Legendary Entertainment Said to Be Near Deal to Move to Universal

LOS ANGELES â€" Legendary Entertainment, the fast-growing movie financing and production company involved in hits like “Man of Steel” and “The Hangover” franchise, is nearing a deal with Comcast that would move its operations to Universal from Warner Brothers.

No agreement has been signed, according to a senior studio executive with knowledge of the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to comment publicly. But this person said that negotiations have proceeded to the point that an announcement is expected within days.

Representatives for Legendary and Universal declined to comment.

Legendary, which picked up more than $700 million in new financing last year, has been headed toward Universal for months, with the Hollywood trade news site Deadline.com reporting again on Sunday that a deal was “likely.” Aside from its movies â€" which also include the robots-vs.-monsters tale “Pacific Rim,” opening on Friday â€" the company has a budding television business and a digital operation.

Legendary and Warner have had a frosty relationship, with Legendary’s chief executive, Thomas Tull, clashing with Jeff Robinov, who was Warner’s movie chief until late last month. Although Warner executives have said that the loss of Legendary would not be a crippling blow â€" the studio, owned by Time Warner, has other sources of outside financing â€" the departure would sting nonetheless.

That’s because Legendary, despite a few duds (“Jack the Giant Slayer”), has had a remarkable track record, particularly in the fanboy arena, which can be one of Hollywood’s most lucrative. Moreover, Universal’s schedule is typically light on those kinds of movies, which â€" if successful â€" would fit nicely with its worldwide theme park operation.