Overview
- Reporting says Netflix acquired the short story Understudy and is developing it for television, though the reported $1 million purchase price has not been confirmed by the streamer.
- Author Nicholas Binge is attached to write the adaptation, giving the project its original creator as the primary writer for the TV version.
- Phil Lord and Chris Miller are developing the series through their Lord Miller banner and are considering directing the pilot episode.
- Steven Yeun’s Celadon Pictures will executive produce alongside Lord Miller with additional executive producers named as Aditya Sood, Dan Shear and Christina Oh, and Yeun is not signed to star at this stage.
- Industry coverage says dozens of producers chased the 23-page story and multiple studios bid, a dynamic that could push more short fiction into high-value auctions and strengthen first-look deals as a pathway for literary adaptations.