Sue Naegle & Ali Krug Sign Overall Deal At UCP; Pair Developing Elin Hilderbrand Novel ‘The Five-Star Weekend’ For Peacock

Jesse Whittock
·4 min read
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Sue Naegle and Ali Krug are in business with Universal Studio Group’s UCP.

The Emmy-winning pair has signed an overall deal with the Universal division through which their newly established Dinner Party Productions will develop and produce series.

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This marks the first time former UTA, HBO Entertainment and Annapurna Pictures boss Naegle has worked directly with Universal. She exited her Chief Content Officer role at Annapurna in 2022. As we reported at the time, Krug had initially taken over her TV division responsibilities, but has since reunited with her former boss and long-time production partner to launch Dinner Party.

In development is a series adaptation of Elon Hilderbrand’s novel ‘The Five-Star Weekend’ for Universal’s sister streamer Peacock, with Bekah Brunstetter penning the script. The book follows a popular food blogger, who, after a tragedy, brings friends from distinct times in her life to spend a weekend in Nantucket.

Synopsis reads: “Hollis Shaw’s life seems picture-perfect. She’s the creator of the popular food blog “Hungry with Hollis” and is married to Matthew, a dreamy heart surgeon. But after Matthew is killed in a car accident, the cracks in Hollis’s perfect life — her strained marriage and her complicated relationship with her daughter, Caroline — grow deeper. So, when Hollis hears about something called a ‘Five-Star Weekend’ — one woman organizes a trip for her best friend from each phase of her life: Her teenage years, her twenties, her thirties, and midlife — she decides to host her own on Nantucket.”

Naegle, Krug, Brunstetter and Hilderbrand will executive produce.

Brunstetter is known for writing the book for the stage adaptation of ‘The Notebook’, and her play The Cake has been produced over 80 times worldwide. her TV credits include Netflix’s Maid, NBC’s This is Us and upcoming Molly Smith Metzler Netflix series Sirens. She is represented by WME, The Shuman Company and Schreck Rose Dapello Adams Berlin & Dunham.

Hilderbrand is a new New York Times bestseller who has authored more than 30 books. Her novel ‘The Perfect Couple’ was is basis of a Netflix limited series starring Nicole Kidman, Liev Schreiber and Dakota Fanning, while 28 Summers is in development at MRC Films and Summer of ’69 is in with 3000 Pictures. Hilderbrand is represented by UTA, InkWell Management and Kleinberg Lange Cuddy & Carlo

Also on the Dinner Party table is The Midnight Feast, an adaptation of the Lucy Foley novel that we reported on a few weeks back. USG’s Universal International Studios is producing, with Naegle and Krug among the executive producers. UCP had acquired rights to the book, which publishes in June, following a competitive situation.

“Sue’s record of groundbreaking work speaks to her impeccable instincts, and this new venture with Ali and Dinner Party Productions will build on their brilliant track record as storytellers,” said Beatrice Springborn, President, UCP and Universal International Studios. “Both Sue and Ali are accomplished visionaries in the industry, and we’re delighted they’ve made their creative home at UCP.”

“We are thrilled to be working with a studio that has the trifecta of an empowering culture, robust leadership, and innovative infrastructure,” said Naegle.

“As long admirers of Pearlena [Igbokwe, USG Chairman], Beatrice, and Jen [Gwartz, EVP of UCP], whose commitment to original and distinctive storytelling and unwavering support for writers and filmmakers aligns precisely with our vision for our company. We can’t wait to build Dinner Party Productions with them and their stellar team.”

At Annapurna, Naegle led TV, film and theater for Megan Ellison’s company. She had begun her career at UTA, rising to Partner and Co-Head of the TV Literary department. In 2008, she was named President of HBO Entertainment and shepherded shows such as Game of Thrones, Boardwalk Empire, Treme and Veep. She is repped by UTA.

Krug began her career in the NBC Page Program in New York before working at HBO. After exiting, she worked at Naegle’s former production house, Naegle Ink, before joining Annapurna, serving as Co-Head of Television.

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