Netflix continues to make major waves in the world of TV and film entertainment, and their latest signing is a big one. The streaming giant announced that it has signed a five-year deal with director/producer/writer Ryan Murphy to produce new content exclusively for Netflix.
While financial particulars of the deal were not released, multiple sources with knowledge of the situation said the deal is worth around $300 million, making it one of the largest deals ever for a television producer. It certainly does seem to eclipse the deal that Netflix made in August 2017 with TV producer Shonda Rhimes; the creator of ‘Grey’s Anatomy’ among other shows, signed a $100 million deal with Netflix to produce exclusive content for them.
The move made sense for all parties, particularly Murphy, who had expressed concern over the future of Fox, his network of employ, now that it had been purchased by Disney. Of the deal, Murphy said in a statement:
“The history of this moment is not lost on me. I am a gay kid from Indiana who moved to Hollywood in 1989 with $55 in savings in my pocket, so the fact that my dreams have crystallized and come true in such a major way is emotional and overwhelming to me.
“I am awash in genuine appreciation for Ted Sarandos, Reed Hastings and Cindy Holland at Netflix for believing in me and the future of my company, which will continue to champion women, minorities and L.G.B.T.Q. heroes and heroines, and I am honored and grateful to continue my partnership with my friends and peers at Fox on my existing shows.”
On Netflix’s end, Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos said in a statement:
“Ryan Murphy’s series have influenced the global cultural zeitgeist, reinvented genres and changed the course of television history. His unfaltering dedication to excellence and to give voice to the underrepresented, to showcase a unique perspective or just to shock the hell out of us, permeates his genre-shattering work.”
No specific word as to what Murphy will be working on with Netflix under this new deal, but in September of last year, Murphy did sign an agreement with the company for a two-season order of a new series based on the Nurse Ratched character from the novel and film ‘One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.’
