Another competitive TV project has landed at Netflix. Drama Understudy, based on author Nicholas Binge‘s short story, has been set up at the streamer for development with Phil Lord, Chris Miller and Steven Yeun executive producing. Financial details are not been disclosed but sources describe it as a rich deal, with the streamer buying the short story for $1M+ in addition to a script commitment to the adaptation, penned by Binge.
Lord and Miller executive produce via a first-look deal their Lord Miller banner signed with the streamer in 2024 when the duo’s big overall pact at Sony Pictures Television came to an end.
Yeun executive produces via his company Celadon Pictures’ first-look pact with Netflix where he recently executive produced Season 2 of Beef. There is no acting deal for Yeun, who just signed on to play the lead in the Netflix series Pagans, though I hear there is an intention for him to star.
Binge executive produces Understudy, whose premise is not been revealed, alongside Lord, Miller, Aditya Sood and Dan Shear for Lord Miller as well as Yeun and Christina Oh for Celadon Pictures.
A year ago, another short story, Chandler Baker’s Discretion, was acquired by A24 in a competitive situation and him tasked with adapting it. The legal drama, which attached Nicole Kidman and Elle Fanning, triggered a bidding war won by Paramount+ with a straight-to-series order.
Binge is author of speculative thrillers that often blends big sci-fi concepts with psychological horror. His newest novel, White Smoke (written under the pseudonym Nick Brucker), sold to A24 UK at auction with Benedict Cumberbatch attached to star. Binge’s novel Dissolution is currently in development at Sony Pictures with Eric Heisserer adapting and Chronology and Temple Hill co-producing.
Yeun, Emmy winner for Season 1 of Beef, next co-stars opposite Ben Affleck in Affleck’s Netflix film Animals for Netflix after doing the same in Affleck’s previous movie for the streamer, The Rip.
Binge is repped by UTA and Alexander Cochran at Greyhound Literary. Lord Miller is repped by UTA. Yeun is repped by CAA and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.
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