Barack and Michelle Obamas Higher Ground to go independent after Netflix deal expires: report

Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions is reportedly going independent when its current deal with Netflix expires later this year.The company plans to sell projects to multiple studios instead of staying tied to the streaming giant, Deadline reported.The former president and first lady founded Higher Ground in 2018, producing their movie and TV content exclusively for Netflix.Since 2024, Higher Ground has operated under a first-look deal with the streamer.As that agreement winds down, the company has begun setting up projects at HBO, Apple and other studios, Deadline reported.Barack Obama on Saturday alluded to Higher Ground’s future during an interview on the History Channel.The ex-prez said that he and his wife started their company “with the intention of trying to see if we could lift up some stories that help make America look at itself and excavate those better angels of our nature.”“And we were in partnership with Netflix,” Obama added.

“We’re in a process now of transitioning to a more independent [future] where we can work with a bunch of different studios.”He praised Netflix for their eight-year relationship.“We’re very grateful for the launch that happened, and I’ll give you an example of the kinds of stories we’ve told,” he said.Obama went on to mention “American Factory,” the company’s first release, a documentary about a Chinese company reopening a shuttered factory in Ohio.The film won the Academy Award for best documentary.The former president also mentioned “Rustin,” a scripted biopic about civil rights strategist Bayard Rustin, the key organizer of the 1963 March on Washington who was long overlooked in history.Higher Ground’s Netflix slate has spanned genres, from the hit thriller “Leave the World Behind” — one of the streamer’s most-watched English-language films — to features like “Fatherhood” and “Worth,” along with documentaries and series including “Crip Camp,” “Ou...