Netflix is voting for the Obamas again. This week, the streaming platform and production company Higher Ground announced through Deadline that they are extending their partnership for multiple years. Higher Ground is a media company started by Barack Obama and Michelle Obama, and ever since its creation it has financed the production of movies, TV series and documentaries that touch on real-world issues.
The announcement comes shortly after Netflix revealed that Higher Ground production Leave The World Behind (which stars Julia Roberts and Mahershala Ali) was the most-watched title by subscribers on the platform during the second half of 2023. The movie touches on subjects such as racist microaggressions, our excessive dependence on technology and The United States’ foreign policy issues.
In an official statement, Netflix‘s chief of content Bela Bajaria celebrated the extended deal and expanded on what this means for the streaming company:
“If there’s one thing that’s defined President Barack Obama and Michelle Obama’s creative ambitions since we started our partnership with Higher Ground, it is their pursuit of an exceptional story that brings the human experience to light. We are delighted to continue our relationship with Higher Ground as they continue to develop and produce more ambitious, compelling and entertaining stories.”
What Is A First-Look Deal?
The extended creative partnership grants Higher Ground a first-look deal with Netflix for all of its film and TV projects. This means that the production company may decide to have early access — before other studios and production companies — to whichever project that piques their interest, and they get to see it come to life before it is unveiled to the rest of Hollywood. This means that the Obamas may support scripts, movies and television projects before they are even fully developed or written.
The Netflix-Higher Ground partnership has been a fruitful one. Besides Leave The World Behind, the production company has brought to Netflix titles like Academy Award-nominated Rustin, Barack Obama documentary Our Great National Parks, animated series We The People and comedy series Bodkin, which debuted among the Top 10 most-watched titles of the platform in May.
Currently, Higher Ground has massive projects in the works, including the best-selling novel All The Sinners Bleed adaptation, the Regina King-directed biopic Frederick Douglass: Prophet of Freedom, and a romantic comedy starring Lupita Nyong’o (Black Panther: Wakanda Forever) titled Fling.
Leave The World Behind, We The People, Our National Parks, Bodkin and Rustin are all available to stream on Netflix.
via Collider