Let’s A-Go! ‘Mario,’ ‘Teen Titans’ Filmmakers Michael Jelenic And Aaron Horvath Sign Overall Deal At Netflix

Netflix has signed filmmakers Michael Jelenic and Aaron Horvath, best known for their recent Mario Bros. films at Illumination, to an overall deal that sees the duo develop original animated and live-action projects at the streamer.

Before Jelenic and Horvath took the reins of a billion-dollar game adaptation, the longtime collaborators built their reputation in TV animation with Cartoon Network’s Teen Titans Go!, where Horvath served as supervising producer, and Jelenic worked as producer and writer.

The move, announced by The Hollywood Reporter, continues Netflix’s long-running effort to recruit established animation talent through creative partnerships. Over the years, the streamer has signed development deals with creators including Jorge Gutiérrez, Ronnie del Carmen, Shion Takeuchi, and Alex Hirsch. Guillermo del Toro’s deal with Netflix led to the Oscar-winning feature Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio (and the Tales of Arcadia franchise, although that was a DreamWorks production), while Adam Sandler’s partnership produced the animated hit Leo, with a sequel reportedly in the works.

For Jelenic and Horvath, the agreement opens the door to projects outside the Nintendo universe while keeping them close to the feature animation world. The Mario films have become major commercial hits for Universal, with the first movie earning more than $1.3 billion worldwide and launching a larger cinematic strategy around Nintendo properties. Its sequel, The Super Mario Galaxy Movie, should cross $1 billion of its own by the month’s end.

Netflix has not announced any specific titles from the duo yet, but the deal signals confidence that the pair’s broad comedy sensibilities and franchise experience can translate into new original animated brands for the platform.