Netflix Lands Lena Dunham Spy Drama ‘Covers’ From Creative Engine & Fifth Season

Nellie Andreeva
·2 min read
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EXCLUSIVE: Another high-profile post-strike TV package has found a buyer. In a competitive situation with multiple bidders, Netflix has nabbed Covers, a drama from Girls creator Lena Dunham, who is set to write, direct and executive produce under her Good Thing Going banner; Drew Comins’ Creative Engine Entertainment (Yellowjackets); and Fifth Season, sources tell Deadline.

No one is commenting but I hear the premium development commitment involves a 20-week writers room to pen an entire season worth of scripts. Staffing is currently underway with an eye toward opening the room in the spring, sources said.

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Inspired by real events, Covers poses the question, what if university life – the hard-partying, test-cramming, hookup-regretting reality of a college student – was actually a ruse for a more complex identity, one that no one would suspect – as intelligence officers working covertly for MI6? Or, to put it bluntly, spies.

The heroes of Covers are clandestine officials relying on their day jobs as the 21-year-old elites of Oxford University. Taking us into the hardest to infiltrate boardrooms and bedrooms, our spies will search not only for answers, but for identity and affirmation in a job where identity switches as quickly as an outfit change from class to club.

If Covers goes to series, it would be filmed in London where Dunham is currently prepping her upcoming Netflix rom-com series Too Much starring Megan Stalter & Will Sharpe.

Comins also has an existing business at Netflix, a TV series in the works based on Adam Silvera’s No. 1 NY Times bestselling YA novel They Both Die At the End, from Bridgerton creator Chris Van Dusen, with music superstar Bad Bunny executive producing.

The streamer has been open for business following the double Hollywood strike, actively taking in pitches and making offers. It just landed The Four Seasons, a comedy co-created, executive produced by and starring Tina Fey.

Dunham and Michael Cohen are expected to executive produce for Good Thing Going, Comins is exec producing for his Creative Engine Entertainment. Fifth Season is the studio.

This marks the first collaboration for Dunham and Comins who have similar sensibilities having both shepherd a provocative young female ensemble series with Dunham’s HBO comedy Girls, which she created, executive produced and starred in, and Showtime’s drama Yellowjackets, which Comins executive produces. The latter’s most recent second season was nominated for three Emmys, including Outstanding Drama Series, with Season 3 expected to start production soon.

Creative Engine and Fifth Season also recently took out The Holdout, starring and executive produced by Amy Adams, which garnered multiple offers.

On the feature side, Dunham most recently co-wrote and directed Catherine Called Birdy. She is repped by CAA, ID Public Relations, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.

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