- Share this article on Facebook
- Share this article on Twitter
- Share this article on Flipboard
- Share this article on Email
- Show additional share options
- Share this article on Linkedin
- Share this article on Pinit
- Share this article on Reddit
- Share this article on Tumblr
- Share this article on Whatsapp
- Share this article on Print
- Share this article on Comment
With The Big Bang Theory officially wrapped, star Kaley Cuoco has opted to remain in business with producers Warner Bros. Television Group and has signed a massive new deal with the company.
Under the pact, Cuoco has signed a new pod deal and will turn her attention from scripted comedy to drama and will star in the WarnerMedia streaming thriller The Flight Attendant, which is based on the Chris Bohjalian book of the same name that Cuoco’s Yes Norman banner optioned in 2017. Cuoco’s company will executive produce the series alongside prolific producer Greg Berlanti. The new agreement also includes a talent holding deal for Cuoco’s future acting services in a sign of just how competitive the demand for established talent has become in the Peak TV era.
Financial terms of the exclusive pact were not immediately available, but it is likely a sizable deal given Cuoco was making north of $1 million per episode when Big Bang Theory wrapped its run in May.
Related Stories
The pact extends Cuoco’s relationship with the studio that she has called home for the past 12 years. She next will lead the voice cast and executive produce Harley Quinn, the adult-focused animated series from Warner Bros. Animation that is expected to debut in 2020.
“I love that Warner Bros. is my home away from home, and I couldn’t be more excited to continue this incredibly collaborative and gratifying relationship. They’re stuck with me now!” Cuoco said Monday in a statement.
A best-seller, The Flight Attendant revolves around Cassandra Bowden, a binge-drinking flight attendant prone to blackouts who wakes up one morning next to a dead body and begins to lie as she looks to fill in the blanks from the fateful night in Dubai. Cuoco will star in and executive produce the series adaptation alongside Berlanti and his Warners-based Berlanti Productions topper Sarah Schechter. Steve Yockey (Supernatural) will adapt the novel. Yes Norman vp Suzanne McCormack will co-exec produce.
The thriller is but one of multiple projects Cuoco has in development at Warners. The actress and producer has also optioned Sick Girl, a psychological thriller based on the debut novel from Rachel Hargrove. Yes Norman will continue to develop projects for broadcast, cable, streaming and digital platforms across all of Warners’ TV divisions. The company previously signed a pod deal back in 2017. Many of the Big Bang Theory stars received producing pacts as part of their record-setting talent deals to remain on the CBS comedy that recently ended as TV’s longest-running multicam.
Cuoco is repped by Brillstein Entertainment Partners, SDB Partners and Hansen Jacobson.
The Flight Attendant is the latest series earmarked for WarnerMedia’s forthcoming streaming service, which is set to launch in beta in the fourth quarter of this year. It joins Paul Feig’s comedic anthology Love Life, starring Anna Kendrick; the Ansel Egort drama Tokyo Vice; Dune: The Sisterhood; the half-hour comedy Made for Love; and the limited series Station Eleven.
The thriller is also Berlanti’s first show for WarnerMedia’s streaming service and brings the busy producer’s TV record back up to 18 scripted series after CBS canceled The Red Line. Those series air across six platforms, including four of five broadcast networks. He now has streaming shows on Netflix (You, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and Warners-backed DC Universe (Titans, Doom Patrol, Stargirl).
THR Newsletters
Sign up for THR news straight to your inbox every day