Jenny Lumet Inks Big CBS Studios Overall Deal

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CBS Studios is keeping Jenny Lumet in-house.

Lumet has signed a big four-year overall deal with the studio for whom she has co-created CBS’ Clarice and Paramount+’s The Man Who Fell to Earth and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. 

Under the pact, the David Stapf-led studio will have exclusive rights to produce all TV fare created and developed by Lumet. Source say the deal is valued in the eight-figure range, all in.

“Jenny is such a wonderfully gifted writer whose skills are not limited to any specific genre,” said Stapf, who serves as president of the studio. “Whether it’s exploring complex characters like Clarice or world-building stories such as The Man Who Fell to Earth and Star Trek, Jenny writes with an insight and authenticity that reveals a universal humanity. There’s nothing she cannot do. We feel so fortunate to be continuing our relationship with her.”

Lumet, the daughter of famed director Sidney Lumet and granddaughter of Lena Horne, has become a key creative partner of CBS Studios-based Alex Kurtzman. Alongside Kurtzman, she also exec produces Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard. Lumet, whose friendship with Kurtzman dates back to 2008, began her TV career with him as a consultant on Sleepy Hollow. In addition to the Chiwetel Ejiofor-led take on David Bowie’s The Man Who Fell to Earth, Lumet created and is writing and exec producing a drama about Horne, Blackbird: Lena Horne and America.

“I feel genuine support and creative partnership at CBS Studios,” Lumet said. “It means the world to me that I can continue to work in so many different genres and know they’re behind me all the way. I’m so excited for this next step with such a forward-thinking team. A special thank you to George Cheeks, David Nevins, David Stapf and Bryan Seabury for continuing to believe!”

Repped by ICM Partners and Jackoway Austen, Lumet also counts the screenplays for The Center Cannot Hold and The Language of Flowers among her credits. She previously served on the WGA East council, and the board of the Writers Guilt Initiative. She generated the WGAE’s first Diversity Caucus and is an executive director of Bindercon, a conference for women and non-gender conforming writers, and holds screenwriting seminars for women of color and women over 40.

Lumet recently joined THR‘s TV’s Top 5 podcast for a career-spanning interview about her own path to Hollywood, how her #MeToo experience led to CBS’ Clarice and why she hates directing. Listen to the episode here.