From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
Overbrook Entertainment
American entertainment company
American entertainment company
| Field | Value | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| name | Overbrook Entertainment, Inc. | ||
| logo | [[File:Overbrook Entertainment logo.svg | 175px | class=skin-invert]] |
| logo_size | 175px | ||
| logo_caption | Logo used since 2003 | ||
| type | Subsidiary | ||
| foundation | |||
| founders | |||
| location | Culver City, California | ||
| key_people | |||
| industry | |||
| products | Motion pictures, music, home entertainment, talent management, television production | ||
| parent | Westbrook Inc. (2019–present) | ||
| homepage |
Overbrook Entertainment, Inc. is an American production company based in Culver City, California. It was founded by partners Will Smith and James Lassiter in 1998, around the same time production for Wild Wild West (1999) began.
The name "Overbrook" is derived from Will Smith's neighborhood in West Philadelphia. The on-screen logo consists of a spinning record with the company name. The company produces music, films and television shows. Smith claimed to have started the company in order to serve as producer and find roles. He uses his role in the company to help unknown artists record music, and also records music for some of his films in Overbrook.
History
On November 11, 1997, actor Will Smith (age 29) and manager James Lassiter signed an overall first-look term deal at Universal Pictures. Thus, Overbrook Entertainment was born. It was formally incorporated on February 2, 1998.
David Tochterman, formerly employee of The Carsey-Werner Company, joined the company on September 16, 1998, and decided to launch the television division. Tochterman produced shows for the broadcast and cable television networks.
The music division was restructured with John Dukakis, formerly an employee of Southpaw Entertainment, signed as executive vice president of its music division on February 11, 1999.
On May 10, 2000, it was announced that a merger with The Firm had been proposed, but it was later scrapped.
Overbrook Entertainment announced on December 10, 2000 that it was renewing its interest in the television division. Its plans were to include a 13-episode animated series commitment for Nickelodeon, as well as a slew of comedy, drama and telemovies on various broadcast networks. The studio was landing deals for three sitcoms, three dramas and one telefilm for various web networks.
The studio's contract with Universal Pictures ended on January 30, 2002. It then formally signed a contract with Sony Pictures Entertainment to develop feature films.
In the years of 2009, 2015 and 2017, the studio went on hiatus where the films from the company are not released yet for the next three years.
The studio announced that it wouldn't renew its deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment on January 3, 2018.
On July 10, 2019, Smith and his wife, actress Jada Pinkett Smith, announced the formation of Westbrook Inc., with Overbrook Entertainment being as one of the subsidiaries of the company. It is reported that Westbrook Studios would sign a deal with National Geographic.
Filmography
Films
2000s
| Year | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2001 | Ali | Michael Mann | Sony Pictures Releasing | co-production with Columbia Pictures, Initial Entertainment Group, Peters Entertainment and Forward Pass |
| 2004 | I, Robot | Alex Proyas | 20th Century Fox | co-production with Laurence Mark Productions, Davis Entertainment and Mediastream IV |
| Saving Face | Alice Wu | Sony Pictures Classics | co-production with Destination Films | |
| 2005 | Hitch | Andy Tennant | Sony Pictures Releasing | co-production with Columbia Pictures |
| 2006 | ATL | Chris Robinson | Warner Bros. Pictures | |
| The Pursuit of Happyness | Gabriele Muccino | Sony Pictures Releasing | co-production with Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media and Escape Artists | |
| 2007 | I Am Legend | Francis Lawrence | Warner Bros. Pictures | co-production with Village Roadshow Pictures, Weed Road Pictures, Heyday Films and Original Film |
| 2008 | Hancock | Peter Berg | Sony Pictures Releasing | co-production with Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media, Weed Road Pictures, Forward Pass and Blue Light |
| The Human Contract | Jada Pinkett Smith | Self-distributed | co-production with Tycoon Entertainment and 100% Womon Productions | |
| Lakeview Terrace | Neil LaBute | Sony Pictures Releasing | co-production with Screen Gems | |
| The Secret Life of Bees | Gina Prince-Bythewood | Fox Searchlight Pictures | co-production with The Donners' Company | |
| Seven Pounds | Gabriele Muccino | Sony Pictures Releasing | co-production with Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media and Escape Artists |
2010s
| Year | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | The Karate Kid | Harald Zwart | Sony Pictures Releasing | co-production with Columbia Pictures, China Film Group Corporation and JW Productions |
| 2012 | This Means War | McG | 20th Century Fox | co-production with Robert Simonds Productions and Genre Films |
| 2013 | After Earth | M. Night Shyamalan | Sony Pictures Releasing | co-production with Columbia Pictures, Relativity Media and Blinding Edge Pictures |
| 2014 | Annie | Will Gluck | co-production with Columbia Pictures, LStar Capital, Village Roadshow Pictures and Olive Bridge Entertainment | |
| 2015 | Focus | Glenn Ficarra | ||
| John Requa | Warner Bros. Pictures | Uncredited; | co-production with RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Di Novi Pictures, Kramer & Sigman Films and Zaftig Films | |
| 2016 | Collateral Beauty | David Frankel | co-production with New Line Cinema, Village Roadshow Pictures, RatPac-Dune Entertainment, Anonymous Content, PalmStar Media and Likely Story | |
| 2017 | Bright | David Ayer | Netflix | uncredited; co-production with Trigger Warning Entertainment and Grand Electric |
| 2018 | To All the Boys I've Loved Before | Susan Johnson | co-production with Awesomeness Films | |
| 2019 | Hala | Minhal Baig | Apple TV+ | co-production with Endeavor Content |
2020s
| Year | Title | Director | Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | Bad Boys for Life | Adil & Bilall | Sony Pictures Releasing | co-production with Columbia Pictures, 2.0 Entertainment and Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films |
| To All the Boys: P.S. I Still Love You | Michael Fimognari | Netflix | uncredited; co-production with Awesomeness Films and Ace Entertainment | |
| Charm City Kings | Ángel Manuel Soto | HBO Max | co-production with Warner Bros. Pictures, Sony Pictures Classics and Warner Max | |
| Life in a Year | Mitja Okorn | Sony Pictures Releasing | co-production with Columbia Pictures | |
| 2021 | To All the Boys: Always and Forever | Michael Fimognari | Netflix | Uncredited; co-production with Awesomeness Films and Ace Entertainment |
| The Harder They Fall | Jeymes Samuel | Netflix | Uncredited | |
| King Richard | Reinaldo Marcus Green | Warner Bros. Pictures | co-production with Westbrook Studios and Star Thrower Entertainment | |
| 2022 | Emancipation | Antoine Fuqua | Apple TV+ | co-production with Westbrook Studios, McFarland Entertainment, Escape Artists and Apple Studios |
| 2024 | Bad Boys: Ride or Die | Adil & Bilall | Sony Pictures Releasing | co-production with Columbia Pictures, Westbrook Studios, 2.0 Entertainment and Don Simpson/Jerry Bruckheimer Films |
Television
2000s
| Years | Title | Creator | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003–2007 | All of Us | Will Smith | ||
| Jada Pinkett Smith | ||||
| Betsy Borns | UPN (seasons 1–3) | |||
| The CW (season 4) | co-production with Warner Bros. Television |
2010s
| Years | Title | Creator | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010–2011 | Hawthorne | John Masius | TNT | continued from 100% Womon Productions; co-production with FanFare Productions, John Masius Productions and Sony Pictures Television |
| 2013–2015 | The Queen Latifah Show | Queen Latifah | Syndication | revival of the 1999 series; co-production with Flavor Unit Entertainment, Curly One Productions and Sony Pictures Television |
| 2018–2025 | Cobra Kai | Josh Heald | ||
| Jon Hurwitz | ||||
| Hayden Schlossberg | ||||
| Television sequel to the Karate Kid film series by: | ||||
| Robert Mark Kamen | YouTube Red (season 1) | |||
| YouTube Premium (season 2) | ||||
| Netflix (seasons 3–6) | Co-production with Hurwitz & Schlossberg Productions (seasons 1–2), Heald Productions (season 2), Counterbalance Entertainment (seasons 3–6), Westbrook Studios (seasons 3–6) and Sony Pictures Television |
2020s
| Years | Title | Creator | Network | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021–present | Bel–Air | Andy Borowitz and Susan Borowitz | Peacock | co-production with Arbolada Roads, Ra Shines Inc., Cooper Films, The 51, Westbrook Studios and Universal Television |
Soundtrack
| Year | Title | Artist | Distributor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1999 | Wild Wild West | Various artists | Interscope Records | |
| 2000 | Love & Basketball | |||
| 2002 | Men in Black II | Danny Elfman | Columbia Records | |
| 2014 | Annie | Various artists | RCA Records |
Distribution
| Year | Title | Director | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | The 7th Commandment | Theron Alford | DVD distribution; co-production with 25Eight Productions and A Free World Productions |
References
References
- "Overbrook Entertainment". Kftv.com.
- (October 2025). "Overbrook Entertainment company information, funding & investors".
- Cox, Dan. (November 12, 1997). "Smith talks shingle at U".
- Hontz, Jenny. (September 16, 1998). "Tochterman over to Overbrook".
- (February 12, 1999). "Overbrook is ready".
- Fleming, Michael. (May 10, 2000). "Overbrook, the Firm join forces".
- (December 11, 2000). "Overbrook turns on TV".
- Harris, Dana. (January 31, 2002). "Sony, Overbrook ink".
- (January 3, 2018). "Will Smith's Overbrook Entertainment Not Re-Upping Sony First Look Deal (EXCLUSIVE)".
- Fleming, Mike Jr.. (July 10, 2019). "Jada Pinkett Smith & Will Smith Launch Multimedia Cross-Platform Venture Westbrook Inc.".
- (August 18, 2021). "Will Smith's Westbrook Studios Signs First-Look Deal With Nat Geo".
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about Overbrook Entertainment — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report