Janelle Monáe’s Wondaland Pictures has entered into a first-look production agreement with Universal Pictures, the studio announced today.
CEO Monáe, creative director Chuck Lightning, executive producer Nate Wonder, and managing partner Mikael Moore will develop multi-genre content along with Universal, with an emphasis on championing underrepresented voices and groundbreaking perspectives.
“There is an exciting, artistic revolution taking place in our industry, and Janelle and the talented team at Wondaland are at the forefront,” said Donna Langley, chairman, Universal Pictures in a statement. “Their forward-thinking, inclusive approach to content and storytelling make them a perfect fit for our studio.”
Monáe’s Wondaland, which expanded to Wondaland Records in 2015, is a multimedia company designed to bring more wonder to the world by telling universal stories, in unforgettable ways, and this partnership will harness Wondaland’s progressive platform for pioneering acting, music and storytelling across the entertainment space.
Monáe will next star in Universal’s “Welcome To Marwen” alongside Steve Carell, and she’ll also be featured in the Harriet Tubman biopic “Harriet” from Focus Features arriving in 2019. She’s a six-time Grammy nominee who also starred in the Best Picture-nominated “Hidden Figures” and “Moonlight.”
Wondaland was represented in the deal by WME and Ziffren Brittenham.