Netflix Secures Rights for Sesame Street Movie

Netflix has reportedly secured the rights for a Sesame Street movie following a bidding war with Universal Pictures.

A movie based on the classic children's show will officially join the streamer's growing library of content after it picked up the rights for a film from Sesame Workshop. Live-action Lilo and Stitch and Aladdin production company Rideback, founded by Dan Lin before he joined Netflix as its head of film in 2024, will produce the project alongside Sesame Workshop.

Details regarding how beloved characters like Elmo, Big Bird, and Cookie Monster might fit into a feature-length Sesame Street movie have yet to be revealed. It seems a release date is still a ways off, too, as no filmmaker has been attached to the film.

The Hollywood Reporter says the bidding war first began with Netflix, Universal Pictures, and Warner Bros., with Warner Bros. taking an early exit when drama surrounding its impending acquisition started to heat up. Rideback's plan for a Sesame Street movie helped win Sesame Workshop over with Netflix, but it doesn't sound like it was an easy fight.