Warner Bros. Motion Picture Group is staying in the Timothée Chalamet business.
The movie company has signed the star of its back-to-back box office hits Wonka and Dune: Part Two to a multiyear first-look feature deal.
Details were not disclosed, but the company said it would collaborate with the star on projects he would both act in and produce.
“Over the last few years, we have admired not only Timothée’s commitment to his craft, which is evident in the range and depth of his varied roles, but also his unwavering dedication to give 100 percent of his time and attention to every project he has made here at Warner Bros. and elsewhere,” said motion picture group co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pamela Abdy in a statement.
“His collaboration on the campaigns for Dune and Wonka is something we all enjoyed immensely, and the results speak for themselves,” the statement added. “We continue to build for the future of the theatrical film business at Warner Bros. Discovery and are thrilled Timothée has chosen our studio to be his creative home.”
Chalamet’s one-two punch has so far generated more than $1.2 billion at the worldwide box office. Wonka, in which the actor played the titular character, sang its way to $632 million. Dune: Part Two, which Warners produced with Legendary Entertainment and which is still playing strongly in theaters, has earned $575.5 million to date. The actor earned an Oscar nomination for his 2017 breakout, Call Me by Your Name, and has appeared in movies such as Little Women and The French Dispatch.
Locking up talent has become de rigueur for Warners under De Luca and Abdy, who Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav tapped to the lead the studio in 2022. The team has made it a mission to arm up the studio’s talent bank, with some speculating that a possible Warners sale is behind these moves. Since the writers and actors strikes ended last year, the studio has signed deals with Tom Cruise, Margot Robbie’s LuckyChap, Rian Johnson’s T-Street and Jon M. Chu’s Electric Somewhere Co., among others. It also snapped up M. Night Shyamalan prior to the strikes. The deals also coincide with pacts with high-profile filmmakers such as Ryan Coogler and Paul Thomas Anderson for new movie projects.
“Working with Mike De Luca, Pam Abdy and their teams on Wonka and Dune over these last few years has been a deeply rewarding experience,” stated Chalamet. “These are studio heads who believe in real movie making, and I’m so grateful for their support as an actor, producer and collaborator. This partnership feels like a natural next step. Let’s go!”
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