Through its Onion Studios wing, The Onion has rolled out some of the funniest shows on the web. Now, thanks to a new pact, the satirical publication will make its biggest bet yet on video content. It has announced a development deal with Lionsgate that will include three films and will run through 2018.
As part of the deal, The Onion has partnered with Serious Business, a studio known for producing shows like @midnight. The details of the resulting films are not yet known, but if The Onion’s failed Amazon pilot is any indication, expect its long-form work to be both cheeky and full of mockery.
For The Onion, this is the biggest deal since it announced its decision to sell a 40% stake in its company to Univision
back in January 2016. The Latino media company reportedly paid $200 million for its purchase.“We’ve plotted our takeover of the film industry for some time,” said Onion Studios VP Kyle Ryan in a press release. “With the help of Serious Business and Lionsgate, we’ll make room on our award shelf for some Oscars. To the basement you go, Pulitzers.”
As for Lionsgate, the Onion pact is the latest in a number of major deals with digital-first companies (The Onion started as a print publication but ceased production of its newspaper back in 2013.) It is also planning to spend $25 million per year to work on feature film projects with members of the online video community.
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