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Brownstone Productions
View on WikipediaBrownstone Productions, Inc. is an American film and television production company founded by actress, director and producer Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman. It is known for producing films in the Pitch Perfect franchise, Charlie's Angels (2019) and Cocaine Bear (2023).
Key Information
History
[edit]Brownstone Productions was founded in October 2002 in Santa Clarita, California by actress, director and producer Elizabeth Banks and her husband, sportswriter and producer Max Handelman.[citation needed] As of 2019, the company is headquartered at the Universal Studios Lot in Universal City, California.[1]
In January 2015, the company signed a two-year first-look deal with Universal Pictures from 2015 to 2017.[2] In June 2015, Brownstone signed a multi year production deal with Warner Bros. Television.[3] In 2019, the company re-signed its first-look deal with Universal Pictures, and production deal with Warner Bros. Television.[1] In June 2021, the company signed a first-look and multi-project development podcasting deal with Amazon, Inc.'s Audible.[4]
Filmography
[edit]Films
[edit]| Year | Title | Director | Gross (worldwide) | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Surrogates | Jonathan Mostow | $122.4 million | Co-production with Mandeville Films, Top Shelf Productions, and Touchstone Pictures | [5] |
| 2012 | Pitch Perfect | Jason Moore | $115.4 million | Co-production with Gold Circle Films and Universal Pictures | [6] |
| 2015 | Pitch Perfect 2 | Elizabeth Banks | $287.5 million | [7] | |
| 2017 | The Most Hated Woman in America | Tommy O'Haver | N/a | Co-production with Untitled Entertainment | [8] |
| Pitch Perfect 3 | Trish Sie | $185.4 million | Co-production with Gold Circle Films and Universal Pictures | [9] | |
| Yours Sincerely, Lois Weber | Svetlana Cvetko | N/a | A short documentary, co-production with Double Take Pictures and Metabook Films |
[10] | |
| 2019 | Charlie's Angels | Elizabeth Banks | $73.3 million | Co-production with 2.0 Entertainment, The Cantillon Company, Flower Films, Perfect World Pictures, and Columbia Pictures | [11] |
| 2023 | Cocaine Bear | $90 million | Co-production with Lord Miller Productions, Jurassic Party Productions and Universal Pictures | [12] | |
| Bottoms | Emma Seligman | $13.6 million | Co-production with Orion Pictures | [13] |
Upcoming
[edit]- DreamQuil (with HanWay Films, Patriot Pictures, Big Valley Pictures, and Landay Entertainment)[14]
Television
[edit]| Year | Title | Network | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Resident Advisors | Hulu | Co-production with 301 Productions, Relief Productions, and Paramount Digital Entertainment | |
| 2019–2021 | Shrill | Co-production with Broadway Video, Rushfield Productions, and Warner Bros. Television | [15] | |
| 2019–present | Press Your Luck | ABC | Co-production with The Carruthers Company and Fremantle | |
| 2022 | Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin | Peacock | Co-production with Mme. Anagram, Gold Circle Films, and Universal Television | [16] |
| 2025 | The Better Sister | Amazon Prime Video | Co-production with Iron Ocean, Fortunate Jack Productions, Tomorrow Studios, and Amazon MGM Studios | [17] |
In development
[edit]Films
[edit]- Foreign Relations (with Amazon MGM Studios)[18]
Television
[edit]- The Miniature Wife (with Media Res)
Podcasts
[edit]| Year | Title | Host(s) | Provider | Genre | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–present | My Body, My Podcast | Elizabeth Banks | Audible | Wellness, sex, motherhood | With Audible Originals | [4] |
| Fugly | Comedy |
References
[edit]- ^ a b Keegan, Rebecca (June 12, 2019). "Elizabeth Banks, Max Handelman Re-up Deals at Universal and WBTV, Talk 'Charlie's Angels' Reboot and 'Shrill' Abortion Scene". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 14, 2020.
- ^ Patten, Dominic (January 8, 2015). "Elizabeth Banks' Brownstone Productions Ink First-Look Deal At Universal". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on January 12, 2015. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Ford, Rebecca (June 16, 2015). "Elizabeth Banks' Brownstone Productions Inks Deal With Warner Bros. TV". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ a b Spangler, Todd (June 17, 2021). "Elizabeth Banks Signs Audible First-Look Podcast Deal, Starting With Her Show About Sexuality". Variety. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
- ^ McCarthy, Todd (September 24, 2009). "Surrogates". Variety. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Kit, Borys (May 15, 2008). "Elizabeth Banks to produce 'Pitch Perfect'". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (January 27, 2014). "Elizabeth Banks to Direct 'Pitch Perfect 2'". Variety. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Kit, Borys (March 24, 2016). "Josh Lucas, Adam Scott, Juno Temple Join Netflix Drama 'Most Hated Woman in America' (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Kroll, Justin (July 28, 2015). "Brittany Snow Set to Return for 'Pitch Perfect 3' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ "Lois Weber, early female director from Pittsburgh, getting attention in new documentary | TribLIVE.com". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. October 27, 2017. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Kit, Borys (September 15, 2015). "Elizabeth Banks in Talks to Direct New 'Charlie's Angels' Movie (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ N'Duka, Amanda (March 9, 2021). "Elizabeth Banks To Direct 'Cocaine Bear' Thriller For Universal, Phil Lord & Chris Miller". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on March 9, 2021. Retrieved March 10, 2021.
- ^ Galuppo, Mia (April 6, 2021). "'Shiva Baby' Team Sets Comedy 'Bottoms' With Orion Pictures, Brownstone Productions". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 6, 2021.
- ^ Tartaglione, Nancy (May 9, 2024). "Juliette Lewis Joins Elizabeth Banks & John C Reilly In Alex Prager's 'DreamQuil'; Kathryn Newton & Sofia Boutella Also Aboard". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on May 9, 2024. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Goldberg, Lesley (August 1, 2018). "Aidy Bryant-Led Comedy 'Shrill' Picked Up to Series at Hulu". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 25, 2019.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (September 21, 2021). "'Pitch Perfect' Series Ordered at Peacock, Adam Devine to Star With Elizabeth Banks Producing". Variety. Retrieved September 24, 2021.
- ^ Otterson, Joe (May 1, 2024). "Elizabeth Banks, Jessica Biel to Star in 'Better Sister' Series Adaptation at Amazon". Variety. Retrieved August 6, 2024.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr (June 16, 2022). "Hot Package Du Jour #1: Multiple Offers For 'Foreign Relations' With Nick Jonas, 'Top Gun: Maverick's Glen Powell & Kat Coiro Directing". Deadline Hollywood. Archived from the original on June 16, 2022. Retrieved June 21, 2022.
Brownstone Productions
View on GrokipediaHistory
Founding and early development
Brownstone Productions was established in 2002 by actress, director, and producer Elizabeth Banks and her husband, Max Handelman, who serves as the company's president.[5] The couple, who met while students at the University of Pennsylvania, formed the company to develop and produce film and television content, initially operating as a modest, husband-and-wife venture with limited staff.[5] In its formative years, Brownstone focused on pitching and developing scripts rather than immediate large-scale releases, engaging in early meetings such as a 2007 pitch session for a screenplay that later became the subject of legal dispute.[6] The company's first credited feature film production was the 2009 science fiction thriller The Surrogates, directed by Jonathan Mostow and starring Bruce Willis as a FBI agent investigating murders in a world reliant on robotic surrogates for human interaction.[7] Distributed by Touchstone Pictures (a Disney label), the film grossed approximately $117 million worldwide against a $80 million budget, marking an initial commercial foothold for Brownstone despite mixed critical reception. This early output positioned Brownstone as an emerging player in genre filmmaking, though the company remained a boutique operation, prioritizing selective projects over rapid expansion. By the late 2000s, it had begun laying groundwork for broader deals, culminating in first-look agreements with major studios in subsequent years.[8]Breakthrough successes
Brownstone Productions achieved its initial breakthrough with the production of Pitch Perfect (2012), a musical comedy that grossed approximately $115 million worldwide on a $17 million budget, establishing the company as a player in the genre.[9][10] The film's sleeper hit status, driven by strong word-of-mouth and a focus on a cappella competition among college students, led to critical acclaim and audience appeal, particularly among younger demographics.[11] The franchise's momentum accelerated with Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), directed by Elizabeth Banks, which opened at number one domestically with $69.2 million in its debut weekend—the largest opening for a musical comedy at the time—and ultimately earned $287 million worldwide.[12][13] This sequel not only surpassed the original's global total within weeks but also solidified Brownstone's reputation for delivering profitable, ensemble-driven comedies, prompting studio deals and expansions in film and television development.[14] Subsequent entries like Pitch Perfect 3 (2017) continued the series' commercial viability, grossing over $100 million domestically despite a softer reception compared to its predecessors.[15] More recently, Cocaine Bear (2023), a horror-comedy based on a true incident, opened with $23.3 million domestically and totaled $89.3 million worldwide against a $35 million budget, demonstrating Brownstone's adaptability to R-rated, genre-blended projects amid shifting market preferences.[16][17] These successes collectively generated hundreds of millions in box office revenue, enabling partnerships with major studios like Universal Pictures.Expansion and partnerships
In January 2015, Brownstone Productions entered a two-year first-look production agreement with Universal Pictures, which included relocating the company's offices to the Universal lot.[18][19] In June 2015, the company signed an exclusive multi-year overall producing deal with Warner Bros. Television, enabling development of television projects under the Brownstone banner.[20][2] These agreements coincided with operational growth; on August 13, 2015, following the box office success of Pitch Perfect 2, Brownstone hired Alison Small as senior vice president of film and Renate Radford as senior vice president of television to bolster its development slate across media.[13][21] By June 2019, Brownstone re-upped its first-look deal with Universal Pictures and its exclusive overall producing deal with Universal Cable Productions, extending partnerships for feature films and series development.[5] In June 2025, the company secured a first-look deal with Universal Television, focusing initially on a Pitch Perfect-inspired TV series centered on K-pop idols.[4][22][23]Recent developments
In June 2025, Brownstone Productions secured a first-look deal with Universal Television, granting the studio priority access to the company's television projects.[4] Under this agreement, Brownstone is developing Pitch Perfect: K-Pop Idols, a series continuation of the Pitch Perfect franchise featuring K-pop idols, intended for Peacock.[4] [22] In August 2025, Prime Video greenlit a limited series adaptation of the Karen Read murder trial, with Elizabeth Banks starring as Read and executive producing via Brownstone alongside David E. Kelley and others.[24] [25] The project, based on coverage from Law & Crime and Ted Rowlands' reporting, focuses on the high-profile case involving Read's acquittal on second-degree murder charges in her retrial earlier that year.[24] Brownstone has also advanced preparations for Pitch Perfect 3, with Banks returning as director, building on the franchise's prior successes produced by the company.[26] These initiatives reflect Brownstone's ongoing emphasis on franchise extensions and true-crime narratives amid a challenging 2024 environment for celebrity-led production entities.[27]Leadership and key personnel
Founders Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman
Elizabeth Banks, an American actress, director, and producer, co-founded Brownstone Productions in 2002 with her husband, Max Handelman, establishing the company as a film and television production entity based in Santa Clarita, California.[28][29] Banks, who had begun her acting career in the late 1990s with roles in films such as Wet Hot American Summer (2001), initiated the venture to formalize their production efforts amid her rising profile in Hollywood.[5] Max Handelman, a producer with a prior background in finance, earned an MBA from the University of California, Los Angeles, and worked in investment banking before entering entertainment, including authoring a book on fantasy football.[5] Banks has credited herself with encouraging Handelman to join the industry, stating she "dragged him into filmmaking" after he interned at a production company, leading to the couple's decision to launch Brownstone as a partnership balancing creative and business functions.[30][31] As co-founders, Banks has served as the creative lead, directing and starring in projects under the Brownstone banner, while Handelman has focused on executive producing and operational oversight, contributing to the company's development of commercially successful franchises.[29] Their collaboration, rooted in a relationship that began during their time as students at the University of Pennsylvania in 1993, has emphasized complementary strengths in talent management and deal-making.[5]Executive team and collaborators
Brownstone Productions operates with a compact executive structure emphasizing development and production expertise. In September 2017, the company expanded its television division by hiring Dannah Shinder as vice president of television, drawing from her prior role at The Jackal Group, alongside Sam Crawley in a development capacity.[32] By 2019, Alison Small had been appointed head of film, managing all aspects of film development and production under the company's Universal Pictures first-look deal.[5] Subsequent hires have bolstered creative oversight, including Kristen Spence as creative executive starting in May 2023, following her experience as executive assistant at Anonymous Content.[33] Other key roles encompass Krissy Wall as head of television and Anna Hughes as creative executive, supporting the company's dual focus on film and TV projects.[34] Beyond internal executives, Brownstone frequently collaborates with established filmmakers on high-profile adaptations and originals. Notable recurring partners include director Jason Moore, who executive produced the Pitch Perfect franchise and is attached to a forthcoming TV extension, and Gold Circle Entertainment, co-producer on the Pitch Perfect films.[4] These alliances leverage external talent for genre-specific expertise, such as in musical comedies and animated series like the Bedrock project with Warner Bros. Animation.[35]Productions
Feature films
Brownstone Productions co-produced Surrogates (2009), a science fiction action film directed by Jonathan Mostow and starring Bruce Willis as an FBI agent investigating murders linked to surrogate robot technology, marking the company's early entry into theatrical features.[36] The company achieved commercial success with the Pitch Perfect franchise, beginning with Pitch Perfect (2012), a musical comedy directed by Jason Moore and based on Mickey Rapkin's book about college a cappella competitions, starring Anna Kendrick as an aspiring singer who joins a misfit group; Brownstone co-produced it with Gold Circle Films, and it earned $115.3 million worldwide against a $17 million budget.[37][38] This was followed by Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), directed by Elizabeth Banks, which grossed $287.8 million globally as the group competes internationally, and Pitch Perfect 3 (2017), also directed by Banks and featuring the Barden Bellas on a USO tour, earning $252.9 million.[39] In 2019, Brownstone produced Charlie's Angels, an action comedy reboot directed by and starring Elizabeth Banks as one of the operatives alongside Kristen Stewart and Naomi Scott, updating the franchise with a focus on a global detective agency thwarting a tech threat; distributed by Sony Pictures, it received mixed reviews for its execution despite strong action sequences.[40] More recent releases include Cocaine Bear (2023), a black comedy horror film directed by Elizabeth Banks and loosely based on the 1985 incident of a bear consuming smuggled cocaine in Georgia, following victims pursued by the rampaging animal; co-produced with Lord Miller Productions, it grossed $90.1 million worldwide.[3] That year, Brownstone also backed Bottoms, a coming-of-age comedy directed by Emma Seligman about two unpopular high school girls starting a fight club to attract cheerleaders, starring Rachel Sennott and Ayo Edebiri; produced with Orion Pictures, it emphasized raunchy humor and queer themes while earning praise for its satirical take on teen tropes.[3] Other feature credits include Walk of Shame (2014), a romantic comedy directed by Steven Brill starring Elizabeth Banks as a journalist navigating a chaotic day after a one-night stand, and The Most Hated Woman in America (2017), a biographical drama directed by Tommy O'Haver about Madalyn Murray O'Hair's legal battle against school prayer, with Melissa Leo in the lead role.[36]Television series and pilots
Brownstone Productions entered television production with digital and streaming content before expanding into broadcast pilots and series. Its early television output included the 2015 Hulu comedy series Resident Advisors, a scripted ensemble depicting the misadventures of university resident advisors during orientation week. Co-produced with 301 Productions, Relief Productions, and Paramount Digital Entertainment, the single-camera series starred Ryan Hansen, Greta Lee, and Jamie Chung, and consisted of eight episodes released on July 31, 2015.[41] The company executive produced the Hulu comedy Shrill from 2019 to 2021, adapted from Lindy West's memoir Shrill: Notes from a Loud Woman. Starring Aidy Bryant as aspiring journalist Annie Stevens confronting personal and professional challenges, the series ran for three seasons totaling 24 episodes and was co-produced with Broadway Video and Warner Bros. Television.[42] Brownstone also produced the ABC game show Press Your Luck, a revival of the 1980s series hosted by Elizabeth Banks, which premiered on June 12, 2019. Contestants answer trivia questions to earn spins on a video board, aiming to accumulate cash and prizes while avoiding the "Whammy" that resets earnings; the show has aired multiple seasons in association with Fremantle and The Carruthers Company. In the Pitch Perfect franchise extension, Brownstone co-produced the Peacock musical comedy series Pitch Perfect: Bumper in Berlin, which premiered on November 4, 2022. Developed by Elizabeth Banks and Megan Amram, the six-episode first season follows Bumper Allen (Adam Devine) relocating to Germany after a song goes viral, attempting to launch a pop career; Peacock renewed it for a second season in January 2023.[43] Among its pilots, Brownstone developed The Trustee for ABC in 2017, a one-hour comedic buddy-cop drama written by Jay Scherick and David Ronn, starring Laverne Cox as a prison trustee partnering with a detective (Elizabeth Banks) to solve crimes. Co-produced with Warner Bros. Television, the pilot was not picked up to series.[44] In 2019, the company secured a put pilot commitment from ABC for Love Me, a one-hour drama from Life Sentence creators Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith, centering on romantic entanglements in a coastal town; it did not advance to series. That year, FOX ordered the multi-camera comedy pilot Patty's Auto, written by Darlene Hunt, about a family-run auto repair shop navigating gender dynamics in a male-dominated industry.[45][46] As of June 2025, Brownstone is developing Pitch Perfect: K-Pop Idols for Peacock under a first-look deal with Universal Television, a comedy scripted by Joel Kim Booster following an aspiring musician auditioning for an American K-pop group.[4]Other media projects
In addition to feature films and television series, Brownstone Productions has ventured into audio content through Elizabeth Banks' multi-project development and first-look deal with Audible, announced on June 17, 2021. This agreement facilitated the production of podcasts outside traditional visual media formats.[47] The flagship project, My Body, My Podcast, hosted and produced by Banks, premiered exclusively on Audible on July 29, 2021, comprising six episodes. The series addressed topics including sex education, motherhood, body image, and health, featuring interviews with experts such as sociologists and medical professionals to discuss personal and societal aspects of women's bodily autonomy.[47][48] A second audio project under the deal, the scripted ensemble comedy Fugly, entered development focusing on a 20-something researcher posing undercover in a high school environment. Specific release details for Fugly remain undisclosed as of October 2025, reflecting ongoing exploration of narrative audio formats by the company.[47]Business operations and deals
Production deals and financing
Brownstone Productions has primarily relied on first-look and overall production deals with major studios to secure development funding and production resources for its projects. In January 2015, the company signed a two-year first-look deal with Universal Pictures, providing the studio with priority rights to finance and distribute Brownstone's film slate, including sequels like Pitch Perfect 3.[8][49] Expanding into television, Brownstone entered an exclusive overall producing deal with Warner Bros. Television in June 2015, under which the studio finances the development of scripted and unscripted series originating from the company.[2][20] In June 2025, Brownstone secured a first-look television deal with Universal Television, a division of NBCUniversal, facilitating the production of new content such as a Pitch Perfect-themed series featuring K-pop idols, with Universal handling development and potential financing.[4][22] These agreements underscore Brownstone's model of partnering with established studios for capital-intensive projects rather than independent financing, leveraging studio infrastructure for budgeting, talent acquisition, and distribution.Distribution partnerships
Brownstone Productions secured a pivotal first-look deal with Universal Pictures in January 2015, providing the studio with priority rights to finance, produce, and distribute the company's film projects for an initial two-year term.[8] This agreement enabled Universal to handle worldwide theatrical distribution for the Pitch Perfect trilogy, including the 2012 original, which grossed over $115 million globally, and its sequels in 2015 and 2017.[37][39] The partnership extended to other initiatives, such as a live-action Tinker Bell project, though its status remains undeveloped.[8] The company renewed its collaboration with Universal in 2019, reinforcing the studio's role in distributing subsequent Brownstone productions like Cocaine Bear (2023), which Universal released theatrically after acquiring rights through its genre label.[2] However, Brownstone has pursued distribution outside this arrangement, notably with Sony Pictures for Charlie's Angels (2019), distributed by Columbia Pictures and earning $73 million at the box office despite mixed reception.[50][51] This deal involved co-financing via 2.0 Entertainment and aligned with Brownstone's strategy of project-specific studio alignments rather than exclusivity.[52] In television, Brownstone's distribution ties include an exclusive overall producing deal with Warner Bros. Television signed in June 2015, under which Warner Bros. handles syndication and platform distribution for developed series.[2] More recently, in June 2025, the company entered a first-look agreement with Universal Television, prioritizing NBCUniversal platforms for new content like a Pitch Perfect-inspired series featuring K-pop idols.[4] These pacts reflect Brownstone's leverage from commercial successes to negotiate favorable terms, though actual distribution outcomes depend on individual project viability and studio priorities.[22]Reception and impact
Commercial performance
Brownstone Productions' commercial performance has been marked by significant success from the Pitch Perfect franchise, offset by underperformance in other projects. The trilogy, produced in collaboration with Universal Pictures and Gold Circle Entertainment, collectively exceeded $500 million in worldwide box office earnings by early 2018.[53] The inaugural Pitch Perfect (2012) generated $115.6 million worldwide against a $17 million production budget, establishing the a cappella comedy as a sleeper hit.[9] Its sequel, Pitch Perfect 2 (2015), directed by Elizabeth Banks, achieved $287.1 million globally on a $29 million budget, including a record-setting $69.2 million domestic opening weekend for a first-time director.[54] Pitch Perfect 3 (2017) added $107 million worldwide, contributing to the franchise's overall profitability despite declining returns.[55]| Film | Release Year | Production Budget | Worldwide Gross |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitch Perfect | 2012 | $17 million | $115.6 million [9] |
| Pitch Perfect 2 | 2015 | $29 million | $287.1 million [54] |
| Pitch Perfect 3 | 2017 | $45 million | $107 million [55] |
