Mark Canton, the producer of the “300” movie franchise, has just landed a first look deal with Starz to produce original programming for the premium cable network.
“We are excited to continue our relationship with Mark and his team as we continue to grow the Starz original programing slate,” Starz managing director Carmi Zlotnik said in Tuesday’s announcement. “His success making break-through entertainment is singular, and we look forward to our partnership.”
He will join Starz’s upcoming drama, “Power,” as an executive producer. He joins showrunner, executive producer and creator Courtney Kemp-Agboh (“The Good Wife”) on the project along with Curtis “50” Cent Jackson, Randall Emmett (“2 Guns,” “End of Watch,” “Lone Survivor”) and David Knoller (“Big Love”).
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“Chris Albrecht and his team at Starz have given me the opportunity to jump head first into the episodic television arena, with a mandate to bring exciting, powerful audience-pleasing programming to the network,” said Canton. “I appreciate their confidence in me, and am looking forward to a long and successful relationship with them in the years ahead.”
The eight-episode series, which is co-produced with CBS Studios, begins shooting later this year. It follows a “Gotham nightclub owner who skirts the line between legitimacy and criminality.”
Starz, which recently reported that its net income dropped 7 percent during the second quarter of 2013 on higher production costs while still beating analysts projections, is also developing a post-Civil War series “Monsters of God” and “Fleet Street,” on the rise of tabloid journalism, executive produced by Piers Morgan.