The comedian and his Monkeypaw Productions will develop projects for the independent studio.
Jordan Peele is plotting his next TV act.
The Key and Peele grad and his Monkeypaw Productions banner have signed a first-look TV deal with independent studio Sonar Entertainment, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. Under the pact, Peele will create and develop new projects for television and digital outlets.
“Jordan Peele is one of the brightest stars in our business — a true hyphenate — actor, writer, producer and director. We are excited to partner with him and Monkeypaw,” Sonar CEO Thomas Lesinski said Wednesday in a statement. “This collaboration aligns perfectly with Sonar’s vision for developing, producing and distributing premium programming with the highest profile talent for a broad, global audience.”
Peele starred for five seasons alongside Keegan Michael-Key on the Comedy Central hit Key and Peele and spent five seasons on the sketch show MADtv. More recently, the comedian/actor had a recurring role on Noah Hawley’s FX anthology Fargo. The TV deal comes days ahead of the release of the horror-farce Get Out, which was written by Peele and serves as his feature directorial debut. The Universal Pictures pic debuted at the Sundance Film Festival and opens wide Friday. His film credits also include writing and co-starring in last year’s Keanu.
“I am thrilled to partner with the incredible folks at Sonar Entertainment as they are committed to truly elevated quality content,” Peele said. “Especially now as I move into this next chapter in television, my aim is to help develop untapped voices as well as my own dream shows, and continue to push the boundaries of television.”
Peele’s Monkeypaw produced all five seasons of Key and Peele and next executive produces TBS’ Tracy Morgan comedy. Peele co-created the comedy alongside John Carcieri and are currently reworking the script after the pilot moved from FX to TBS with a 10-episode series order in October.
For Sonar, Peele joins a roster of talent with first-look deals including George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s Smokehouse Pictures as well as Robert Downey Jr. and Susan Downey’s Team Downey. Sonar’s current TV credits include MTV’s The Shannara Chronicles, AMC’s The Son, Audience Network’s Mr. Mercedes and FX’s Taboo, among others.
