Produced by NFL Films and Skydance Sports, the Docu-series Marks Inaugural Project Under Exclusive Partnership
May 3, 2023 – Skydance Sports, NFL Films and the Jerry Jones family today announced development on a defining docu-series about the Dallas Cowboys and the journey of Jerry Jones, the club’s owner, president and general manager, in saving and transforming the franchise, leading a historic set of players and coaches to three NFL titles in the 1990s, and searing his imprint into the global sports business landscape forever. This unique odyssey has led to the Cowboys being the most valuable sport franchise in the world.
The yet-to-be-titled series will reach deep into NFL Films’ vast archive of never-before-seen content, and will trace Jones’ remarkable rise from the son of an Arkansas community store owner to being one of the most innovative and influential leaders in sports. The series will spotlight the wildly compelling stars and partners who teamed with Jones along the way, including Troy Aikman, Michael Irvin, Emmitt Smith, Deion Sanders, Head Coaches Jimmy Johnson and Barry Switzer, Rupert Murdoch, and Phil Knight.
The story of Jones and the Cowboys is uniquely American; one about the risks, the successes and failures, and the passionate pursuit to be involved in America’s Sport with America’s Team, all while advancing the game with a wildcatting mentality to grow the NFL and the Cowboys in spectacular fashion.
When Jones risked everything to purchase the club in 1989, the team was coming off a 13-loss season and was losing in excess of $1 million a month. Less than a decade later, the Cowboys won three NFL titles and captivated fans around the world with their signature mix of bravado, talent and leadership. In similar fashion, Jones and the Cowboys were at the core of re-inventing the way the NFL’s business equation was constructed, blazing a new vision for marketing, branding, broadcasting and team venues across all of sports.
The series marks the first project from the newly-formed joint venture between Skydance Media and the NFL to create a premier sports-content studio and significantly expand multi-platform sports programming across a broad range of formats for fans and viewers around the world.
Ross Ketover, Senior Executive, NFL Films: “We are incredibly excited to create a thrilling ride through one of the most memorable and high-powered turnarounds in football history. Launching this first series with Skydance Sports marks a momentous occasion for our partnership as we build the premiere sports studio of the future. NFL Films coined the term ‘America’s Team,’ so having this first project be about the biggest brand in all of sports is perfectly fitting.”
Charlotte Jones, Dallas Cowboys Executive Vice President and Chief Brand Officer: “It’s a true honor to be the first to partner with Skydance Sports and NFL Films on this very special and deeply personal project. Sharing my father’s journey and his passion for the game, while presenting it in partnership with this talented and accomplished group will take sports fans, fans of business, families, and everyone watching on an adventure like none other.”
Jesse Sisgold, President and COO, Skydance: “Jerry Jones is an incomparable figure. With the Dallas Cowboys, he has built the world’s most valuable sports franchise and has undeniably transformed both modern football and the sports business at-large. It is an honor to commemorate his journey and that of his dynasty by partnering with the Jones family, the Dallas Cowboys organization, and NFL Films to bring this uniquely American story to life.”
David Ellison, Jesse Sisgold and Jon Weinbach will executive produce for Skydance Sports with Ross Ketover, Pat Kelleher, Brian Rolapp and Hans Schroeder executive producing for NFL Films. Charlotte Jones will executive produce for the Jones family and Cowboys. John Skipper will also serve as an executive producer on the project.
Initially launched in 2021 as a division of Skydance Media, Skydance Sports has quickly become the preeminent studio for leagues, teams, elite athletes and A-List Hollywood talent seeking to produce premium, sports-related entertainment. Most recently, the studio released its first scripted project in the critically acclaimed film Air, directed by Ben Affleck and starring Affleck, Matt Damon and Viola Davis, about the birth of the Air Jordan Brand. The film premiered exclusively in theaters ahead of its release on Prime Video later this year. The studios’ first release, Good Rivals, debuted on Prime Video and was nominated for “Outstanding Documentary Series” at the Sports Emmy Awards. Last year, Skydance Sports and the NFL formed a joint venture whereby the former serves as a multi-sports studio to create premium programming across unscripted and scripted genres.
About NFL Films:
NFL Films is widely recognized as the most honored filmmakers in Sports, and continues to produce innovative franchises and documentaries across multiple networks and platforms, including Hard Knocks on HBO, seven 30 for 30 films on ESPN, Peyton’s Places on ESPN+, soon to be released Quarterback on Netflix and recent premium programming on Amazon Prime Video, Peacock, Paramount+, MGM+, Fox, NBC, CBS and NFL Network. With 136 Sports Emmy Awards to its credit, NFL Films remains a gold standard in premium sports content, providing an elevated and connected viewer experience with unprecedented access to the sport of professional football.
About Skydance Media:
Skydance is the diversified media company founded by David Ellison in 2010 to create high-quality, event-level entertainment for global audiences. The company first launched with Feature Films and has since strategically expanded to include Television, Interactive, Animation, New Media, and Sports, with studios in Los Angeles, Silicon Valley, Spain, and Canada. Skydance’s films include the box office record-breaking and Academy Award winning film Top Gun: Maverick; as well as Ghosted and The Greatest Beer Run Ever on Apple TV+, The Adam Project and The Old Guard on Netflix, and The Tomorrow War on Prime Video. The studio’s upcoming film slate includes The Family Plan and The Gorge for Apple TV+; Heart of Stone, The Old Guard 2, and a reboot of the Spy Kids film franchise for Netflix; Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, as well as the seventh and eighth installments of the Mission: Impossible global franchise. In total, Skydance’s films have earned more than $7 billion at the worldwide box office. Skydance Television is a leading supplier of premium scripted content across a range of platforms including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV+. The studio’s current slate includes the Emmy-nominated series Grace and Frankie, which became Netflix’s longest running series following the release of its final season last year,as well as Foundation, Reacher, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Cross, Condor, The Big Door Prize, and FUBAR. Skydance Interactive creates and publishes original and IP-based virtual reality and other immersive video games including the top-selling, critically-acclaimed The Walking Dead: Saints & Sinners. The studio recently announced its next VR title: Behemoth. Skydance New Media creates narratively focused interactive experiences crafted as original series, putting the audience at the center of the action and adventure, with the first two productions being with Marvel Entertainment and Lucasfilm Games respectively. Skydance Sports develops premium scripted and unscripted sports-related content, documentaries, and events. The studios’ first release, Good Rivals, debuted on Prime Video and went on to receive a nomination for “Outstanding Documentary Series” at the Sports Emmy Awards, and most recently, the studio released the critically acclaimed film Air, directed by Ben Affleck and starring Affleck, Matt Damon and Viola Davis, about the birth of the Air Jordan Brand. Skydance Animation develops and produces high-end feature films and television series with full production capability across two studios in Los Angeles and Madrid. In addition to the studio’s first animated feature, Luck, Skydance Animation’s slate includes the feature film Spellbound and the series Wondla, both premiering on Apple TV+. The Company’s investment partners include Tencent Holdings, Redbird Capital, CJ ENM, KKR and the Ellison Family.
