Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions

In 1986, film producer Lauren Shuler Donner announced that she would end her production deal with The Walt Disney Studios.^[1] She announced that she would merge with Warner Bros.-based Richard Donner Productions, to create Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions, to be operating on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California.^[1]

The first film released under the name was Radio Flyer, which was directed by Richard Donner, produced by Lauren, and it was released by Columbia Pictures in 1992.^[2] It flopped at the box office.^[3]

The banner made its first major success in 1993 with box office hits Dave and Free Willy. The latter's success spawned two sequels, and a television series.^[4] That year, the studio and Warner Bros. originally made a deal with Hammer Film Productions to do remake film projects based on its existing UK film productions.^[5]

In 1994, the studio hit its first television project, with an animated adaption of Free Willy, and it was aired on ABC for two seasons.^[6]

The Donners' Company

In 1999, it was announced that Donner/Shuler-Donner Productions was renamed to the better-sounding name The Donners' Company. On April 4, 2000, it was signed a deal with NBC Studios to produce shows for the NBC television network.^[7]

That same year, the studio scored a major success with X-Men, which was an instant box office hit, grossing over $296.8 million worldwide.^[8]

In 2001, The Donners' Company signed a deal with Winchester Films to produce its feature films from its own.^[9]

More recently, the company was producing two X-Men series for television, including Legion on FX, and The Gifted on Fox. In 2019, the latter was cancelled months before the former concluded its third and final season.^[10][11]

Richard Donner died on July 5, 2021. He was 91.^[12]

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Television

Television