Ava DuVernay Heads to Warner Bros. in $100 Million TV Deal

By Dominic Patten, Deadline
Published Nov. 27, 2018, 2:22 p.m. ET

Ava DuVernay’s relationship with Warner Bros. Television Group just got a lot deeper and richer, literally and figuratively.

The Emmy winning and Oscar nominated director has signed a multi-year and multi-genre overall deal with the Peter Roth run studio. A big leap for a filmmaker primary known as a director the sprawling WBTV production and development deal with DuVernay and her Forward Movement shingle covers drama and comedy series, documentaries, digital content, event projects and longer form projects for broadcast and cable, premium cable, as well as streaming services and other platforms.

DuVernay’s inaugural agreement with any studio and set to start in January net year, the pact is in the $100 million range, I’ve learned.

“I’ve had nothing but beautiful experiences working with Peter Roth, Susan Rovner and Brett Paul,” Duvernay told Deadline today. “They love and support artists in wonderful and nourishing ways,” the Queen Sugar and Red Line EP added. “They work within a traditional studio headed by Kevin Tsujihara that is stirring with untraditional energy and fresh protocols for intentional, inclusive image-making. 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 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,” said Warner Bros. TV Group President and Chief Content Officer Roth on Monday. “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.”

While DuVernay is no stranger to a contrarian disposition, many might have considered DuVernay a more natural fit at Netflix where her Oscar nominated documentary 13th was launched and she has the just wrapped four-part drama Central Park Five coming next year as well as a Prince docu, with exclusive access to the Purple One’s archives.

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However, in an environment where everyone is trying to lock talent in, this particular move to a traditional studio when the likes of Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy are heading to the streamer makes sense for DuVernay. For one thing, besides the range and reach WBTV offers you have to factor in the relationship the Selma helmer has with the studio already through the Warner Horizon Scripted Television produced Queen Sugar, renewed in August for a fourth season on Oprah’s OWN, and the CBS placed event series Red Line, which she executive produces with in-house superman Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter.

Add to that, unlike a deal with a streamer, the WBTV agreement DuVernay now has offers her the opportunity to sell her shows to everyone as opposed to be locked into to one outlet. It also doesn’t impinge on the indie collective ARRAY founder’s big screen ambitions, which will coincidently also see DuVernay directing a big budget adaptation of the Jack Kirby created The New Gods for WB down the line. New Gods will be the second such film for DuVernay, who was the first woman of color to helm a $100 million-plus live-action film with Disney’s A Wrinkle In Time earlier this year.

DuVernay is repped by CAA, and attorneysNina Shaw and Gordon Bobb.