A year after Schitt’s Creek made a historic comedy sweep at the Emmys, Netflix has announced a new partnership deal with show co-creator Dan Levy.

Under the new agreement, Levy will write and produce scripted content and other creative projects, beginning with an untitled rom-com feature that he’ll write, direct, produce and star in. Stacey Snider and Kate Fenske of SISTER will also produce. The TV portion of the deal kicks off in July 2022, when the creator’s current deal with ABC Signature comes to a close.

While the streaming service didn’t offer any details as to the terms of the new partnership, insiders believe it’s an eight-figure contract that extends three or four years. It’s also believed to be worth significantly more than Levy’s previous three-year deal with Disney, which sources estimated at the time to be valued at $2 million per year.

So far the only thing to come out of that deal has been a pilot presentation for an animated comedy at Hulu, Standing By, which was announced last month. Levy is attached to co-write and star in the guardian angel offering, which is co-written by Schitt’s Creek scribe Ally Pankiw. That project and one other are still in the works, but ABC Signature reportedly wasn’t interested in renegotiating a new deal at the end of Levy’s current contract.

In the past Levy has also reportedly been courted by Warner Bros. TV and Disney’s 20th Television, but his partnership with Netflix feels inevitable given the streaming service’s part in distributing Schitt’s Creek to North American audiences in the show’s second run following airings on CBC and Pop TV in the U.S.

“Netflix offered Schitt’s Creek a second home at just the right time and opened the doors to a whole new audience for us,” Levy said in a statement. “Watching the show thrive there has only enhanced my excitement about continuing to tell specific, meaningful stories with them in both TV and feature film. A full circle moment.”

During his run with Schitt’s Creek, Levy wrote, produced, directed and starred in the series. At last year’s Emmys, the show broke multiple records including most awards for a comedy in a single year (nine) and the first comedy to ever win an award in all four major acting categories in the same year. It also secured the most wins for a comedy series in its final season.

In 2020 Levy also personally tied the record for most wins by an individual in a single season (joining Moira Demos in 2016 and Amy Sherman-Palladino in 2018), and he became the only person to win four major categories (acting, directing, writing, producing) in a single year.

Levy and his former Schitt’s Creek co-stars, Eugene Levy, Catherine O’Hara and Annie Murphy, all presented together in-person at the 2021 Emmys, which were broadcast on Sunday (Sept. 19).

“Dan Levy is an incredible all-around creative talent, who thoughtfully approaches every story with a meaningful perspective,” added Scott Stuber, head of global film and Bela Bajaria, head of global series at Netflix. “His work on Schitt’s Creek charmed audiences around the world and we’re thrilled to partner and create new films and shows with Dan.”

Photo by Jose Mandojana