FX Productions has signed Counterpart creator and Jungle Book screenwriter Justin Marks to an overall deal.
Under the pact, Marks will develop new content for FX. The deal comes several months after Starz canceled the critically acclaimed (but lightly watched) sci-fi drama Counterpart as part of its turn toward what it calls “premium female” programming.
“Justin is a true creative talent, and we feel fortunate to be his partners in supporting his vision of bold and ambitious storytelling,” Gina Balian, president original programming at FX, said Thursday in a statement.
Said Marks, “From the moment I met FX a few years ago, I knew where I wanted to be. They are some of the smartest people in this business, or any business I can think of. I’m beside myself with excitement. I‘m the nerdy kid who just scored a prom date with his ultimate high school crush.”
Marks is currently writing the sequel to The Jungle Book and is among the credited writers on Top Gun: Maverick. He is repped by Lit Entertainment Group and attorneys Stephen Clark and Melissa Rogal.
FX Productions is behind FX and FXX series Snowfall, Atlanta, It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, Archer, Better Things and What We Do in the Shadows, along with the upcoming Breeders and Y. It co-produces a number of other shows on FX, including Pose, Mayans MC, American Crime Story and Fargo.
Disney-owned FX, meanwhile, will launch a programming hub on Hulu (also owned by Disney) next year. FX on Hulu will feature original series first developed for the cabler — including the limited series Mrs. America, starring Cate Blanchett, and Alex Garland’s Devs — along with shows from the network’s back catalog and next-day streaming of series that air on the cabler.
