In a pre-holiday surprise, megaproducer Greg Berlanti is leaving his longtime reps at WME for a new home at CAA. According to insiders, the decision to make the switch comes as Berlanti takes stock of his career — and as he approaches 50, aims to evolve his domain.
The jump from WME to CAA also coincides with big changes in the worlds that Berlanti is best known for: The CW, where Berlanti has produced countless shows and found some of his biggest success, is undergoing a massive change under its new Nexstar owners and looking to move away from its big budget, major studio series. And while Berlanti has defined a generation of DC TV shows via hits like “Arrow” and “The Flash,” the film side’s DC Studios is now under new leadership (James Gunn and Peter Safran). Both changes are said to have given Berlanti some pause, as the CW scraps the kind of shows that built his success, and DC Studios aims to build a Marvel-like stable that includes TV.
Berlanti still has two more years left in his rich $400 million deal with Warner Bros. TV, which continues through 2024. It’s understood that Warner Bros. has already approached Berlanti about extending that deal, but it remains on the table for Berlanti to make that decision. He also still has another two years left on his exclusive first-look film deal at Netflix.
Insiders stressed that there was no inciting incident that led to Berlanti’s exit from WME, where he had enjoyed success for decades as a WGA, DGA, PGA, Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated writer, director, and producer. But Berlanti is said to have been looking to shake things up and search for a new challenge — as someone who has accomplished almost everything there is to hit in TV, having had as many as 15 series on the air at the same time at one point.
Among those new goals is a further interest in tackling film. Berlanti is tight with CAA managing director and co-chairman Bryan Lourd, who has been eager to sign the producer for some time. Berlanti has been at WME for 15 years, where he was represented by Ari Greenburg.
And it comes as the industry undergoes a dramatic change, with companies changing their focus and the marketplace for his series changing. “Green Lantern,” for example, is currently being retooled at HBO Max with a new showrunner.
Other series upcoming on TV for Berlanti include “Dead Boy Detectives,” “Gotham Knights,” “The Girls on the Bus,” and an untitled limited series about Doris Day. He’s also working on “Anon Pls,” a drama series adaptation of the book from DeuxMoi.
First known for his stint at “Dawson’s Creek,” where he eventually rose to exec producer and showrunner, Berlanti’s extensive TV credits include “Everwood,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “Political Animals,” “Arrow,” “Blindspot,” “The Flash,” “Supergirl,” “You,” “Riverdale,” “Titans,” “Doom Patrol,” “All American” and “The Flight Attendant.”
Berlanti/Schechter Films, which he founded with Sarah Schechter, was behind Amazon’s “My Policeman,” starring Harry Styles and Emma Corrin, based on the novel of the same name by Bethan Roberts. They are also in post-production on Matthew Lopez’s “Red White and Royal Blue,” and wrapped production on Netflix’s Jennifer Lopez vehicle “Atlas.” Berlanti’s directing credits include “Love, Simon.” Berlanti and Schechter also produced “Unpregnant,” “Free Guy” and “Moonshot.”
Besides its Netflix deal, Berlanti/Schechter has projects lined up at Fox, New Line, Warner Bros., Focus, Amazon, Skydance, and Village Roadshow, including an untitled Rock Hudson biopic; “We Were Never Here”; “The Sting”; “Secrets and Wives”; and “We Were There, Too.” Berlanti is also directing the Apple feature “Project,” starring Scarlett Johansson and Channing Tatum.
Berlanti is also repped by Patti Felker at Felker Toczek Suddleson and Slate PR.
