Story Kitchen and DreamWorks Animation are now working together to establish a collaborative alliance that brings them into a first-look deal. This collaboration positions Story Kitchen as a key player in bringing iconic video game IPs to TV and film animation.
A first-look deal in the movie business is a significant agreement that grants DreamWorks Animation the right of first refusal on all upcoming animated film projects Story Kitchen develops. This exclusive access to Story Kitchen’s pipeline of video game adaptations is big news for the media company, signaling a major leap in the film industry.
In a statement to Deadline on May 6, Story Kitchen expressed excitement about the partnership: “We’re incredibly excited to work with DreamWorks Animation as our first -official- film partner since SK launched in 2022.”
Story Kitchen has quickly established itself as a creative force in universe-building and franchise development, specializing in adapting video games and unconventional IP into film and TV. Founded in 2022, Story Kitchen has rapidly made its mark in the industry. Its recent projects include an adaptation of Crystal Dynamics’ Tomb Raider: The Legend of Lara Croft and the 2021 Game of the Year It Takes Two for Amazon. The latter is still in the development stages.
The DreamWorks Animation and Story Kitchen team-up makes perfect sense. DWA has a long history of creating popular animated movies like Shrek, Kung Fu Panda, Madagascar, and How To Train Your Dragon, just to name a few. Given the recent success of video game adaptations such as the Fallout TV show and The Last of Us, it’s not too surprising that DWA feels the genre is ripe for investment.
As of the time of writing, there are no announced game adaptations in development yet. But this partnership promises an exciting new era for \companies and fans alike. It feels like we might be at the cusp of a video game adaptation era in the film industry.
