‘Schitt’s Creek’ Creator Dan Levy Latest A-Lister to Land Netflix Deal for Film and TV

One year after “Schitt’s Creek” had its historic sweep at the Emmys — becoming the first comedy to win every major award — its co-creator Dan Levy has signed a new deal with Netflix.

In the deal, which is said to be eight figures under competitive circumstances, Levy will work on both movies and television (the TV part will begin in July of next year, after Levy’s deal with ABC Signature ends). He’ll start work immediately on the film side, on an untitled romantic comedy that he’ll star in, write, produce and direct. Sister’s Stacey Snider and Kate Fenske will also produce with Levy. No further details about the project were announced.

Levy and Netflix was a marriage waiting to happen: It was the streamer that propelled “Schitt’s Creek” — which premiered on Pop TV in 2015 — into the stratosphere. In a Variety cover story about the show in April 2020, Eugene Levy, “Schitt’s Creek” co-creator and Dan Levy’s father, told Variety that when the comedy began streaming on Netflix in 2017, the effect was “enormous and immediate.”

“You could feel it wherever you went — on the street, at an airport, in a restaurant, more people were coming up saying, ‘Love the show!’”

In the announcement for the deal on Friday, Dan Levy echoed his father’s assertion. “Netflix offered ‘Schitt’s Creek’ a second home at just the right time and opened the doors to a whole new audience for us,” he 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.”

Netflix’s Scott Stuber, the streamer’s head of global film, and Bela Bajaria, the head of global series, sang Levy’s praises together: “Dan Levy is an incredible all-around creative talent, who thoughtfully approaches every story with a meaningful perspective. 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.”

Last month, Hulu ordered a pilot presentation for “Standing By,” an animated comedy from Levy and former “Schitt’s Creek” writer Ally Pankiw — that is still on track, as is Levy’s other development from the ABC deal.

Last year, when Variety asked Levy what he wanted to do after “Schitt’s Creek,” he said: “I want to keep telling stories that mean something to me, and that are potentially joyful. My list of ideas that I’ve been scratching down over the past six years while I’ve been doing this show is anything from thrillers to dramas, to other comedies to musicals.”

Levy is repped by WME, MGMT Entertainment, and Morris Yorn.