Drew Goddard Inks Rich Overall Deal With Disney’s 20th TV

A day after the Disney-Fox deal closed, the combined company has made its first joint announcement: Drew Goddard is returning to Disney and its newly acquired 20th Century Fox TV studio.

The Daredevil and Lost executive producer has signed what sources describe as a four-year, eight-figure overall deal with 20th Century Fox TV. Under the pact, Goddard will write, create, direct and develop new projects for the studio for all platforms. The deal is effective immediately and arrives as the studio this week transferred over to Disney as part of its $71.3 billion Fox buy.

“We have wanted to be in business with Drew since the day his work on our series Angel was over. That was in 2004,” new Disney TV Studios and ABC Entertainment chairman Dana Walden said Thursday in a statement. “Having a new deal with him after all this time makes me unspeakably happy. As a writer and director, he’s a 10; as a collaborator and magnet for other incredible writers, directors and actors, he is off the charts. Our goal is to support Drew as he builds his own spectacular production company inside of the Disney Television Studios.”

Disney Television Studios is the new unit, headed by Craig Hunegs, that combines all the merged company’s TV studios — ABC Studios, ABC Signature, 20th Century Fox TV and Fox 21 Studios — and their respective executives. Hunegs reports directly to Walden, who came over from Disney after overseeing 20th TV for decades.

Goddard, who most recently executive produced and directed NBC’s breakout Mike Schur comedy The Good Place, was instrumental in launching ABC Studios’ suite of Netflix Marvel shows and co-created Daredevil and The Defenders. Goddard in 2014 handed over showrunning duties to Steven S. DeKnight after the former segued to writing and directing Sony’s Spider-Man spinoff Sinister Six. (The offshoot remains in development.)

“I am thrilled to be working so closely with Dana and her team,” Goddard said. “My relationship with Dana stretches back to the beginning when I first started at Buffy. Since then, I have had the privilege of working with Disney and Fox for the majority of my career in television, and I look forward to continuing those relationships over the next few years.”

The writer-producer-director started his career in television, working on such series as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Alias and Lost. (He also reunited with Buffy and Angel boss Joss Whedon for a cameo in Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog). More recently, Goddard has been focused on film with credits that include Bad Times at the El Royale, the Cloverfield franchise, The Martian and World War Z.

The established film and TV multihyphenate joins ABC Studios at a time when competition for proven showrunners has hit a fever pitch as traditional outlets battle streamers for top talent. Goddard joins producers like Carlton Cuse and 20th Century Fox TV imports like Lee Daniels, Matt Reeves, Dan Fogelman, Seth MacFarlane and Steve Levitan, among several others.

Goddard is the latest showrunner to land a rich overall deal. Universal TV re-signed The Good Place creator Mike Schur to a five-year, nine-figure pact after losing Mindy Kaling to Warner Bros. TV (where she signed a six-year, eight-figure overall deal). Fresh Off the Boat showrunner Nahnatchka Khan also moved her overall deal from 20th TV to Universal TV.

Goddard is repped by UTA and Hansen Jacobson.

Drew Goddard Inks Rich Overall Deal With Disney’s 20th TV

Lesley Goldberg

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