries became part of his new company as labels, while the new global company had acquired the US assets of German entertainment & international distribution companyRed Arrow Studios from ProSiebenSat.1 Media (which were Kinetic Content, Left/Right and 44 Blue Productions) and the remaining 50% stake in unscripted documentary production company Words + Pictures with Peter Chernin became CEO & chairman of the new company with Chernin Entertainment veteran Jenno Topping retained his role president of The North Road Company's division Chernin Entertainment and started overseeing The North Road Company's scripted film and television operations alongside Words + Pictures founder Connor Schell who had continued running the unscripted production company under North Road and would assume The North Road Company's unscripted operations as head of unscripted. The new global content studio had also established its international division named North Road International as Jan Frouman (who joined Chernin Entertainment three months prior back in April of that year) became The North Road Company's president as formerAMC Networks executive Kirstin Jones joined The North Road Company and became the global studio's president of international film & television and the two would run North Road's new international division with their international office being based inLondon,England.[19][20][21][22]
In June 2023, The North Road Company announced that they had acquired Istanbul and LA-based Turkish/American film & television drama production company Karga Seven Pictures, marking The North Road Company's first international acquisition and their first international expansion along with their expansion of their international operations into Turkey and reunited Karga Seven Pictures with Red Arrow's former American unscripted production subsidiaries (which were Kinetic Content, Left/Right and 44 Blue Productions that North Road acquired a year prior in 2022), with Karga Seven Pictures founders and producers Sarah Wetherbee, Emre Sahin and Kelly McPherson continued leading of the acquired Turkish/American production company with Sarah Wetherbee and Emre Sahin becoming global CEOs and Ömer Müjdat Özgüner was hired by Karga Seven Pictures and became the new CEO of the company.[23][24][25]
In November 2023, Chernin Entertainment's parent company The North Road Company had announced that they had acquired a majority stake in Los Angeles-based production company Two One Five Entertainment which was led by the co-founders of the hip hop bandThe RootsTariq "Black Thought" Trotter andAhmir "Questlove" Thompson with The North Road Company financing Two One Five Entertainment's future film and television projects along with North Road expanding Two One Five into the scripted business.[26][27][28]
In November 2023, The North Road Company announced that it had acquired documentary production company Little Room Films, expanding The North Road Company's operations and would be placed under North Road's unscripted production arm Words + Pictures with the former's founder & director Jason Hehir continued remaining the president of Little Room Films under North Road's unsciprted production unit Words + Pictures.[29][30]
In January 2025, The North Road Company announced their entry into the Latin American production business by acquiring Mexican television production company Perro Azul, marking North Road's second international production studio acquisition and its first entry into Latin America since their acquisition of Turkish/American drama television studio Karga Seven Pictures two years prior in June 2023 as Mexican television production studio Perro Azul became a subaidiary of The North Road Company with Perro Azul's founders Alexis Fridman and Juan Uruchurtu continued leadering the acquired Mexican production company under North Road.[31] Most recently, the company signed a film deal withApple TV+.[32]
In January 2026, French media congolomateMediawan entered advanced talks to acquire Chernin Entertainment's American global entertainment & production content studio & parent The North Road Company alongside its international division North Road International their scripted & unscripted entertainment production subsidiary Chernin Entertainment, minorty investment stakes in Omaha Productions and Two One Five Entertainment, Turkish/American drama production company Karga Seven Pictures, Mexican scripted television studio Perro Azul and its unscripted production operations which were Words + Pictures (including its subsidiary Little Room Films), Left/Right, Kinetic Content and 44 Blue Productions from its founder Peter Chernin that would expand Mediawan's American production operations.[33][34]
Chernin Entertainment produces for television and film.
The company's first feature filmRise of the Planet of the Apes, was released in August 2011[2] and has grossed more than $480 million at the worldwide box office.[35][36] It has also producedParental Guidance, a comedy starringBilly Crystal andBette Midler, which was released in December 2012,[37] the sci-fi thriller fromJoseph Kosinski,Oblivion, starringTom Cruise,[38] andThe Heat, starringMelissa McCarthy andSandra Bullock.[39]
| Year | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes | Budget | Gross |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Underwater[2] | William Eubank | 20th Century Fox | co-production with20th Century Fox | $50–80 million | $40.9 million |
| 2021 | Fear Street Part One: 1994 | Leigh Janiak | Netflix | |||
| Fear Street Part Two: 1978 | ||||||
| Fear Street Part Three: 1666 | ||||||
| 2022 | Slumberland | Francis Lawrence | ||||
| 2023 | Luther: The Fallen Sun | Jamie Payne | co-production withBBC Film | |||
| Dicks: The Musical | Larry Charles | A24 | ||||
| 2024 | Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes[41] | Wes Ball | 20th Century Studios | uncredited; co-production with OddBall Entertainment and Jason T. Reed Productions | $120-160 million | $397.4 million |
| Rez Ball[42] | Sydney Freeland | Netflix | co-production withSpringHill Company, Wise Entertainment and Lake Ellyn Entertainment | |||
| 2025 | Back in Action | Seth Gordon | co-production with Exhibit A and Good One Productions | |||
| Fear Street: Prom Queen[43] | Matt Palmer |
| Year | Title | Creator(s) | Network | Notes | Seasons | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020–present | P-Valley | Katori Hall | Starz | season 1 only; co-production with Kat Buggy Productions andLionsgate Television (season 2) | 2 | 18 |
| 2024 | Exploding Kittens[64] | Matthew Inman and Shane Kosakowski | Netflix | co-production with Chomp City,Jam Filled Entertainment andBandera Entertainment | 1 | 9 |
| 2025 | Chief of War[65] | Jason Momoa and Thomas Pa'a Sibbett | Apple TV+ | co-production with Pride of Gypsies, Hard J Productions, about:blank andFifth Season | 1 | 8 |
"Sidekicks," a reimagining of classic fairy tales through the eyes of the heroes' under-appreciated helpers, for Paramount and Chernin;
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