Ava DuVernay Signs $100 Million Multi-Year Deal with Warner Bros. TV

The lucrative production and development deal kicks off in January.

Ava DuVernay warner deals
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Image via Getty/Frederick M. Brown

Ava DuVernay warner deals

Ava DuVernay, Emmy winner and nominee for both an Oscar and Golden Globe, has inked a lucrative production and development deal with Warner Bros. Television Group. The director of A Wrinkle in Time, Selma, and JAY-Z's "Family Feud" video (featuring Beyoncé and a slew of your faves) signed a multi-year, multi-genre deal set to start in January for about $100 million.

“I’ve had nothing but beautiful experiences working with Peter Roth, Susan Rovner and Brett Paul,” said DuVernay. “They love and support artists in wonderful and nourishing ways...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.”

The move is slightly surprising considering DuVernay’s current and past Netflix collaborations, including her documentary 13th and her forthcoming Central Park Five series and Prince doc, which are all being housed by the streaming service. Netflix recently inked multi-million dollar deals with heavyweights like Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy.

DuVernay is already working within the Warner family on her series Queen Sugar, which airs on Oprah’s OWN, and The Red Line. The deal also allows her to sell shows to anyone, instead of one single outlet, and gives her the opportunity to pursue big screen projects. 

“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,” president and chief content officer Peter Roth told Deadline. “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.” 

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