Following Netflix’s cancellation of Marvel’s Luke Cage two months ago, showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker has inked an overall deal with Amazon, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed. Coker will develop and produce TV projects for the streamer through his Fighting 99th Entertainment banner.
Coker started out as a music journalist and co-wrote 2009’s Notorious before moving into television writing, including Southland, NCIS: Los Angeles, Almost Human, and Ray Donovan. Coker also wrote the features Lowriders, and Creed II. He served as creator and showrunner for Marvel’s Luke Cage before Netflix canceled the series after “rising tensions” between Marvel and Netflix, who were unable to agree on a creative direction for a third season.
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“We’re very excited to welcome Cheo to the Amazon Studios family. From Notorious to Luke Cage, Cheo is a provocative, revolutionary storyteller, and we’re happy he’ll be creating those kinds of bold new series exclusively for Prime Video,” said Vernon Sanders, co-head of TV at Amazon.
“Amazon is the future, and their bespoke, specific approach to building groundbreaking shows offers an amazing opportunity, one that I’m incredibly thankful for. I can’t think of a better place to launch the first shows developed under my Seattle-based Fighting 99th Entertainment banner, and am excited for people to see what we have in store,” added Coker.
A number of other writers, producers, and directors have signed overall deals at Amazon, including Jordan Peele, Nicole Kidman, Reed Morano, Neil Gaiman, Sharon Horgan, Bryan Cogman, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Robert Kirkman, and Jill Soloway.
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