One thing Warner Bros. Discovery isn’t getting rid of: producer Greg Berlanti.
The producer, whose credits include “Riverdale” and the entire suite of series in the so-called “Arrowverse,” has just signed a deal to re-up his contract with Warner Bros. Television, his overall deal will now take him through 2027.
“Every day I wake up grateful I get to get tell stories for a living with so many talented people that I love,” Berlanti said in a statement to media. “With this deal, I’ll be lucky enough to be going into my third decade of making TV and calling Warner Bros. my home. The TV business has changed and Warner Bros. has changed, too, but I’m as grateful as ever to be making television and working with a passionate, brilliant, and kind leader like Channing Dungey and alongside a wise and tremendous old friend like Brett Paul. In my time getting to know David Zaslav, he is the most rare of Hollywood leaders: honest, loyal, and visionary about the kind of thriving Warner Bros. he wants to build for the future, where storytellers like myself can have a home to tell stories that excite and move audiences all over the world, for years to come.”
Last month Berlanti switched agencies, moving from WME (where he had been for the past 15 years) to CAA, where is team is led by super-agent Bryan Lourd. At the time he made the switch he was trying to extend his overall deal with Warner Bros. Looks like it was a good move, as the deal was extended and he is staying put.
Of his eight shows currently on the air at The CW, the mini-major that housed many of Berlanti’s most beloved projects, three of them are ending this year as Nexstar, the new owner of the CW, trims costs. (Previously, the channel was owned by Warner Bros. and Paramount. While most of the money from The CW was made in licensing fees to streaming platforms like Netflix, that started to subside as both WB and Paramount have their own direct-to-consumer streaming options. The companies recently sold ownership to Nexstar Media Group while retaining 12.5% of the channel.
What makes Berlanti’s decision to stay at Warner Bros. Discovery more interesting is the recent announcement that the DC Universe is now going to be unified under the DC Studios banner and the leadership of James Gunn and Peter Safran. For many years Berlanti almost singlehandedly guided the DC characters on television but, under the new structure, Gunn and Safran will present a master narrative that will include television, animation, film and games. It’ll be fascinating to see if Berlanti starts making shows as part of this new superstructure or will pivot to other projects.
The financial details of Berlanti’s new deal have not been revealed. The deal he signed in 2018 was for $400 million.
