Skydance Media

Skydance Media (formerly known as Skydance Productions) is an American film and television production company based out of Santa Monica, California. Founded by David Ellison in 2010, the company raised $350 million to co-produce and co-finance films with Paramount. In 2017, Skydance renewed their worldwide production and distribution deal for feature films with Paramount until 2021. Skydance is responsible for feature-length films including True Grit, Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, Star Trek Into Darkness, World War Z, Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation, Terminator Genisys, Star Trek Beyond, Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Life, Baywatch, Geostorm and Annihilation.

on December 1, 2020, Skydance Media fired founder David Ellison, causing him to leave the company to establish Schmetterling Pictures and started releasing films through Amazon's new film studio Buffalo Pictures.

History
In 2013, Skydance launched Skydance Television, hiring Marcy Ross as President. The production company's first television series, Manhattan, premiered on WGN America on July 27, 2014. Their second series, Grace and Frankie, starring Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin, and created by Marta Kauffman, premiered on Netflix on May 8, 2015. Altered Carbon, Skydance's latest series was released on Netflix on February 2, 2018 and stars Joel Kinnaman.

In 2016, Skydance raised $700 million in new financing. The refinancing included $200 million in equity from a group of investors, and a $500 million line of credit from J.P. Morgan Chase. David Ellison's company also created a sub-division of Skydance films named Uncharted in 2016 in order to house content that falls outside of the action, sci-fi or fantasy genre.

Skydance Interactive a division of Skydance Media was launched in 2016 through the acquisition of The Workshop Entertainment. Skydance Interactive creates and publishes original and IP-based virtual reality games including its debut virtual reality game Archangel.

On March 16, 2017, Skydance launched the Skydance Animation division by forming a multi-year partnership with Madrid-based Ilion Animation Studios. Two projects are already in the works with one of them eyeing a 2020 release.

Skydance’s future feature film slate includes Mission: Impossible – Fallout, Top Gun: Maverick, Untitled Terminator film and Gemini Man.

On January 25, 2018, Tencent bought a 5% to 10% minority stake.

Skydance Interactive
In 2016, David Ellison’s production/financing company acquired a leading game developer The Workshop Entertainment, Inc. This was used as the beachhead to launch Skydance Interactive, LLC, a subsidiary that creates and owns original virtual reality games.

Skydance Animation
Skydance formed a multi-year partnership in the March of 2017 with Madrid-based Ilion Animation Studios and in July, announced its first two animated feature films — “Luck”, which opens on March 19, 2021, and “Split”.

Skydance Animation has signed on director Vicky Jenson (Shrek) to create Split, Alessandro Carloni (Kung Fu Panda 3) to direct Luck, and Nathan Greno (Tangled) to helm Powerless.