‘Hunger Games’ Producers Nina Jacobson, Brad Simpson’s Color Force Ink Film Deal With Sony

Color Force, the Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson-run banner behind The Hunger Games movies and Crazy Rich Asians, have signed a film producing deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment.

“We love making movies. That is why we are excited to make Sony Pictures our home base for feature films. Sanford (Panitch), Josh (Greenstein), Tom (Rothman), and the whole team have shown their commitment to filmmakers and the theatrical experience time and time again. We feel fortunate to have studio partners who are as energized about making movies as we are,” Jacobson and Simpson said in a joint statement.

Under Color Force, Jacobson and Simpson produced The Hunger Games franchise, which has grossed $2.9 billion worldwide for Lionsgate, and they were behind the box office hit Crazy Rich Asians for Warner Bros.

Lionsgate recently unveiled plans for a new Hunger Games movie, The Hunger Games: Sunrise on the Reaping, based on franchise writer Suzanne Collins’ just-announced new novel. The screen adaptation has Francis Lawrence in talks to direct the adaptation for Jacobson and Simpson’s Color Force banner. 

Jacobson began Color Force in 2007 and Simpson joined in 2012. Before launching Color Force, Jacobson was president of the Walt Disney Motion Picture Group, while Simpson had been president of Leonardo DiCaprio’s Appian Way before partnering with Jacobson.

“We are thrilled to have this overall film deal with Color Force. Nina and Brad have an amazing track record finding incredibly compelling stories, A+ (plus) relationships in town, the best taste and are just all-around terrific humans who know how to make film franchises,” Sony Pictures’ Motion Picture Group presidents Josh Greenstein and Sanford Panitch added in their own statement.

On the TV front, Jacobson and Simpson serve as American Crime Story producers and continue to have a longstanding overall television deal with FX Productions. Up next for Color Force is the limited series American Sports Story: Aaron Hernandez and Say Nothing and Say Nothing: A True Story Of Murder And Memory, both for FX.