James R | On 06, Apr 2019

Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy have inked an overall deal with Amazon Studios.

The duo have become one of the most prominent show running partnerships in TV, following two seasons of their mega hit sci-fi Westworld for HBO. With production on Season 3 to begin this spring, the pair have caught the eye of Amazon, which is in the middle of a TV talent arms race with streaming rival Netflix, as they both look to sign up the biggest and best names to develop shows exclusively for them. Deadline reports that Nolan, Joy and their company Kilter Films have inked a five-year agreement that is in the nine-figure range. It will see them create and produce original series exclusively for Amazon Prime Video.

The deal builds upon their existing relationship with Amazon, which commissioned sci-fi drama The Peripheral from them last year. The tech thriller is based on William Gibson’s novel and is written by Scott B. Smith and directed by Vincenzo Natali who executive produces with Nolan, Joy and Steven Hoban.

“Jonathan Nolan and Lisa Joy are two of the most talented and inventive creators in the business,” says Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “They have mastered the art of working in tandem as well as individually on so many fantastic projects across film and television. They each bring their own unique storytelling abilities to the partnership, creating unforgettable characters in addictive and compelling worlds. We are ready to jump right in and can’t wait to deliver their future projects to our Amazon Prime Video audience.”

The deal puts Nolan and Joy in the same company as TV giants Ryan Murphy and Shonda Rhimes, both snapped up by Netflix, and Greg Berlanti at Warner Bros TV.

“We are incredibly excited to begin this new adventure with Amazon Studios,” they said in a joint statement. “Jennifer Salke’s vision for the future of our business is bold and forward-thinking, and she’s assembled a brilliant creative team to execute it. We can’t wait to dive in to make some batshit crazy television together.”

Joy began her writing career on Pushing Daisies and made her TV directorial debut on Westworld. Nolan, meanwhile, has collaborated with brother Christopher Nolan on multiple films and previously created CBS procedural drama Person of Interest, which ran for five seasons. They have both since had separate overall pacts at Warner Bros TV, with The Peripheral co-produced by WBTV and Amazon Studios. While they will soon depart Warner for Amazon, though, their pact allows them both to continue working on both Westworld and The Peripheral for “seasons to come”.

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