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Jordan Peele’s Monkeypaw Productions is downsizing.
The genre-bending banner, which landed a first-look deal at Universal, has quietly let go of three members of its development team, Hollywood Reporter I’ve learned.
It’s not clear who was let go, but insiders say the development department will retain a staff of four and still receive new material. Insiders have described the move as a “refocusing”. Sources also say that Bale wants to be more involved in developing projects.
The layoffs may be an acknowledgment of the commercial reality of the banner that became a Hollywood name thanks to Bill’s success in the aftermath Get out and we. In 2019, Peele signed a rich five-year deal with Universal, with Monkeypaw becoming one of the largest companies of its kind by headcount in the city.
Bailey resurfaced in 2024, but his deal has been reduced, according to sources. It didn’t help that the banner’s output was prolific. Except 2022 noWritten and directed by Bell, it was the only film produced by the company for hima troubled football horror film that flopped at the box office. (Candy manwhich was released in 2021, was already in production when the original five-year deal was struck.) The company has also been involved in several shows, Lovecraft country and Huntersamong them.
What makes matters worse is Bale’s directorial follow-up nowhich had been stuck in script development limbo for years. Originally scheduled for a December 2024 release, it was pushed back to 2026, then dropped from the calendar entirely.
Ultimately, the company was described as being extremely bloated compared to its current production.
This slimming is described as similar to the situation recently faced by Bad Robot, the production company run by JJ Abrams. That company scaled back its operations as Abrams worked on fewer films and TV shows while planning a film in New York.
