Ryan Murphy Says He Has 10 Greenlit Projects at Netflix
By Rachel Yang
LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – At the Time 100 Summit on Tuesday, Ryan Murphy revealed that he has 10 greenlit projects in the pipeline at Netflix, including three documentaries, four TV shows, and three movies.
Murphy has previously announced five titles slated for a release. Three are shows, including “Ratched,” the drama series starring Sarah Paulson as the infamous Nurse ; “The Politician,” a political satire featuring Ben Platt; and “Hollywood,” which focuses on the golden age of Tinseltown.
He has also announced two Netflix film adaptations of Broadway productions. The first is “The Prom,” set for a September 2020 debut, and the other is “The Boys in the Band” with Jim Parsons and Zachary Quinto, also due out in 2020.
Netflix said they could not provide further information about Murphy’s work at this time.
The multi-hyphenate appeared on the Time 100 stage with Janet Mock, who writes and produces for “Pose,” the FX series Murphy co-created about 1980s ball culture in New York City. Murphy spoke more about his record Netflix deal, reported to be in the $250-$300 million range. The five-year pact, under which Murphy will produce content exclusively for Netflix, began July 1, 2018, when his deal with 20th Century Fox TV expired.
Murphy said signing with Netflix was both the “hardest thing I’ve ever done and the easiest thing I’ve ever done,” as the company gave him the freedom to create what he wanted and a platform to showcase new, young voices.
“I was able to say what I felt my worth was, and it was met. And I was astonished,” Murphy said. “It was a great moment for me. I didn’t feel like the picked-on kid anymore.”
When speaking on creating content in the current era, Murphy said, “If you’re not writing about women or gender or race, you’re not writing.”
He added that “there aren’t any obstacles anymore” when it comes to progress in Hollywood and his focus is on championing more people that need to be heard. Although Mock said there should be diversity behind the camera, she noted the fact that three of the most powerful TV scribes are Murphy and Greg Berlanti — two gay men — and Shonda Rhimes, as a sign that the industry is heading in right direction.
