Renee Zellweger has signed a first-look deal with MGM Television, the studio announced on Monday.
Under the new two-year agreement, the Academy Award-winning actress and her producing partner, Carmella Casinelli, will develop new scripted projects for MGM TV through their newly formed banner The Big Picture Co. with an eye for Zellweger to potentially direct and star in those productions.
“Lindsay Sloane and I were introduced to Renée and Carmella via MGM’s Stacey Levin,” MGM’s president of Television Production and Development, Steve Stark, said. “We were very excited about the type of projects they were passionate about, so we decided to lock arms and do this together. On this 100th anniversary of United Artists, we are honored to welcome them to our studio’s long legacy of great storytelling.”
“MGM is the perfect home for The Big Picture Co. as we look to amplify and invest in stories and storytellers,” Zellweger and Casinelli said. “Their existing library is rich with creative possibilities and we’re excited to embark on this new adventure together.”
Zellweger recently made her small-screen debut in Netflix’s thriller anthology “What/If” and will next star as Judy Garland in “Judy” for Pathe Films/Roadside Attractions later this year. Her other recent film credits include “Bridget Jones’s Baby” and “Same Kind of Different as Me.”
She is repped by CAA and Carrabino Management.
Here’s Casinelli’s bio, courtesy of MGM TV: Casinelli started her career script doctoring independent features and working with The Wayans Brothers. She launched Bon Aire Productions after her first unscripted series, TLC’s “Welcome To Myrtle Manor” and Discovery’s “Hang Men launched. Since then, Bon Aire has set up numerous pilots with broadcast networks and produced the film “Walt Before Mickey” which is currently streaming on Netflix and has the “Peanut Butter Falcon” hitting theaters in August.