According to Deadline, Warren Littlefield, whose prolific output in recent years has included Fargo, The Handmaid’s Tale and Dopesick, has sealed a multi-year overall deal with 20th Television and ABC Signature that will keep him exclusive with those studios through 2026.
What’s Happening:
- Littlefield was most recently in a joint deal with 20th Television and Fox 21. His Littlefield Company has been based at the company since 2016 (prior to Disney’s acquisition of Fox), when he first signed a pact with Fox 21.
- In the 1990s, Littlefield was behind a number of hit TV shows for NBC, including Friends, Frasier and ER.
- Littlefield is behind FX’s upcoming drama The Old Man, starring Jeff Bridges and John Lithgow, which premieres June 16th.
What They’re Saying:
- Littlefield said in a statement: “Despite the incredible COVID challenges of the past two years we’ve been fortunate to be able to continue to produce high quality and award winning television content. I’m grateful to [Disney General Entertainment chairman] Dana Walden for her leadership and belief that we’ve only just begun our journey together. Both [20th Television president] Karey Burke and [ABC Signature president] Jonnie Davis and their outstanding teams give us the support we need to succeed.”
- In his statement, Littlefield also said he plans an expansion into the international marketplace, which he said he believes “represents a growth opportunity and our development slate reflects that.” The Littlefield Co. will also be adding an unscripted executive “as we embrace the full range of opportunities that content offers.”
- “We look forward to delivering more content across more Disney-owned platforms,” he said. “Our collective quest at the company is to find and work with artists with vision, then to help them architect that into outstanding content by protecting their vision. That fuels us. I’ve spent my entire career focused on the development and production of television entertainment. Looking back I have a lot of satisfaction with the choices I’ve made but couldn’t be more excited by the road ahead.”
- 20th Television President Karey Burke said: “Warren is more than just a gifted producer, he’s a giant in television, and I say that as someone who had the good fortune to start my career under him at NBC. Being able to work side by side with him again has been one of the great privileges of joining 20th, and his contributions to Dopesick and The Old Man have been extraordinary. He’s one of those guys where you truly believe that despite his incredible track record, his best work is still ahead of him.”
- ABC Signature President Jonnie Davis added: “We are huge fans of Warren’s creative vision, spectacular taste, and his ability to elevate every project, and we jumped at the chance to partner with 20th on a new deal for this visionary producer. We look forward to many projects together in the years ahead.”