Seven months after announcing a $300 million co-financing deal, Warner Bros. has signed a first-look deal with Brett Ratner and James Packer’s RatPac Entertainment.
The pact gives Warner Bros. 32 first-look deals, the most of any studio. Those include deals with Clint Eastwood, Ben Affleck, Matt Damon, Robert Downey Jr. and Zack Snyder.
The studio plans to house RatPac’s offices in the same building once occupied by Frank Sinatra — head of the iconic Rat Pack consisting of Dean Martin, Sammy Davis Jr., Joey Bishop and Peter Lawford.
RatPac has already set up Harlan Coben’s mystery novel “Missing You” at the studio, acquiring the movie rights a day before Dutton published it last month.
RatPac Entertainment is part of the RatPac-Dune Entertainment film finance vehicle formed with Steven Mnuchin, which announced a multi-year agreement in September to be used by Warner Bros. and RatPac-Dune to co-finance as many as 75 upcoming titles.
The studio’s hit “Gravity” starring Sandra Bullock, was the first title to receive the RatPac-Dune funds. It’s also invested in “Grudge Match” and New Line’s “Horrible Bosses 2.”
RatPac picked up rights last week to a magazine article about Dodger star Yasiel Puig’s escape from Cuba. That project has not been set up at a studio.
Veteran exec John Cheng is the head of feature development at RatPac.
News of the first-look deal was first reported by Variety sister site Deadline Hollywood.
