Fox Entertainment said it signed a first-look deal with John Requa and Glenn Ficarra, writers, directors and producers of shows including Next and This is Us.
Requa and Ficarra will develop series and direct pilots for Fox. Programs that get greenlit will be owned by Fox Entertainment and Requa and Ficarra will serve as executive producers for their Zaftig Films production company.
Charlie Gogolak, production partners with Requa and Ficarra, will also executive produce projects developed between Fox Entertainment and Zaftig Films.
Most recently, Requa and Ficarra directed the pilot of Fox’s Next. They also are executive producers of the series, which stars John Slattery and will have its premiere Tuesday.
“Having had the privilege to witness first-hand John and Glenn’s brilliant approach to harnessing the creative process and bringing compelling television to life on This Is Us and, most recently, our new drama, Next, Charlie Collier and I always kept our eyes on the opportunity to build on our budding relationship with them,” said Michael Thorn, president of entertainment from Fox Entertainment. “John and Glenn joining Fox Entertainment’s growing portfolio of talent further illustrates the value of our strategy to create innovative models that highlight our independent position in the market and empower our partners to do their best work.”
Fox also recently signed deals with Denis Leary. Dan Harmon, Jeff Davis, Kyle Killen, Jermaine Fowler and Sara Watson.
Ficarra and Requa worked as as screen writers on Bad Santa and Jungle Cruise; directed Crazy, Stupid Love and Whisky Tango Foxtrot, and serve as directors for This Is Us and Next.
“We are over the moon to be in business with Charlie Collier, Michael Thorn and Charlie Andrews in this latest iteration of our continuing creative partnership,” Ficarra and Requa said in a statement. “Their encouragement, support and trust have inspired us as writers and producers, and we thank them for the chance to work in an entirely new way - directly with the network and with an incredible amount of artistic freedom. Unfortunately, along with our producing partner Charlie Gogolak, emails will be eternally confusing with too many Charlies...”
