Julie Plec Signs Overall Deal With Universal Television

Tyler Hersko
·3 min read

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Julie Plec has a new deal and a new home: “The Vampire Diaries” co-creator has signed a lucrative overall deal with Universal Television that will have her develop projects for broadcast, cable, and streaming platforms.

Universal Television announced early Thursday afternoon that Plec has signed a four-year overall deal with the studio. Plec will create and write series as part of the pact and will also supervise other creators through her My So-Called Company production studio, which she will expand as part of the deal.

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Financial details for Plec’s Universal Television pact weren’t disclosed, but Deadline reported that the deal is valued at more than $60 million.

“Six months ago we made a target wishlist of talented creators we really wanted to work with. Julie Plec was at the very top of that list,” Universal Television president Pearlena Igbokwe said in a statement. “With all of the options available to her, Julie chose Universal Television. We are overjoyed and can’t stop smiling! Julie is an expert storyteller who has created characters that have left an indelible mark on the audience. The sky’s the limit for this new collaboration.”

“The Vampire Diaries” helped propel Plec’s career skyward and resulted in two spinoff shows, “The Originals” and “Legacies,” the latter of which was renewed for a third season in early January at The CW. Plec served as a co-producer on “Scream 2” and “Scream 3” early in her career. Netflix gave a series order to her latest project, “The Girls on the Bus,” in August 2019.

Plec’s Universal Television pact is the latest in a string of big-money deals between large companies and high-profile creators in recent years. As more companies begin investing in new television shows and platforms, organizations ranging from Netflix to Apple, NBC Universal to Amazon, WarnerMedia to FX, have begun investing significant amounts of money into courting stars, writers, and other talent. Seth MacFarlane signed an overall deal with NBCUniversal earlier this month, following the studio’s big 2019 signings in comedian Larry Wilmore and Michael Schur. Ryan Murphy (Netflix), Steven Soderbergh (WarnerMedia), Steve McQueen (Amazon), and a multitude of other individuals have inked big-money pacts elsewhere over the last two years.

Plec’s Universal Television deal will see her depart the Warner Bros. TV studio, which she called home for 11 years. A WarnerMedia spokesperson did not return a request for comment but Plec, through the Universal Television statement, implied that she would continue working on her Warner Bros Television Studios projects.

“I’m thrilled to embark on a new journey with Pearlena and the group of extraordinary women who are ruling the world at Universal Television. They’ve made it abundantly clear just how much opportunity there is at the studio right now, with the launch of Peacock and their active relationships with the other streamers, not to mention the broadcast opportunities.” Plec said in a statement. “I love making television that is both thrilling and emotionally powerful, and I look forward to the adventure ahead at my new home. I am also grateful for my current home, WBTV, and look forward to continuing to nourish the shows we happily built together over the last decade.”

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