“Girlfriends” creator Mara Brock Akil has signed a network-direct script deal with Fox, the network announced on Tuesday.
Under the agreement, she will develop and write a new scripted series to air on Fox, which the network would produce.
The new deal builds on Fox’s strategy of circumventing the traditional studio-network model by signing development deals directly with creators. Last summer, Fox Entertainment signed a similar network-direct deal with “Criminal Minds” and “Teen Wolf” creator Jeff Davis.
“Mara is a truly gifted writer, with a strong point of view,” Michael Thorn, Fox’s president of entertainment, said. “From ‘Girlfriends’ to ‘The Game’ to ‘Being Mary Jane,’ she’s a proven hitmaker with the unique ability to write both comedy and drama. Since the formation of FOX Entertainment, we’ve said we want to be in business with the best and the brightest, and no one exemplifies that more than Mara Brock Akil.”
In addition to the acclaimed UPN series “Girlfriends” and its spinoff “The Game,” Brock Akil’s credits also include the BET drama “Being Mary Jane,” The CW’s “Black Lightning” and OWN’s “Love Is__.” A reboot of “The Game” is currently in development at The CW.
She is repped by attorney Stephen Barnes of Morris Yorn.