Netflix has given the green light to The Beast In Me, a limited series headlined and executive produced by Claire Danes. In addition to Danes, the mystery thriller project, created, written and executive produced by Gabe Rotter, is executive produced by Jodie Foster, Conan O’Brien via Conaco and Homeland co-creator/executive producer Howard Gordon who will serve as showrunner, reuniting with the acclaimed series’ star/executive producer Danes. 20th Television is the studio.
The surprising mix of big names attached to the series reflects its long, twisty path to the screen — indicative of how hard it often is to get a show made — which we will get into in a bit.
In The Beast In Me, since the tragic death of her young son, acclaimed author Aggie Wiggs (Danes) has receded from public life, unable to write, a ghost of her former self. But she finds an unlikely subject for a new book when the house next door is bought by Nile Sheldon, a famed and formidable real estate mogul who was once the prime suspect in his wife’s disappearance. At once horrified and fascinated by this man, Aggie finds herself compulsively hunting for the truth – chasing his demons while fleeing her own – in a game of cat and mouse that might turn deadly.
Executive producing the series are creator Rotter, showrunner Gordon, O’Brien, Jeff Ross and David Kissinger for Conaco; Foster and Daniel Pearle (American Crime Story).
The origin of The Beast In Me can be traced back 6-7 years ago when Rotter, who worked on both the original X-Files and its revival, wrote his initial script on spec, featuring a male protagonist. After the script failed to generate any interest, Rotter’s team suggested a gender swap of the main character and he rewrote the project with Aggie as the new lead.
The marketplace was still lukewarm, so Rotter’s manager, Larry Shuman, called Conaco President Kissinger whom he had known since the days Kissinger was an executive on House, created by Shuman’s longtime client David Shore.
Built around O’Brien’s brand, Conaco had been firmly in the comedy business but the company had been looking to expand into drama, and Kissinger agreed to read the script. He loved it, shared it with the rest of the Conaco partners, O’Brien and Ross, and the company, which had just came off multiple deals at Warner Bros. TV and didn’t have a studio affiliation, came on board.
Kissinger, in turn, passed the script on to his college friend Foster, whom he envisioned as potentially starring and Aggie, directing and executive producing. Foster engaged and, following several meetings with Rotter and series of notes over an eight-month period, she came on board to direct and executive produce but not star.
For that, Foster suggested Danes and sent the script to her. The Emmy-winning Homeland star responded and signed on. Through her producing deal at Homeland studio Fox21, The Beast In Me landed there for development more than four years ago. It subsequently migrated to 20th Television following the two brands’ merger.
The project went through a writers room and multiple incarnations, with the antagonist changing identities. Netflix had been keeping an eye on it and was reportedly interested in the original idea that got Foster and Danes involved.
The Beast In Me got a blinking green light from the streamer which became solid when Gordon came on as showrunner. (He, in turn, brought in with him Pearle, a producer on his Fox series Accused.)
Gordon’s overall deal at Sony TV had come to an end, and he was a free agent. In his return to his longtime studio home, 20th Television, he is contracted for this series; there is no overall deal behind it.
This marks only the second 20th TV series for Netflix besides Steve Levitan’s Kristen Bell comedy and first drama since the studio was acquired by Disney five years ago.
Danes most recently starred in FX’s limited series, Fleishman Is In Trouble, for which she was nominated for an Emmy Award, Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award. She is repped by WME, Michael Aglion at Signpost Management and Ziffren Brittenham. Rotter is repped by CAA, The Shuman Co. and attorney Derek Kroeger.
