# Plan B Entertainment
**Plan B Entertainment, Inc.** is an American independent film and television production company based in Beverly Hills, co-founded and led by [Brad Pitt](https://www.edgepedia.org/brad-pitt) with co-presidents [Dede Gardner](https://www.edgepedia.org/dede-gardner) and Jeremy Kleiner.[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2007064464.html) • [2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mediawan-and-plan-b-entertainment-join-forces-to-create-global-production-platform-301699650.html) Its records with the Library of Congress begin on November 2, 2001.[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2007064464.html) The company has won the [Academy Award for Best Picture](https://www.edgepedia.org/academy-award-for-best-picture) three times, for *The Departed*, *12 Years a Slave*, and *Moonlight*.[3](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/plan-b-entertainment)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Founded | November 2, 2001, United States; Beverly Hills-based[1](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2007064464.html) • [3](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/plan-b-entertainment) |
| Leadership | Co-founder Brad Pitt; co-presidents Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner; Nina Wolarsky, President, TV; Chris Morrow, Head of Audio[2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mediawan-and-plan-b-entertainment-join-forces-to-create-global-production-platform-301699650.html) • [4](https://www.backstage.com/resources/detail/productioncompany/plan-b-entertainment-57668/) |
| Best Picture wins | *The Departed* (2006), *12 Years a Slave* (2013), *Moonlight* (2016); PGA David O. Selznick Achievement Award, 2020[3](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/plan-b-entertainment) |
| Studio deals (2022) | First-look features at Warner Bros., second-look features at MGM, first-look television at Amazon Prime Video[2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mediawan-and-plan-b-entertainment-join-forces-to-create-global-production-platform-301699650.html) |
| Ownership change | December 2022: Mediawan acquired a significant stake; the deal valued Plan B at more than €300 million[2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mediawan-and-plan-b-entertainment-join-forces-to-create-global-production-platform-301699650.html) • [5](https://fortune.com/2022/12/10/brad-pitt-plan-b-production-company-sells-stake-mediawan-original-content-movies-shows/) |
| Biggest box office | *Charlie and the Chocolate Factory* about half a billion dollars worldwide; *World War Z* $540 million; *F1: The Movie* over $613 million[6](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hollywood-flashback-brad-pitt-jennifer-867031/) • [7](https://variety.com/2025/film/global/mediawan-plan-b-london-baby-reindeer-producer-ed-macdonald-1236460489/) |
| International arm | Plan B Europe, a London banner opened in 2025 under producer Ed Macdonald[7](https://variety.com/2025/film/global/mediawan-plan-b-london-baby-reindeer-producer-ed-macdonald-1236460489/) |
## History
The Plan B name predates the company. Bruce Berman started a shingle (industry slang for a production company) called Plan B at Warner Bros. after stepping down as the studio's worldwide production head in 1996; eighteen months later he left to head Village Roadshow and the company went dormant. In 2001 Berman passed the name to manager [Brad Grey](https://www.edgepedia.org/brad-grey) for a production company Grey was creating at Warner Bros. with Brad Pitt and Pitt's then-wife, [Jennifer Aniston](https://www.edgepedia.org/jennifer-aniston).[6](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hollywood-flashback-brad-pitt-jennifer-867031/) *Variety* dates the launch to late 2001, about four months after Pitt and Aniston married in July 2001.[8](https://variety.com/2022/biz/news/plan-b-entertainment-moelis-sale-brad-pitt-1235401440/) Trade press names the founding partners as Pitt, Aniston, and Grey;[8](https://variety.com/2022/biz/news/plan-b-entertainment-moelis-sale-brad-pitt-1235401440/) • [5](https://fortune.com/2022/12/10/brad-pitt-plan-b-production-company-sells-stake-mediawan-original-content-movies-shows/) industry directories list Kristin Hahn alongside them.[3](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/plan-b-entertainment)
**Transition to Pitt's control.** Plan B's first official release was *Charlie and the Chocolate Factory*, followed by *The Departed*. As those films reached the market, Pitt and Aniston divorced, and Aniston no longer held an ownership position. Grey became head of Paramount, which forced a renegotiation of properties he co-owned with Warner Bros.; Grey told *The Hollywood Reporter* in 2013 that ownership of Plan B's projects was "not as crystal clear as it should have been in the contract."[6](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hollywood-flashback-brad-pitt-jennifer-867031/)
## Leadership and structure
The company is run by founder Brad Pitt and co-presidents Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner.[2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mediawan-and-plan-b-entertainment-join-forces-to-create-global-production-platform-301699650.html) Its published personnel list adds Nina Wolarsky as President of Television and Chris Morrow as Head of Audio.[4](https://www.backstage.com/resources/detail/productioncompany/plan-b-entertainment-57668/)
## Studio, financing, and ownership arrangements
At the time of the 2022 sale process, Plan B held a first-look feature film deal with Warner Bros. Pictures Group, a second-look features deal at MGM, and an overall first-look television deal with Amazon Prime Video.[2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mediawan-and-plan-b-entertainment-join-forces-to-create-global-production-platform-301699650.html) In 2022 the company had also tapped Moelis & Co. to seek a buyer or investors.[8](https://variety.com/2022/biz/news/plan-b-entertainment-moelis-sale-brad-pitt-1235401440/) It separately announced an exclusive, multi-project development deal with Audible, whose first project, "A Summer Love Thing" by Bradford Young, entered active development.[9](https://www.audible.com/about/newsroom/audible-and-brad-pitts-plan-b-entertainment-announce-exclusive-deal)
**Mediawan.** On December 9, 2022, Mediawan, the European premium content studio led by Pierre-Antoine Capton, announced a definitive agreement to acquire a significant stake in Plan B through a newly created entity, Mediawan US, whose board is chaired by Vania Schlogel.[2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mediawan-and-plan-b-entertainment-join-forces-to-create-global-production-platform-301699650.html) Mediawan financed the deal through a capital increase with investments from KKR, Atwater Capital, and Societe Generale, valuing Plan B at more than €300 million, according to a person familiar with the deal.[5](https://fortune.com/2022/12/10/brad-pitt-plan-b-production-company-sells-stake-mediawan-original-content-movies-shows/) One industry directory describes the stake as an approximately 60% majority.[3](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/plan-b-entertainment) After the transaction, Pitt, Gardner, and Kleiner became holders of Mediawan.[5](https://fortune.com/2022/12/10/brad-pitt-plan-b-production-company-sells-stake-mediawan-original-content-movies-shows/)
## Filmography and notable productions
Plan B's film slate spans studio blockbusters and awards dramas. The Mediawan release cites *The Tree of Life*, *Eat Pray Love*, *World War Z*, *12 Years a Slave*, *Selma*, *The Big Short*, *Moonlight*, *Okja*, and *Minari*, along with the then-upcoming *Blonde*, *She Said*, *Women Talking*, *Mickey 17*, and *The Nickel Boys*.[2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mediawan-and-plan-b-entertainment-join-forces-to-create-global-production-platform-301699650.html) *Variety*'s 2022 account adds *The Departed*, *If Beale Street Could Talk*, and the 2022 releases *Father of the Bride* for HBO Max, *Blonde*, and *She Said*.[8](https://variety.com/2022/biz/news/plan-b-entertainment-moelis-sale-brad-pitt-1235401440/)
Television grew through the 2010s and 2020s: credits include *The Normal Heart* (2014), *Feud: Bette and Joan* (2017), the BAFTA and Peabody-winning *The Underground Railroad*, *Outer Range*, *High School*, *Lego Masters*, and *Three Body Problem* for Netflix.[8](https://variety.com/2022/biz/news/plan-b-entertainment-moelis-sale-brad-pitt-1235401440/) • [2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mediawan-and-plan-b-entertainment-join-forces-to-create-global-production-platform-301699650.html)
## By the numbers
The company's commercial peaks came in two eras. *Charlie and the Chocolate Factory* grossed about half a billion dollars worldwide and 2013's *[World War Z](https://www.edgepedia.org/world-war-z-film)* made $540 million.[6](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hollywood-flashback-brad-pitt-jennifer-867031/) In 2025, *F1: The Movie* became Pitt's and Apple's highest-grossing movie to date, grossing over $613 million worldwide.[7](https://variety.com/2025/film/global/mediawan-plan-b-london-baby-reindeer-producer-ed-macdonald-1236460489/) An industry database lists 47 Plan B productions, most recently *Hold On to Your Angels* and *Beetlejuice 3* in pre-production.[3](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/plan-b-entertainment) The company's three Best Picture Oscars and its €300-million-plus valuation in the Mediawan deal are the headline measures of its awards and commercial standing.[3](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/plan-b-entertainment) • [5](https://fortune.com/2022/12/10/brad-pitt-plan-b-production-company-sells-stake-mediawan-original-content-movies-shows/)
## Awards and recognition
Plan B won the Academy Award for Best Picture for *The Departed* (2006), *12 Years a Slave* (2013), and *Moonlight* (2016), and received the Producers Guild of America's David O. Selznick Achievement Award in 2020.[3](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/plan-b-entertainment) On television, *The Underground Railroad* won BAFTA and Peabody awards.[2](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mediawan-and-plan-b-entertainment-join-forces-to-create-global-production-platform-301699650.html) In 2025 the Netflix miniseries *[Adolescence](https://www.edgepedia.org/adolescence-tv-series)*, created by [Stephen Graham](https://www.edgepedia.org/stephen-graham) and [Jack Thorne](https://www.edgepedia.org/jack-thorne), earned 13 Primetime Emmy nominations, and *Three Body Problem* received six.[7](https://variety.com/2025/film/global/mediawan-plan-b-london-baby-reindeer-producer-ed-macdonald-1236460489/) The company also earned a Tony-nominated theater debut with *Enemy of the People*.[7](https://variety.com/2025/film/global/mediawan-plan-b-london-baby-reindeer-producer-ed-macdonald-1236460489/)
## Recent developments (2024–present)
Under Mediawan's ownership, Plan B expanded internationally. In 2025 it opened its first outpost outside the United States, a London-based banner run by Ed Macdonald, producer of *Baby Reindeer*, operating within Mediawan's network of more than 80 production labels across 13 countries.[7](https://variety.com/2025/film/global/mediawan-plan-b-london-baby-reindeer-producer-ed-macdonald-1236460489/) Recent releases include *Beetlejuice Beetlejuice*, *Bob Marley: One Love*, *Nickel Boys*, *F1*, *Mickey 17*, and *Adolescence*.[3](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/plan-b-entertainment) • [7](https://variety.com/2025/film/global/mediawan-plan-b-london-baby-reindeer-producer-ed-macdonald-1236460489/) In the United Kingdom the company works with Netflix (*Adolescence*), the BBC (Raine Allen-Miller's *The Roots Manoeuvre*), and Film4 (Phillippa Lowthorpe's adaptation of *H is For Hawk*).[7](https://variety.com/2025/film/global/mediawan-plan-b-london-baby-reindeer-producer-ed-macdonald-1236460489/)
## References
1. [Plan B Entertainment, Library of Congress Name Authority Record](https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/n2007064464.html)
2. [Mediawan and Plan B Entertainment Join Forces to Create Global Production Platform, PR Newswire](https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/mediawan-and-plan-b-entertainment-join-forces-to-create-global-production-platform-301699650.html)
3. [Plan B Entertainment, Production List](https://www.productionlist.com/production-contact/plan-b-entertainment)
4. [Plan B Entertainment, Backstage production company directory](https://www.backstage.com/resources/detail/productioncompany/plan-b-entertainment-57668/)
5. [Brad Pitt's Plan B production company sells stake to France's Mediawan, Fortune](https://fortune.com/2022/12/10/brad-pitt-plan-b-production-company-sells-stake-mediawan-original-content-movies-shows/)
6. [Hollywood Flashback: When Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston Launched Plan B Entertainment, The Hollywood Reporter](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/hollywood-flashback-brad-pitt-jennifer-867031/)
7. [Mediawan's Plan B to Plant Flag in London With Baby Reindeer Producer, Variety](https://variety.com/2025/film/global/mediawan-plan-b-london-baby-reindeer-producer-ed-macdonald-1236460489/)
8. [Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment Seeks Buyer, Taps Moelis & Co., Variety](https://variety.com/2022/biz/news/plan-b-entertainment-moelis-sale-brad-pitt-1235401440/)
9. [Audible and Brad Pitt's Plan B Entertainment Announce Exclusive Deal, Audible](https://www.audible.com/about/newsroom/audible-and-brad-pitts-plan-b-entertainment-announce-exclusive-deal)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Screen production organizations › Production companies and industry people › Independent production companies › American and Canadian companies*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license