LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: The world’s biggest streaming giant, Netflix has suffered a huge blow recently. One of its most successful creators and showrunners, Ryan Murphy has decided to quit and seems to be headed to a rival platform, Disney+, as per the US Sun. Murphy had signed a five-year deal with Netflix that brought him a hefty paycheck of $300 million but the 57-year-old creator and producer is reportedly now on the lookout for new and bigger horizons as his Netflix contract is coming to an end this month.
Ryan Murphy is a renowned name in the entertainment industry for over two decades with iconic shows such as ‘Nip/Tuck’, ‘Glee’, ‘American Horror Story’, ‘American Crime Story’, ‘Pose’, '9-1-1', ‘Ratched’, ‘American Horror Stories’, and the Golden Globe-nominated true crime series, ‘Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story'. Even though Murphy has signed no deal with Disney+, the news has created waves in the streaming industry with many questioning his true motives behind leaving Netflix.
Why is Ryan Murphy leaving Netflix?
Murphy joined Netflix in 2018 after a successful stint at Fox Television where he worked under the leadership of CEO, Dana Walden since 2003. Murphy went on to become one of the most prominent showrunners in the industry with Netflix offering him one of the most lucrative deals in television history. When Disney acquired Fox in 2019, Walden started serving as the co-chair of Disney Entertainment responsible for overseeing TV production.
Murphy, however, didn’t find humongous success with its initial roster of series such as ‘The Politician,’ ‘Hollywood,’ ‘Ratched,’ and ‘Halston.’ It was only with 'Jeffrey Dahmer' that Murphy went on to live up to the promise for which he was hired. Murphy is making a noble attempt to reunite with his former producer and boss, Dana Walden, hoping to re-create the same magic that shot him to stardom with ‘Glee’ and ‘American Horror Story.’ Although, there’s been no official comment from Netflix, Dinsey+, and Murphy on the same.
What’s next for Ryan Murphy?
According to sources, Murphy has been negotiating a deal with Disney+ long before the Writers Guild of America (WGA) strike began, and for now, the winds are in his favor as an official announcement of his joining Disney+ can be expected anytime soon. But the projects with Disney+ will take time to come to fruition. For now, Murphy still has projects with Netflix, including a second season of ‘Monster’ which has become one of Netflix’s most-watched series, and a second season of ‘The Watcher'. Given his legacy at Fox (now Disney+), one can expect a few more hit shows from Murphy.