Amazon Studios has signed Emmy-winning producer and director Reed Morano to an overall deal that will see “The Handmaid’s Tale” director exclusively create original TV series.
Morano helmed the first three episodes of the Hulu drama.
“Reed is a creative powerhouse whose distinct point of view shines through her immersive, emotional storytelling and commanding cinematic style,” said Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon Studios. “We’re honored to partner with her to exclusively create originals for the global Prime Video audience.”
Morano made history by being the first woman to ever win the Emmy and DGA Award in the same year for a dramatic series, both for her work on “The Handmaid’s Tale,” and was the first woman to win an Emmy in the Drama series category in 22 years. Morano’s latest feature film, “I Think We’re Alone Now,” won the Special Jury Prize for Excellence in Filmmaking at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Starring Peter Dinklage and Elle Fanning, it was released in theaters last Friday.
Morano is currently directing the thriller “The Rhythm Section,” starring Blake Lively and Jude Law, for Paramount Pictures.
“I’m thrilled to be working with the pioneers at Amazon,” said Morano. “Jen Salke is known for elevating content and her unwavering support for the filmmaker’s vision. We share the same passionate enthusiasm for breaking the mold with provocative storytelling, and I couldn’t be more excited about what we’ve been planning to create together.”
Emmys 2018: 9 Snubs and Surprises (Photos)
The 70th Annual Emmy Awards were held on Monday night, and as is typical, the list of winners ranged from the woefully expected to the pleasantly surprising. Click through for TheWrap's list of biggest surprises and see the full rundown of winners here.
Surprise: Amazon's "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" came out swinging in the early portion of the show, taking home four awards straight out of the gate, including two acting statuettes for stars Rachel Brosnahan and Alex Bornstein. The dramedy also cleaned up at the end of the night, taking home the comedy series award.
Amazon
Snub: Longtime Donald Glover collaborator Hiro Murai has been a key player in shaping the look and feel of "Atlanta" since its inception, but the director missed out on his first Emmy on Monday, part of a larger shutout of the experimental comedy's second season.
FX
Surprise: "Barry" was the only new comedy to give "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel" a run for its money on Monday, with both Henry Winkler and Bill Hader winning in the male acting categories, besting previous winners like Louie Anderson, Alec Baldwin and Donald Glover.
HBO
Snub: Oscar-winner Penelope Cruz was widely expected to win for her portraying Donatella Versace in FX's "American Crime Story," but the Ryan Murphy anthology was beat out in a number of high-profile categories this season, including supporting actress, which was won by "Godless" Merritt Wever.
FX
Surprise: In what was otherwise a noticeably white evening, "Seven Seconds" star Regina King took home a lead actress award, besting "The Tale" star Laura Dern, Jessica Biel of "The Sinner" and "American Horror Story" mainstay Sarah Paulson, among others.
Netflix
Snub: Showtime's "Twin Peaks" revival was divisive in its run, and the drama clearly failed to resonate with Emmy voters. The series missed out on a number of key nominations earlier this year, and series mastermind David Lynch lost in both the writing and directing categories on Monday.
Showtime
Surprise: "The Americans" went criminally unrecognized by the Emmys throughout much of its run, but the FX drama finally got some acknowledgement for its final season, with a writing award for co-showrunners Joel Fields and Joe Weisberg and an acting win for star Matthew Rhys.
FX
Snub: "Killing Eve" star Sandra Oh became the first Asian woman nominated in the lead actress in a drama series category, making history for her role in the BBC America spy-versus-spy thriller from "Fleabag" creator Phoebe Waller-Bridge. However, she lost out to "The Crown's" Claire Foy in her final year of eligibility.
BBC America
Surprise: "RuPaul's Drag Race's" long-overdue recognition from the TV Academy began a few years ago, with multiple hosting wins for its titular host, but the Logo-turned-VH1 competition finally broke through into the main show with an Outstanding Reality Competition Program win for its 10th season.
VH1
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From “Killing Eve” star Sandra Oh’s loss to an “Atlanta” shutout, and some overdue recognition for “The Americans”
The 70th Annual Emmy Awards were held on Monday night, and as is typical, the list of winners ranged from the woefully expected to the pleasantly surprising. Click through for TheWrap's list of biggest surprises and see the full rundown of winners here.
Amazon
