“9-1-1” Producer Ryan Murphy Is Leaving Netflix For Disney
Superstar television show creator Ryan Murphy is planning on leaving Netflix for The Walt Disney Company when his contract ends next month.
The move to Disney will be a homecoming of sorts for Murphy, who will be reunited with former Fox executive Dana Walden- now head of Walt Disney Entertainment.
It was with Walden and Fox, that Murphy entered the national spotlight. While working for the network, Murphy created hit shows including “American Horror Story” and “911”.
Since working together at Fox, Walden was both a college and personal friend of Murphy, who jumped ship for Netflix as Disney was finalizing its deal to purchase 20th Century Fox.
Murphy’s Uneven Time At Netflix
At the time, getting Murphy was seen as a coup for Netflix, who reportedly gave the producer a five-year-deal worth as much as $300 million.
Murphy’s tenure at Netflix however, was uneven. His first three original series “The Politician”, “Hollywood” and “Ratched” failed to attract large audiences. Likewise, “The Prom”, a movie Murphy directed, struggled to gain attention.
Things turned around last year however, when the Murphy created “Dahmer-Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story became one of Netflix’s 10 most-watched shows ever. The producer’s next release “The Watcher” was likewise a hit.
Coming Back Home
Despite these successes, by late last year Murphy was already talking to Disney about coming back. While at Netflix, the producer had continued to work with Walden and John Landgraf, the head of FX, on shows such as “9-1-1”, “Posse” and “American Crime Story”. He even kept an office on the Fox lot.
While the terms of Murphy’s contract with Disney will not be known until his Netflix deal ends, the details were reportedly ironed out before the writers’ strike began. The producer will still work with Netflix on the shows that he created for them.
For Walden, bringing Murphy into the fold is a bold choice. With Disney recently laying off 7,000 employees, and the company pivoting its streaming strategy away from subscriber count and towards profitability, it is an unusual time at the media giant.
Despite these recent changes, bringing in a talent of Murphy’s level was likely a no-brainier, especially considering the strong connections that the producer already had with Disney.
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