EXCLUSIVE: On the heels of her breakthrough performance in American Horror Story: Delicate, Kim Kardashian is getting her own scripted series. She is staying in business with AHS co-creator/executive producer Ryan Murphy for the project, described as a high-end, glossy and sexy adult procedural, Deadline has learned. It has landed at Hulu, home of hit reality series The Kardashians, with a big series commitment, I hear. This marks the first series for Murphy under his new deal at Disney, with 20th Television, part of Disney TV Studios, producing.
Kardashian, whose acting deal is being negotiated, is poised to play Los Angeles’ most successful divorce lawyer and the owner of an all-female law firm in the legal drama, penned by Brothers & Sisters creator Jon Robin Baitz, writer of the buzzy upcoming installment of Murphy’s Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans, and Joe Baken.
Murphy, Baitz and Baken pitched the series idea to Kardashian and Kris Jenner, manager of the Kardashian-Jenner siblings and executive producer on their unscripted series. Both committed right away, sources tell Deadline.
Murphy, Kardashian and Jenner then sold the project to Hulu, which had pursued it in light of the success of The Kardashians and AHS: Delicate on the platform. Looking to keep Kardashian and Jenner in the fold, Hulu bought the pitch in the room, committing to what some sources say is a straight-to-series order.
While deals are still being worked out, Murphy, Kardashian and Jenner, who are all executive producing, have already begun preliminary casting, exploring ideas for three other actresses to play Kardashian’s glamorous and accomplished law partners, and an A-list actor to play her onscreen love interest, I hear. The series is eyeing a production start in late 2024 for an early 2025 premiere, sources said.
For Kardashian, the role of a lawyer would not be too much of a stretch as she is on a path to become one in real life – she is studying for the bar exam having passed the baby bar last year.
In Delicate, Kardashian plays a cutthroat publicist in her biggest foray into acting to date. Given her background as a reality and social media star, there was skepticism over her casting, but Kardashian surprised many with a performance that has been well received by critics and embraced by fans.
Overnight, Kardashian became a sought-after actress courted for film and TV projects. Her first feature starring vehicle, The Fifth Wheel, just sold to Netflix after a bidding war. She is expected to film the Hulu series after completing her film commitment.
Murphy is known for helping talent cross over to acting. Several years ago, he gave Lady Gaga her first major role on AHS. She went on to star in A Star Is Born, earning an Oscar acting nomination for her performance.
This is Murphy’s first series for Hulu. After a string of successful broadcast and cable series through 20th TV including Glee, American Horror Story, American Crime Story, Feud and the 9-1-1 franchise, he switched to streaming with a deal at Netflix where he has the hit series Monster and The Watcher, both of which reached Netflix’s Top 10 Most Popular English-language series list at the time of their releases and have been renewed for new installments. (Dahmer – Monster: The Jeffrey Dahmer Story remains No. 3 in Netflix’s all-time global ranking.)
At Disney, Murphy has AHS: Delicate starring Kardashian and Emma Roberts, whose second part is currently filming, along with the upcoming Gladiator: American Sports Story, starring Josh Andrés Rivera as Aaron Hernandez — both on FX — and new seasons of 9-1-1 on ABC and 9-1-1: Lone Star on Fox. Coming up on FX is the premiere of Feud: Capote Vs. The Swans in winter 2024.
So far, Kardashian has been able to parlay her massive social media influence, with 363 million followers on Instagram alone, into building successful business ventures, most notably her fashion line SKIMS. Her previous acting credits include a multi-episode arc on Drop Dead Diva, a voice role in two PAW Patrol films and a hosting stint on Saturday Night Live.
The Kardashians debuted in 2022 as Hulu’s biggest series premiere and remains a top performer on the platform, with four 10-episode seasons released to date.
For Jenner, who has executive produced her eponymous syndicated talk show and a slew of reality series featuring her extended family, from Keeping Up With the Kardashians on E! to The Kardashans on Hulu, this marks her scripted producing debut.
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Source: DLine
