Founded in August 2020, Fruit Tree is the production company from two-time Academy Award-winning actress and producer Emma Stone – who starred in Oscar-winning Poor Things, produced by Fremantle’s Element Pictures – and Emmy-nominated writer, producer and director Dave McCary, whose projects include the iconic TV show Saturday Night Live and the American comedy-drama film Brigsby Bear. Producer Ali Herting strengthens the duo as the company’s president.

Under the partnership, Fremantle will become the primary home for all of Fruit Tree’s scripted television projects and unscripted docuseries. In addition, Fruit Tree will work closely with Fremantle’s Global Drama division and international distribution team to grow its slate and expand into new territories worldwide.

The partnership was spearheaded by Fremantle executives Christian Vesper, CEO Global Drama and Film, Seb Shorr, COO Global Drama and Film, and by Lorenzo De Maio, President of De Maio Entertainment, who introduced the opportunity to Fremantle. The deal was negotiated by Fran Denny, VP Commercial Global Drama, and Jodie Rosello, EVP Scripted Business & Legal Affairs, on behalf of Fremantle, and PJ Shapiro (JSSK) acting on behalf of Fruit Tree.

Andrea Scrosati, Group COO and CEO of Continental Europe at Fremantle, says: “The foundation of what we do at Fremantle is based on partnering with the best creative minds across the world. A collaboration with exceptional talent like Emma, Dave and Ali is a perfect example of this strategy in action. I look forward to the great stories that Fremantle and Fruit Tree will build together!”

Christian Vesper, CEO Global Drama and Film at Fremantle, adds: “I’m so thrilled to be welcoming Emma, Dave and the whole team at Fruit Tree to the Fremantle fold. The combination of Emma’s indisputable talent and Dave’s sharp creative sensibility makes them a force to be reckoned with and I look forward to pushing boundaries even further together.”

Fruit Tree’s first TV projects were critically acclaimed series such as The Curse, a 10-episode satirical thriller in which Stone starred alongside co-creators Nathan Fielder and Benny Safdie, and Fantasmas, a six-episode surrealist comedy for HBO, starring creator Julio Torres. They will next produce The Yogurt Shop Murders, a documentary series directed by Margaret Brown for HBO.

Fruit Tree’s film projects include Jesse Eisenberg’s A Real Pain, Julio Torres’ Problemista and Jane Schoenbrun’s I Saw the TV Glow. Their upcoming film projects include Bugonia, starring Emma Stone and directed by Yorgos Lanthimos for Focus Features, Checkmate, directed by Nathan Fielder for A24, Jesse Eisenberg’s Untitled Musical Comedy, starring Julianne Moore and Paul Giamatti, and Dave McCary’s Untitled Feature Film with Universal.

Emma Stone, Dave McCary and Ali Herting say: “We’re thrilled to join forces with the brilliant team at Fremantle, a studio that continues to be at the forefront of independent television with a deep commitment to inventive storytelling. We’re so excited to build a creative home together and develop original narratives that challenge expectation and resonate with audiences worldwide.”

The partnership is the latest in a series of global collaborations between Fremantle and some of the industry's most visionary talents. Fremantle also has first-look deals with Kristen Stewart’s Nevermind Pictures, Edward Berger’s Nine Hours, Rachel Weisz and Polly Stokes’ Astral Projection, Stefano Sollima, Gina Gardini and Ludovico Purgatori’s AlterEgo, BAFTA-winning Me+You Productions, Roughcut Television, Fudge Park, Pablo and Juan de Dios Larraín’s Fabula, Luca Guadagnino, Paolo Sorrentino, and Johan Renck and Michael Parets’ Sinestra.