Angela Bassett & Courtney B. Vance Ink First-Look Deal With 20th TV, Set ‘Monkey Boy’ Drama At Onyx
EXCLUSIVE: 20th Television has closed a first-look deal with Angela Bassett, Courtney B. Vance and their Bassett Vance Productions to develop and executive produce comedy, drama, limited series and TV movies for linear networks and streamers, with an emphasis on platforms across Disney Entertainment Television.
The first project under the multi-year pact is Monkey Boy, inspired by bestselling author Francisco Goldman’s Pulitzer Prize fiction finalist novel, which has been set up for development at Onyx Collective. The drama is created by Joshua Allen Griffith (Mrs. America), who will write the pilot script, with Ben Smith supervising. If Monkey Boy goes to series, the duo, who met on 20th TV’s Hulu series Only Murders In The Building where they co-wrote multiple episodes, will write it, with Smith serving as showrunner. Griffith and Smith also executive produce with Bassett Vance Productions.
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Goldman’s novel follows an investigative journalist who discovers a connection between a political assassination in Central America and an unsolved murder in his hometown, the Latino enclave of East Boston, forcing him to confront a history of childhood trauma that he’s been running from his entire life.
“Angela and Courtney are deeply thoughtful storytellers, with incredible intellect and insight, and true ability to unearth distinct, relevant and unique material that reflects the human experience and the world in which we live,” said Karey Burke, president of 20th Television, a part of Disney TV Studios. “Their indelible work bringing characters to life on 20th Television series over the years has been remarkable, and we are thrilled to embark on this next creative chapter with them.”
The first-look agreement builds on Bassett’s ongoing relationship with 20th TV as star/executive producer on the studio’s ABC series 9-1-1 and executive producer on the spinoff, Fox’s 9-1-1: Lone Star. She also recently signed a new deal with the studio to continue on the mothership series. Additionally, Vance stars alongside Niecy Nash in the new 20th TV limited series from Ryan Murphy Grotesquerie, which premieres on FX and streams on Hulu Sept. 25, reuniting Vance with Murphy and the studio after his Emmy-winning role on The People vs. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story.
“Angela and I are always ready and willing to meet the moment when it comes to creating opportunities for storytellers to do what they do best and offer extraordinary, memorable characters and stories to the world. The new deal with 20th Television offers Bassett Vance Productions just that opportunity,” Vance said.
Added Bassett, “We look forward to continuing to expand our footprint as producers and visionaries. This opportunity with Karey, Eric [Schrier], and the team at 20th Television opens up a multitude of possibilities for us to both introduce new voices and to work with other creators we’ve long admired. Courtney and I are ready to roll up our sleeves and get to work.”
Bassett Vance Productions is led by Lynnette Ramirez, President, and Loni Rodgers, Director of Development. The company’s team also includes Eric Parker Reid and Chelsea Maloney, newly promoted to Creative Executive, and Anita Johnson, Company Manager.
“Our Bassett Vance Productions team is so excited to begin this new journey through Angela with 20th Television,” Ramirez said. “For us to join forces with a studio that has such wide-reaching content opportunities is a dream for any producing team..”
Bassett and Vance are coming off a multi-year deal with MTV Entertainment Studios. It yielded the made-for-TV film Heist 88, starring Vance, which won an NAACP Image Award for Writing (Dwayne Johnson-Cochran). The company’s TV slate includes projects in development at wiip, Skydance TV, MGM Studios, UTV and NBC.
Bassett received an Honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards earlier this year and an Emmy Award this past weekend for her narration work on Queens, a docuseries for 20th TV’s Disney sibling Nat Geo. She is repped by Gersh and Fox Rothschild who also repped Bassett Vance Productions in the negotiations with 20th TV.
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