Ryan Murphy, the television megaproducer behind hits like “American Horror Story” and “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story,” is set to move his operations to The Walt Disney Co., five years after he bought Netflix for $300 million. Shocked Hollywood by dumping from. deal.
Contract talks with Disney have not concluded, according to three people briefed on the matter, who spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss private talks. A deal is not expected to be finalized until the screenwriters’ strike in Hollywood is resolved, one of the people said. (Unionized film and television writers have been on strike since May 1.)
But talks between Mr. Murphy and Disney are advanced, the people said. Mr. Murphy’s contract with Netflix expires at the end of the month. Renewal talks with Netflix never materialized.
Representatives for Mr. Murphy, Disney and Netflix either declined to comment or did not return calls. Bloomberg reported Mr. Murphy is expected to go to Disney on Tuesday.
A deal with Disney would formally reunite Mr. Murphy with the executives he worked with for more than a decade. Disney owns the FX cable channel, which is home to their “American Horror Story” franchise, which debuted in 2011. (The series also airs on Hulu, which Disney controls.) Disney-owned broadcast network ABC recently bought the rights to “9-1-1,” a drama Mr. Murphy created for Fox in 2018.
When Mr. Murphy signed his Netflix deal, in February 2018, Shonda Rhimes, another star producer, had signed a nine-figure contract of her own with the streaming company. The back-to-back signings were a loud statement by Netflix that it was in the business of paying any cost for big-name writers. In the process, it started a Hollywood arms race (which has mostly subsided, amid widespread concerns about the streaming business and the writers’ strike).
Mr. Murphy’s tenure at Netflix got off to a bang. Misfires included “The Politician” and “Hollywood”. It wasn’t until last September that Mr. Murphy delivered real hits in “Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story” and “The Watcher.” both series are out of 10 most watched Netflix original ever, according to the streaming service.
Mr. Murphy, who continued to make shows for Disney under contract with Netflix — new seasons of “9-1-1” and “American Crime Story” — will continue to make shows for Netflix after a similar move. Disney. The next season of “Monster” will focus on Eric and Lyle Menendez, brothers serving life sentences for the murder of their wealthy parents in 1989, and “The Watcher” has been renewed for another season. .
