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Peter Rice Signs Film & TV Production Deal With A24

Jesse Whittock
·3 min read

Nearly a year after his Disney ouster, Peter Rice has reemerged.

The former Disney General Entertainment Chairman has signed a deal with A24 and will for the first time enter the independent production space, Deadline has confirmed.

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The production and co-financing agreement will see Rice working on a non-exclusive basis with the Everything Everywhere All At Once studio. Should A24 pick up a film or TV project from Rice, it will be financed through the studio’s banking relationships. The projects will target global distribution, theatrical release and streaming services.

The pact is open-ended and its non-exclusive nature means Rice can pursue agreements with other producers and studios.

It comes after significant speculation about where the former Fox boss would land after he was pushed out of Disney by former boss Bob Chapek in the summer of last year, as Deadline revealed at the time. He had been running all of Disney’s TV operation bar ESPN and was considered by many among the most accomplished creative execs working in Hollywood.

Before rising through the ranks of Fox’s TV business before they were sold to Disney, Rice worked as President of Fox Searchlight Pictures, where he oversaw award-winning indie flicks such as Slumdog Millionaire and Sideways.

“I am incredibly excited to be an independent producer and could not be more thrilled to begin that journey in partnership with A24,” he said. “They have built Hollywood’s most vibrant, fearless, and creative studio. The fact that they made it out of whole cloth in a decade is a testament to their exquisite taste, razor-sharp business acumen, and infectious enthusiasm for creativity and artists. I have been blessed to work with so many amazing creators as an executive and cannot wait to start producing provocative, meaningful, and entertaining movies and TV shows with creators I admire and respect.”

For A24, the deal is one of very few it has struck with executive-type figures and primarily works with as slate of film directors such as Ari Aster, whose flick Beau is Afraid bowed in the U.S. last month and has been selling internationally. The studio also has a TV pact with HBO and the Safdie brothers but today’s move is an unusual step. Even so, Rice’s reputation in both film and TV means it is a significant boon for an indie studio to partner with him.

A24’s Daniel Katz said: “Peter has extraordinary taste, one-of-a kind relationships with world-class creators and true vision. He also has a proven, unique ability to identify groundbreaking artists in both television and film and help facilitate their commercial success. For all that and more we’re honored that he’s chosen to begin his producing career with this partnership with A24.”

A24 cleaned up at the Oscars in February, as the Daniels’ Everything Everywhere All at Once won seven awards, including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actress.

The Hollywood Reporter was first with the news.

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