Netflix had no comment.
The move brings Sesame Street fully into Netflix’s arms as the streamer already has the television rights, something it picked up in May 2025.
Who would acquire the movie rights has been about a year-long contest. Sesame Workshop signed with CAA in the fall and initially it was a three-way grouch match between Netflix, Universal and, according to sources, Warner Bros.
Warners, who actually had the feature rights for about a decade but was never able to get to a Sesame Street movie, bowed out early amid acquisition drama, first by Netflix, then by Paramount.
Universal proved a strong contender as it had The Daniels, the Everything Everywhere All at Once filmmaking team of Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert, attached to produce as well as Phil Lord and Chris Miller. (Neither entity was attached to direct, sources stress.)
In the end, Netflix prevailed. It helped that Sesame Workshop also approved of Rideback’s approach to the material. No filmmaker is currently attached.
