Everything Everywhere All At Once Directors Sign Deal With Universal To Make More Probably Great Movies
Everything is going to continue being everywhere all at once if Universal has anything to say about it: Talented maximalist filmmakers Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert have just signed an exclusive five-year deal with the studio, Variety reports. The team behind "Everything Everywhere All At Once" is having a pretty great week, as that film recently crossed the $100 million mark at the box office and Showtime just greenlit a pilot from the filmmakers yesterday. The Daniels' producing partner Jonathan Wang is also included in the agreement.
The two "Swiss Army Man" filmmakers shared a statement on the news with Deadline, approaching the topic with their typical candor:
"We're flattered, grateful, and a bit overwhelmed. Thanks to Donna, Jimmy, Peter, Michael and their whole Universal team for believing in us and our weird movies. To all the fans, thanks for making our careers possible, we're gonna try to not let you down."
Big budget Daniels movies? We'd love to see it
The agreement basically means that any Daniels movies we see over the next few years will be released through the major studio. In turn, that means the pair could get access to bigger budgets to fuel their creativity than they did when making their first two films with independent distributor and production company A24. Universal has several filmmakers with singular visions on their roster now, as "Nope" director Jordan Peele is mid-way through a five-year deal with the studio and "Ambulance" filmmaker Michael Bay just penned a deal for his horror-centric production company Platinum Dunes, too.
Of course, the pair's time with A24 has been incredibly fruitful, bringing audiences one of the best movies of the year and the biggest indie hit of the pandemic era with "Everything Everywhere All At Once." The endlessly creative, action-packed, and emotional movie stars Michelle Yeoh, Ke Huy Quan, and Stephanie Hsu as family members who accidentally encounter the multiverse while trying to get through a difficult day at a tax preparer's office.
Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, celebrated their works so far in a statement about the deal, saying, "Their films are remarkably theatrical and with only two original projects under their belts, they've merely scratched the surface of what they are capable of as filmmakers."
While the pair's next feature-length project is as-yet unknown, they're at work on a Showtime pilot called "Mason," based on the life of creator Nathan Min. The pair will direct and executive produce the surreal comedy, with Min starring and executive producing. Steven Yeun, most recently seen in "Nope," is also on board as an executive producer.