
NEW GODS Director Ava DuVernay Lands Exclusive WBTV Deal
Earlier this year it was reported A Wrinkle in Time director Ave DuVernay was tapped by Warner Bros to helm New Gods for the big screen. Now Deadline is reporting Warner Bros being extremely keen on retaining DuVernay has signed her to a Multi-year , Multi-Genre $100 million TV deal. The deal through her Forward Movement production company encompasses drama, comedy, documentaries, digital content and long form projects for broadcast, cable, premium cable, streaming services and other platforms.
“Ava DuVernay is one of the leading lights in our industry, a brilliantly talented writer, producer, director and entrepreneur whose ability to inspire with her art is exceeded only by her ability to entertain. We have had the great pleasure of working with her on Queen Sugar and The Red Line, and we are extremely excited about the new stories she has to tell” said Peter Roth, Warner Bros TV Group president and chief content officer.
“I’ve had nothing but beautiful experiences working with Peter Roth, Susan Rovner and Brett Paul. They love and support artists in wonderful and nourishing ways. They work within a traditional studio headed by Kevin Tsujihara that is stirring with untraditional energy and fresh protocols for intentional, inclusive image-making,” said DuVernay in response to the news of the deal. “Warner Bros is a terrific partner about matters of visibility and belonging for all kinds and cultures of people, which is our mission at Forward Movement. I couldn’t be happier to call Warner Bros TV my production home.”
Ava DuVernay joins the ranks of super producer Greg Berlanti at WBTV, and I cannot help but feel given his history with WBTV and DC Comics, and her current projects in development, that we can possibly see a New Gods adapted for DC Universe Streaming Service as a long form narrative instead of the confined two-hour film. After all, Warner Bros essentially erased almost all trace of Jack Kirby’s New Gods from Zack Snyder’s and David Ayer’s original vision of Justice League and Suicide Squad. Given Berlanti’s extensive history and proven formula, I can see him paired with DuVernay to bring New Gods to the DC Universe Streaming Service, my only concern being a production value for the service vs a big budget film.
Are you excited at the prospect of this deal? Would a New Gods work better as a mini-series instead of a film? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.
Source: Deadline
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