Plan B Entertainment

Overview

Plan B Entertainment is a Beverly Hills-based film and television production company founded on November 2, 2001 by Brad Pitt, Jennifer Aniston, Brad Grey, and Kristin Hahn. The company is now led by Pitt and co-presidents Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner. Plan B has produced three Academy Award Best Picture winners: The Departed (2006), 12 Years a Slave (2013), and Moonlight (2016). The company has earned 10 total Best Picture nominations, more than most independent production banners in Hollywood history.

In December 2022, Paris-based Mediawan (backed by KKR) acquired an approximately 60% majority stake in Plan B, valuing the company at over $300 million. That acquisition triggered a major television expansion, including the hiring of President of Television Nina Wolarsky and the September 2025 launch of a London-based subsidiary, Plan B Europe, headed by Baby Reindeer producer Ed Macdonald. Recent credits include F1: The Movie ($631.6 million worldwide on a $250 million budget), Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (2024), Nickel Boys (2024), the Netflix series Adolescence, and Three Body Problem.

For filmmakers with literary properties, director-driven scripts, or socially relevant narratives, Plan B represents one of the few independent producers that can package A-list talent and secure studio or streaming financing. Access routes through talent agencies and literary agents. The company does not accept unsolicited submissions.

History

Brad Pitt co-founded Plan B with Jennifer Aniston and then-CAA executive Brad Grey in 2001. Aniston departed after the couple separated. The company's early productions included Troy (2004), Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005), and A Mighty Heart (2007). Plan B's identity as a prestige producer solidified with Martin Scorsese's The Departed (2006), which won Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

The company went on to produce The Tree of Life (2011), Moneyball (2011), World War Z (2013, $540 million worldwide), 12 Years a Slave (2013, Best Picture), Selma (2014), The Big Short (2015), Moonlight (2016, Best Picture), If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), Minari (2020), Blonde (2022), She Said (2022), Women Talking (2022), and Killers of the Flower Moon (2023, 10 Oscar nominations).

The Mediawan acquisition in late 2022 marked a structural shift. Plan B moved from a purely US-focused film producer to a transatlantic content company with television and European ambitions. The company's 2025 slate demonstrates this shift: F1: The Movie (distributed by Warner Bros., $631.6 million worldwide), Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (distributed by Warner Bros., $294 million worldwide), Nickel Boys (distributed by Amazon MGM Studios, Oscar-nominated), and the Netflix series Adolescence starring Stephen Graham, which became one of the streamer's most-watched British dramas.

Plan B Europe, launched in September 2025 and based in London, focuses on premium television series for the UK and European market. The subsidiary is led by Ed Macdonald, previously of Clerkenwell Films, where he produced the Netflix hit Baby Reindeer. Upcoming projects include Weekend Rebels, a film adaptation for Apple starring Mark Wahlberg, and The Man with a Thousand Faces, a series adaptation with Atlantique Productions.

What Filmmakers Should Know

Development and Acquisition Strategy

Plan B develops projects from books, articles, original screenplays, and true stories. The company acquires adaptation rights aggressively, particularly for literary properties with cinematic potential. Plan B's development team reads broadly and optiones material across genres, though the slate skews toward director-driven dramas, historical narratives, and socially engaged nonfiction.

The company's producing team structures financing through a combination of studio partnerships, streaming deals, and independent financing. F1: The Movie was produced with Apple Original Films and distributed theatrically by Warner Bros. Killers of the Flower Moon was produced with Apple and distributed by Paramount. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice was produced with Warner Bros. This flexibility in financing and distribution partners allows Plan B to match each project to the appropriate platform and budget level.

Television Expansion

The Mediawan acquisition and the launch of Plan B Europe signal a deliberate push into premium television. The company's TV division, led by Nina Wolarsky, has produced Three Body Problem (Netflix), Adolescence (Netflix), Lego Masters (Fox), and the documentaries Apocalypse in the Tropics and One to One (with partner KM Films). Plan B also produced a Tony-nominated theatre debut, Enemy of the People, and the Audible audio series What Could Go Wrong?

For television writers and showrunners, Plan B Europe offers a new pathway to premium series production with a company that has both Hollywood film credentials and European production infrastructure through Mediawan.

Access and Submission

Plan B does not accept unsolicited submissions. All projects reach the company through talent agencies (CAA, WME, UTA), literary agents, managers, or established producer relationships. The company is repped by CAA. For filmmakers with representation, the path is: agent submits material to Gardner or Kleiner's development team, who evaluate based on creative distinction, commercial viability, and alignment with Plan B's slate priorities.

Projects with Plan B attachment benefit from the company's ability to package A-list directors and actors, which in turn attracts studio and streaming financiers. This packaging power is the company's primary value proposition for filmmakers.

Financial Structure

Plan B operates as a producer, not a financier. The company typically does not fund productions directly. Instead, Plan B secures financing through distribution deals, studio partnerships, or streaming commitments, and takes a producer fee plus backend participation. The Mediawan acquisition provides access to European co-financing and production infrastructure, but Plan B's core business remains project development and talent packaging rather than capital provision.

Notable Productions

House Style & Genre Focus

Plan B Entertainment, founded by Brad Pitt, Brad Grey, and Jennifer Aniston in 2001 (now solely owned by Pitt), is known for prestige dramas, socially conscious films, and auteur-driven projects. The company's filmography includes The Departed (2006, Best Picture Oscar), 12 Years a Slave (2013, Best Picture Oscar), Moonlight (2016, Best Picture Oscar, co-produced with A24), Selma (2014), The Big Short (2015), If Beale Street Could Talk (2018), Minari (2020), She Said (2022), and Mickey 17 (2025, directed by Bong Joon-ho).

Plan B has produced three Best Picture Oscar winners, placing it among the most decorated production companies in Hollywood. The company's house style favors literary adaptations, true stories, and original scripts from distinctive directors, with budgets typically ranging from $10 million to $50 million. Recent productions include Mickey 17 (Bong Joon-ho, 2025), She Said (2022, about the journalists who broke the Harvey Weinstein story), and Nickel Boys (2024, adapted from Colson Whitehead's novel).

Plan B does not accept unsolicited submissions. Projects are developed internally or come through established relationships with writers, directors, and major agencies. Brad Pitt maintains creative oversight alongside co-presidents Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner. The company has produced films distributed by A24, Searchlight, Focus Features, Neon, and Warner Bros., operating without an exclusive studio deal.

Watch: Trailers & Behind the Scenes

See Also

For understanding how producer-driven development works in prestige filmmaking, see Distribution Deals Explained. To model revenue projections for prestige releases, use the Revenue Forecast Calculator. For evaluating the financial impact of talent attachments on project value, see the Ad Spend Break-Even Calculator.