Paramount + is effectively centered around Alex Kurtzman due to its ongoing reliance on Star Trek, and it is clear that CBS will do whatever it takes to keep the director and producer on board. CBS Studios has signed a contract under which Kurtzman and his Secret Hideout unit will produce shows exclusively for Paramount + and other platforms through 2026. He will continue to lead the Star Trek effort for the “next six years,” CBS said.
CBS didn’t say how much it paid, even though . sources knew the deal was in the “$ 150 million” range. Kurtzman had two years left on an existing deal, but it was worth a lot less at “only” $ 25 million.
Kurtzman has no fewer than six Star Trek shows going on, including existing productions Discovery, Picard, and Lower Decks, as well as upcoming endeavors like Strange New Worlds, Prodigy, and the currently unnamed spin-off Section 31. He’s also available for Showtime deals like that responsible for the upcoming TV remake of The Man Who Fell to Earth and has Secret Hideout work on projects such as a short story adaptation by Stephen King.
It is not surprising that CBS would then pay Kurtzman a premium. While he’s not the only one creating well-known shows for Paramount +, losing him and Secret Hideout would risk leaving a huge void in CBS’s streaming strategy. The risk, of course, is that CBS could further tie its fate to one person and one production company – Paramount + could be in a tough spot if there are ever bigger problems with Kurtzman’s shows.
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