“Grease: Live” director Thomas Kail and producer Marc Platt have signed new deals with Twentieth Century Fox Television, Fox TV Group Chairmen and CEOs Dana Walden and Gary Newman announced on Monday.
Platt’s new first-look deal gives the studio first look at any projects, live action or scripted, that Platt, a veteran film and Broadway producer, develops for television.
Kail, who directed “Grease: Live” for Fox, as well as the smash hit musical “Hamilton,” will set up a new production company under Twentieth Century Fox Television, through which Kail will develop, supervise and potentially direct television projects both for broadcast and cable.
“Marc Platt is a powerhouse producer with an unparalleled track record of identifying and overseeing spectacular artists and marrying them with incredibly commercial ideas and properties,” Walden and Newman said in a statement.
“Working with Tommy on ‘Grease: Live’ was an incredible experience, and we knew long before the credits rolled that night that we wanted a much more significant relationship with him,” they said.
“I am thrilled to have the chance to continue working with Dana and Gary, who have consistently proven their passion for cultivating new voices and inventive storytelling,” Kail said in a statement.
“Working on ‘Grease: Live’ with the Fox team was one of the highlights of my career, I am proud of what we made — and how we made it. I’ve always been drawn to helping find and platform new voices, surprising characters and stories that are relevant to our times. Hopefully, through this deal, we’ll be able to tell those stories in every possible form, from live events, to half-hour and hour scripted, and limited series.”
“I loved the ‘Grease: Live’ experience with the Fox team and I’m looking forward to continue working with Dana and Gary and everyone on future projects,” said Platt.