Vanessa Kirby Launches Production Banner, Inks Deal With Netflix For Female-Focused Films

WASHINGTON — “The Crown” alum Vanessa Kirby has launched her own production banner Aluna Entertainment alongside former executive Lauren Dark and has struck a first-look deal with global streaming platform Netflix for female-centric films.

Netflix, on Aug. 31, 2021, unveiled a multi-year deal with BAFTA-winning star Kirby, the British actor known for playing Princess Margaret in the first two seasons of “The Crown.”

The deal with the actor’s London-based banner Aluna Entertainment is for a slate of feature films focusing on projects that it said would “explore the spectrum of the female experience.”

The partnership was announced on the eve of the 2021 Venice Film Festival.

In founding Aluna, Kirby has also partnered with Dark, who joins from Film4 Productions where she was a senior executive and worked on titles including the Oscar-winning “The Father” and recently released horror movie “Censor” by Prano Bailey-Bond.

“It has long been a dream of mine to produce, and I have found the perfect partners in my friends at Netflix,” said Kirby.

“They have been an inspiring creative home for me from ‘The Crown’ to ‘Pieces of a Woman,’ and I am thrilled to be on this journey alongside them. In Lauren, I’ve found a true ally, and we are united in our ambition to explore stories that relate to the uncharted female experience.”

While working in Film4, Dark also executively produced Rebecca Hall’s 2021 drama film “Passing.”

She also had her name credited to as a producer in Michael Pearce’s 2017 crime-drama “Beast,” which starred Jessie Buckley, Johnny Flynn, and Geraldine James. The film went on to win eight awards, including BAFTA Film Award in 2019 for “Outstanding Debut by a British Writer, Director, or Producer,” which Dark shared with Pearce.

David Kosse, Vice President of international original films at Netflix, also shared his excitement about the deal.

“Vanessa has delivered powerful and unforgettable performances as an actor, and we know that she will equally captivate audiences with her creative vision as a producer,” said Kosse.

“I couldn’t be more thrilled to work with her and the team at Aluna to bring their films to our members around the world.”

The team also consists of Aluna Entertainment co-founder Martin Ledwith and Kirby’s sister, development executive Juliet Kirby.

Kirby was last seen in Kornél Mundruczó’s 2020 drama film “Pieces of a Woman.” The film earned her Oscar, BAFTA, Screen Actors Guild, and Golden Globe nominations.

Currently, Kirby is in production on both “The Son,” Zeller’s follow-up to “The Father,” starring alongside Hugh Jackman and Laura Dern, and the next installment of the “Mission: Impossible” franchise. She will next start shooting Thomas Bidegain’s “Suddenly” opposite Jake Gyllenhaal.

Kirby is represented by Hamilton Hodell, Ziffren Brittenham, Linden Entertainment, and Creative Artists Agency (CAA).

(With inputs from ANI)

Edited by Ojaswin Kathuria and Nikita Nikhil