The Guardian signs first-look deal with Sony Pictures

Sony Pictures Entertainment has signed a new exclusive first look deal with a UK newspaper The Guardiangiving the studio first rights to He guardianReports for film and television adaptations.

The deal will enable SPE’s film and television production groups, which include film divisions such as Columbia Pictures, TriStar, Screen Gems and 3000 Pictures, as well as Left Bank television operations (The crown), Bad Wolf (Its dark materials), and live and unscripted sports production company Whisper, vision, the deal includes SPE’s feature film division, development rights to The Guardian‘s current and developing news, as well as the newspaper’s archive, dating back 200 years.

Announcing the agreement on Wednesday, SPE and The Guardian He said the studio already has three option deals that will be announced soon. The Guardian It has similar agreements with Netflix, the BBC and Sky. The media group is no stranger to high-end video content. Distributed Anthony Giacchino’s documentary colettewhich won the Oscar for Best Documentary Short in 2020, as well as Ed Perkins’ Oscar nominee for Best Documentary Short in 2019. Black sheep.

“Being able to take advantage The Guardian“Sony Pictures’ extraordinary journalism, past, present and future, to create a new generation of dramas, documentaries and films, is an incredibly exciting opportunity for us at Sony Pictures,” said Wayne Garvie, president of international production, Sony Pictures Television , in a statement. “We continually look for stories that have a distinctive and creative spirit, and that connect with audiences around the world, and The Guardian The team certainly brings those qualities through their top-notch journalism.”

The deal was negotiated by London agency group Curtis Brown and will be overseen by a team appointed by SPE and The Guardian.