“Judas and the Black Messiah” Director Shaka King Signs First-Look Deal with FX

Judas and the Black Messiah director Shaka King has signed a first-look deal with FX, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

  • King was nominated for two Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay for his work on Judas and the Black Messiah.
  • Under his new deal with FX, King and his producing partner Brandon Harris will develop TV projects under their recently formed company I’d Watch That.
  • In addition to Judas and the Black Messiah, King has directed episodes of Hulu’s Shrill, HBO’s High Maintenance and TBS’ People of Earth.
  • He has also written for High Maintenance and HBO’s Random Acts of Flyness.
  • Harris is a former Amazon Studios development executive and will serve as the president of I’d Watch That.

What they’re saying:

  • Director Shaka King: “My first professional directing gig was shooting a pilot presentation for FX, and I’ve been trying to get back in the fold ever since. Our tastes, quite simply, align. I’m so excited to see what Brandon, myself, and the folks over there are able to cook up.”
  • Nick Grad, president original programming at FX: “We at FX have long been fans of Shaka King’s work and are honored to partner with him and his production company to create groundbreaking new television series. Shaka’s stunning feature Judas and the Black Messiah rightfully garnered enormous attention and praise, the culmination of years devoted to honing his talents as a writer, director and producer, and we couldn’t be more thrilled for him to turn his attention to TV.”