NBCUniversal showed major love for its film division, primarily the highly anticipated Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande-led “Wicked,” during its 2024 upfront presentation Monday in New York.
While not the traditional venue for touting upcoming movies — as this week is all about wooing Madison Avenue to shell out big bucks for prime ad placement on TV —with film chief-turned-overall content boss Donna Langley on stage for her first upfront, the move was a natural moment for synergy.
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“That kind of creative spirit of taking big swings to create stories that can evoke memories is what animates the spectacular movie event that will anchor our holiday season,” Langley, who was elevated from head of the Universal film unit to leader of NBCUniversal Studio Group last June, said. “Over the past few decades, [‘Wicked’] has become a rite of passage for so many families to have found, not just entertainment, but powerful empowerment in this wonderful story. The journey of ‘Wicked’ actually began at Universal 20 years ago. The property was workshopped there and developed on its way to the Broadway stage. Since then, the stage production has gone on to garner more than $5 billion in ticket sales and has been seen by more than 63 million people worldwide.”
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Langley teed up a new trailer for “Wicked,” a treat just for those attending the presentation at Radio City Music Hall, and promised it will drop wide later this week.
NBC will air “Wicked” behind-the-scenes special “Defying Gravity: The Curtain Rises on Wicked” on Nov. 25 ahead of the Nov. 27 release of the film. The special will then be available for streaming on Peacock. Langley also boasted about the “Wicked” tie-ins coming to NBCU’s Olympics coverage this summer.
The NBCU upfront kicked off with an orchestra playing the familiar Peacock chimes, followed by a handful of memorable NBC series theme songs — and Universal movies “Jurassic Park,” “Back to the Future” and “ET,” further showing that Langley influence.
Then came “The Tonight Show” host Jimmy Fallon, who parodied Billie Eilish’s “What Was I Made For” and Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold-Em,” before switching gears. “I’m not Beyonce,” he noted. “I’m a 23-year-old white man!”
Other highlights from the Radio City Music Hall event included flashy musical performances from Little Big Town and NBCU daytime staple Kelly Clarkson, who brought the house down as the closing act, and a standup set from “Late Night” host Seth Meyers.
Fallon’s opener led into NBCU chairman Mark Lazarus, who gave the high-level corporate pitch: “This week, you’re going to hear a lot of familiar buzz words: ‘premium content, reach scale, engagement and innovation’ to just to name a few. And we can talk about all those things as well. We can do all of that. And while others may be able to deliver on us one or two of those, NBCUniversal is the only company that has it all — requiring zero compromises from you, our clients and partners. And while others have been spinning, we’ve spent the last year investing, investing in our content in the technology that powers our platforms, and in the overall experience for our customers and our advertisers.”
Next up, Langley appeared on stage to tout the company’s “unique ability to bring stories forward and, by doing that, giving voice to visionary artists that have something to say… The most talented visionary creators continue to show that with the right tools and the support from this company and our platforms, it can literally do anything.”
NBCU content chief Langley then introduced Kevin Hart, who is the executive producer and one of the stars behind Peacock’s upcoming series “Fight Night.” Hart took a moment to thank Langley for her support. “Donna is responsible for a lot of my early success,” he said. “I’m very appreciative of not only what she’s done, which is where she is now. I’m proud of you.”
Last week, NBC announced a fall 2024 schedule that includes three new series, including the medical drama “Brilliant Minds,” starring Zachary Quinto; “St. Denis Medical”; and the sitcom “Happy’s Place,” starring Reba McEntire.
NBC News boss Cesar Conde and “NBC Nightly News” anchor Lester Holt also took the stage, followed by Snoop Dogg, who showed up to drop some news: That he will join next season of “The Voice” as a coach — along with fellow newcomer Michael Bublé.
Later during the presentation, “Saturday Night Live” stars Kenan Thompson, Heidi Gardner and Bowen Yang touted the upcoming 50th season of the franchise. Thompson was joined by Hart to discuss the Paris Olympics, as well as NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico.
“Watch What Happens Live” host Andy Cohen noted that he’s about to celebrate the 15th anniversary of his talker, and he was joined by “The Traitors” host Alan Cumming — who teased that a cast announcement for Season 3 was forthcoming.
The upfront included a first look at Tom Hanks’ 10-part natural history series “The Americas,” debuting Feb. 23 on NBC. Narrated by Hanks with music by Hans Zimmer, the series will examine the wildlife and environments of North and South America. The show was originally announced at NBC in 2019.
Setting up clips for their new series at the upfronts were “St. Denis Medical” star Wendi McLendon-Covey and “Long Bright River” star Amanda Seyfried, among other stars.
Ad sales chief Mark Marshall took the stage toward the end to promote the Peacock company’s offering, noting that the “biggest surprise” for him out of the presentation was that he himself has been renewed for Season 2 — a quip about his second year leading the sales force at upfronts.
