Barry Jenkins is one of the most exciting voices in American film working today. That’s pretty undeniable. So, it makes sense that streaming platforms would love to get into bed with him and figure out how to be the official home of Barry Jenkins’ TV work for the foreseeable future. And though his first TV project, “The Underground Railroad” is coming soon to Amazon Prime Video, it appears the future for Jenkins and his TV work is heading to HBO and HBO Max.
According to Variety, Barry Jenkins’ and his Pastel production company have signed a first-look deal with A24 and HBO/HBO Max as the official home for the filmmakers’ TV work for the next couple of years. But that doesn’t mean Barry Jenkins will be writing and directing a ton of TV for two years. Instead, his Pastel banner is a company that he runs alongside partners Adele Romanski and Mark Ceryak, and the production company focuses as an incubator for up-and-coming filmmakers and creators that want to work on projects that are more “challenging and groundbreaking” in their material. Obviously, that means Jenkins will be involved, but he won’t be the showrunner for everything, as his directorial schedule is pretty damn full at the moment.
As mentioned, Jenkins and Pastel are already behind the upcoming Amazon series, “The Underground Railroad,” which is arriving in May on Prime Video. But it’s unclear what projects will be coming to HBO and HBO Max. Though, without a doubt, having Jenkins’ name attached means we’re excited to see whatever comes together.
READ MORE: Barry Jenkins Explains Why ‘The Underground Railroad’ “Isn’t A Show About Slavery”
An interesting wrinkle in this deal is that A24 and Pastel also have an agreement to work together on future films. So, we could very easily see A24 working with Jenkins on whatever features he has coming in the next couple of years. Well, the ones that aren’t “The Lion King 2,” which is clearly a Disney release. The first A24 and Pastel co-production seems to be “All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt,” which is the directorial debut of Raven Jackson. That doesn’t have a release date, yet.