Netflix Inks First-Look Deal With Richard Gadd Despite $170 Million ‘Baby Reindeer’ Lawsuit: ‘We’re Very Proud of Richard and the Story He Told’
variety.comBaby Reindeer” creator Richard Gadd has inked a first-look deal with Netflix, despite his series prompting a $170 million defamation lawsuit.
Netflix boss Ted Sarandos made the announcement at the Royal Television Society conference in London on Tuesday morning in response to a question from journalist Kirsty Wark over the lawsuit, saying the streamer stands by Gadd. “We are facilitating storytellers to tell their stories,” Sarandos said when Wark asked him whether Netflix had made a mistake in calling the series a “true story.” “This is Richard’s true story.
We finished [signing] our first-look deal with Richard Gadd to do his next work at Netflix … We’re very proud of Richard and proud of the story he told and the way he told it.” “It’s not a documentary,” the streaming boss added. “We’re watching it performed by actors on television — we think it’s abundantly clear there’s dramatization involved.
And I would also point out this is a uniquely British debate, this debate is not happening anywhere else in the world about ‘Baby Reindeer.’” “Baby Reindeer” picked up six Emmy awards on Sunday, including outstanding limited or anthology series, writing and lead actor for Gadd and supporting actress for Jessica Gunning.
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