Trey Parker, Matt Stone sign $900-million deal ensuring 14 ‘South Park’ movies
Even Brian Boitano doesn’t have a mega deal like the one Trey Parker and Matt Stone just inked.
The “South Park†creators and ViacomCBS’ MTV Entertainment Studios have agreed to extend the animated show on Comedy Central through 2027 — or 30 seasons — and to produce 14 “South Park†made-for-streaming movies to run on subscription service Paramount+, according to a Thursday release.
The paycheck? The parties involved aren’t saying, but Bloomberg News pegged it at $900 million.
Two of those movies are promised in 2021, so watch out for “South Park†flicks coming soon.
“South Park†creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone issue an “official apology†to China, mocking it for banning a recent episode of their show.
The move is part of ViacomCBS’ growing commitment to its streamer, Paramount+, known as CBS All Access until earlier this year.
“Matt and Trey are world-class creatives who brilliantly use their outrageous humor to skewer the absurdities of our culture and we are excited to expand and deepen our long relationship with them to help fuel Paramount+ and Comedy Central,†Chris McCarthy, president/CEO of MTV Entertainment and CCO of adult animation for Paramount+, said in a statement Thursday.
“Franchising marquee content like South Park and developing new IP with tremendous talent like Matt and Trey is at the heart of our strategy to continue growing Paramount+.â€
“South Park†is the latest beneficiary of Hollywood’s rerun mania.
Parker and Stone thanked network execs Chris McCarthy, Nina Diaz, Keyes Hill-Edgar and Tanya Giles in their statement.
“Comedy Central has been our home for 25 years and we’re really happy that they’ve made a commitment to us for the next 75 years,†the duo said.
“When we came to ViacomCBS with a different way to produce the show during the pandemic, Chris, Nina, Keyes and Tanya were immediately supportive and enabled us to try something new that turned out to be really well received.
“We can’t wait to get back to doing traditional South Park episodes but now we can also try out new formats,†they continued. “It’s great to have partners who will always take a chance with us.â€
The show has had two blockbuster specials in the past two years: The Emmy-nominated “South ParQ Vaccination Special,†which drew nearly 3.5 million total viewers this year, making it the top cable telecast so far in 2021, and “The Pandemic Special,†which was cable TV’s top scripted telecast in 2020.
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