Will Ferrell, Adam McKay’s Gary Sanchez Productions Signs New Paramount Pact

Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Gary Sanchez Productions and its sister company Gloria Sanchez, headed by Jessica Elbaum, have struck a new three-year, first-look feature film deal with Paramount Pictures, the studio announced Wednesday.

Upcoming films to be released by Paramount include Will from writer Demetri Martin and the English-language remake of the German dramedy Toni Erdmann, starring Kristen Wiig. 

The overall deal represents a return to Paramount for the production company, which had had an earlier pact with the studio. The new deal, which kicked off July 1, will run through June 30, 2021.

“Adam and Will are among the most influential and innovative comedic minds of our time, and we couldn’t be happier to welcome back the strong partnership that the studio enjoyed with them in the past and will continue to nurture and grow for years to come,” Wyck Godfrey, president of Paramount’s Motion Picture Group, said in making the announcement. “This is truly a dream collaboration, and we look forward to continuing to share the incredible film and television content created through this alliance with audiences worldwide.”

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Said McKay: “We’ve had a lot of success at Paramount in the past. In fact, our very first deal was there many years ago. So, when [chairman] Jim [Gianopulos] and Wyck took over and made it clear they were serious about making movies, all kinds of movies, we knew it was time to go back. Plus, we genuinely like a lot of the people who work at Paramount. Except that one guy with frizzy hair who works in the gift shop. He gives me the creeps.”

Added Ferrell: “Paramount has been a great home to us over the years. We couldn’t think of a better fit for Gary and Gloria Sanchez. To say we are excited is an understatement. But I’m going to say it again. WE ARE EXCITED!!! EXCITEMENT!!! Can you feel it???”

To date, Gary Sanchez Productions films have grossed almost $1 billion worldwide for Paramount, including such releases as the R-rated action/fairy tale Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters ($226 million), Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues ($173 million) and the Ferrell/Mark Wahlberg family comedies Daddy’s Home ($242 million) and Daddy’s Home 2 ($180 million). In 2015, McKay co-wrote and directed Paramount’s The Big Short ($133 million), which was nominated for five Academy Awards and earned an Oscar, BAFTA and WGA Award for best adapted screenplay. 

The team at Gary Sanchez Productions comprises veteran producers Kevin Messick, whose recent credits include Ibiza for Netflix, HBO’s Succession and McKay’s The Big Short, as well as the upcoming film about Dick Cheney for Annapurna; and Chris Henchy, a writer and producer on titles such as The Other Guys and The Campaign, and a producer on Daddy’s Home and Daddy’s Home 2. Robyn Wholey handles day-to-day operations, Owen Burke (Comedy Central’s Drunk History) heads up television and Betsy Koch serves as a producer.