Original Film

History[edit]

Original Film was started out in the early 1990s by Neal H. Moritz and Bruce Mellon as a film producer and a commercial company.^[5][6][7]


In 1991, David Heyman joined as employee of the motion picture department. He later resigned to join Heyday Films.^[8] In 1993, Stokley Chaffin joined the company. He stayed on with the company for eight years until 2001.^[9]


In 1997, the studio struck a long-time partnership deal with Sony Pictures, and it remained until 2019.^[10][11] At the same time, Brad Luff joined the company. He left in 2003 to run Morgan Creek Productions.^[12] In 1998, the studio struck a deal with Newmarket Capital Group to produce lower-budget feature films.^[13]


In 1999, the studio made its first foray on television with the debut of Shasta McNasty. At the same time, Mark Rossen joined the company.^[14]


In 2002, Moritz launched a partnership with fellow talent agency Marty Adelstein to head a film and television managing company Original, that comprises the assets of the company.^[15] Later that year, Dawn Parouse joined the company, and later the studio struck a deal with 20th Century Fox Television to produce television shows.^[16]


In 2004, the film and managing business has been split up.^[17] At the same time, Ori Marmur, formerly of Mandalay Pictures (in which the studio developed the I Know What You Did Last Summer films for Mandalay) joined the company.^[18] Two years later, Moritz struck a deal with Sony Pictures Television to produce television shows.^[19]


In 2017, the studio signed a feature film production deal with Paramount Pictures to produce feature films, starting in 2019.^[20] The deal was extended until 2023 in August 2020 and further until 2027 in April 2024.^[21][22]