David and Jessica Oyelowo Sign First Look Deal with Walt Disney Pictures

Award-nominated actor, producer and director David Oyelowo and his wife, actress, writer and producer Jessica Oyelowo, have signed a first look deal with Walt Disney Pictures, according to Deadline.

  • The Oyelowos have signed a two-year deal with Walt Disney Pictures for feature films across all platforms.
  • They will produce under their Yoruba Saxon banner, which focuses on “creating values-based content for all quadrants, with an aim to shift the culture and color outside the lines.”
  • The most recent film from the banner is the upcoming The Water Man, which will mark David’s feature length directorial debut.
  • David and Jessica also star in the new film.
  • The Water Man follows a boy who sets out on a quest to save his ill mother by searching for a mythic figure said to have magical healing powers.

  • David has been nominated for multiple Golden Globe, BAFTA and Emmy awards.
  • Disney has worked with Favid before, notably on the 2016 film Queen of Katwe, and he is set to appear in Searchlight’s yet-untitled murder mystery with Saoirse Ronan and Sam Rockwell.

What they’re saying:

  • Sean Bailey, President of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production: “We are excited to be working with David and Jessica Oyelowo who bring incredible thoughtfulness, an impressive and wide-ranging skillset as filmmakers, and deep industry relationships to each project they touch. We saw firsthand David’s meaningful contributions to Queen of Katwe and have admired the films Yoruba Saxon have produced thus far. We look forward to collaborating on engaging new stories with the team at Yoruba Saxon.”
  • David Oyelowo: “The influence of Disney’s films on Jess and I as both parents and lifelong movie fans cannot be overstated. Sean Bailey and Vanessa Morrison have an incredible track record of crafting high-quality films and that is exactly what we hope to do alongside them and the Motion Picture Group at Disney. We are truly relishing the opportunity to collaborate with the most iconic brand in entertainment,” said David Oyelowo.