Columbia Extends Deal With Neal Moritz

On the day of the premiere of his film Battle: Los Angeles, Columbia has extended its first look deal with prolific producer Neal Moritz and his Original Film banner.

The deal, which comes 18 months before his pact was set to expire, extends the partnership for three more years. Moritz has been at Sony since 1997, when the studio made I Know What You Did Last Summer.
 
“We have been working together with Neal for nearly 15 years and over that time, we have partnered with him and his team on more than 20 films, most recently with The Green Hornet and Battle: Los Angeles,” said Columbia president Doug Belgrad in a statement. “He is simply one of the best and most prolific producers in the business. He knows what audiences want and is completely dedicated to delivering hits that audiences worldwide consistently enjoy while being fully conscious to bring his projects in on budget and on time.”

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“We have established a level of trust and confidence in him that can only come from the kind of long term success we have shared together for so many years,” stated Sony Pictures co-chairman Amy Pascal.

Moritz, who’s had 15 #1 hits with Columbia, remains one of Hollywood’s busiest producers. He is in production on The Change Up, starring Ryan Reynolds and Jason Bateman, is in pre-production on Jack the Giant Killer for New Line, and is getting ready to release Fast Five, which Universal opens April 29.
 
For Columbia, he is prepping a big-screen take on 21 Jump Street and a redo of Total Recall.
 
“There is a reason that I continue to call Sony my home and it has everything to do with the pleasure I get from being part of such a great, winning team,” Moritz enthused. “Years from now, when I have produced the last film of my career, it will probably be made with my friends at Sony.”