Fifth Season signs Ozark co-creator Bill Dubuque to overall deal

Laura Linney and Jason Bateman in Ozark S4

Bill Dubuque, co-creator of Netflix drama hit Ozark, has signed an overall deal with global studio Fifth Season (fka Endeavor Content).

Fifth Season said it secured the overall deal in a competitive situation, with Dubuque now set to develop his own slate of original series for the company, which is majority owned by South Korea’s CJ ENM.

The deal represents an expansion of the first-look deal that the writer-producer previously had with Fifth Season.

The studio said Dubuque is currently developing projects with Regina Hall, who co-starred in the Fifth Season’s Nine Perfect Strangers (Hulu), with director Nia DaCosta (Candyman) and with the Oscar-nominated Lucas Brothers (Judas & the Black Messiah).

More broadly, he will collaborate on projects with Fifth Season’s stable of joint ventures and production partnerships, including Lynette Howell Taylor’s 51 Entertainment, Layne Eskridge’s POV Entertainment and Kristen Campo’s Campout Productions.

Prior to co-creating Ozark, which has received 45 Emmy nominations including three for best drama series, Dubuque worked on feature films The Accountant and The Judge.

“Bill is not only one of the best writers working today, he is also an incredible supervisor and mentor, raising the bar for everyone he collaborates with,” said Joe Hipps, president of TV development and production at Fifth Season.

“Much like the characters and worlds he creates, Bill is one step ahead of all of us.”

The studio’s TV titles include Severance, See and Truth Be Told for Apple TV+; Tokyo Vice for HBO Max; Wolf Like Me for Peacock; Life & Beth, Nine Perfect Strangers and McCartney 3, 2, 1 for Hulu; and Scenes From A Marriage for HBO.