Twentieth Century Fox TV Aligns with Grease: Live Producers

LOS ANGELES: Marc Platt and Thomas Kail, who both served as producers on the ratings hit Grease: Live, have each separately signed deals with Twentieth Century Fox Television.

Platt, whose other credits include the Academy Award-nominated movie Bridge of Spies and the Broadway blockbuster Wicked, signed a first-look deal with Twentieth Century Fox Television. Under the deal, the studio will have the exclusive first look at any projects, live action or scripted, which Platt develops for television.

Kail, who is working on the theatrical sensation Hamilton, created a production pod housed within Twentieth Century Fox Television. Under the pact, Kail will develop, supervise and potentially direct TV projects both for broadcast and cable. Kail has tapped Kate Sullivan as the head of development for his company, Old 320 Sycamore. Together they will manage the company’s development slate and identify writers and projects for Kail to develop and supervise.

“Marc Platt is a powerhouse producer with an unparalleled track record of identifying and overseeing spectacular artists and marrying them with incredibly commercial ideas and properties,” commented Gary Newman and Dana Walden, chairmen and CEOs of Fox Television Group. “Grease: Live brought together some of the most inspired people from the worlds of theater, live events and television production, and Marc was quite literally the guiding hand of the show.”

Platt said, “I loved the Grease: Live experience with the FOX team and I’m looking forward to continue working with Dana and Gary and everyone on future projects.”

“Working with Tommy on Grease: Live was an incredible experience, and we knew long before the credits rolled that night that we wanted a much more significant relationship with him,” added Newman and Walden. “Anyone who has worked with Tommy knows just how remarkable and creative and visionary he is—he’s quite literally a force of nature. He has access to a largely untapped talent pool through his years in the New York theater, and he’s fantastically collaborative.”

“I am thrilled to have the chance to continue working with Dana and Gary, who have consistently proven their passion for cultivating new voices and inventive storytelling,” said Kail. “Working on Grease: Live with the FOX team was one of the highlights of my career, I am proud of what we made—and how we made it. I’ve always been drawn to helping find and platform new voices, surprising characters and stories that are relevant to our times. Hopefully, through this deal, we’ll be able to tell those stories in every possible form, from live events, to half-hour and hour scripted, and limited series.”