Audible Original podcasts such as The Prophecy, Hot White Heist, and others are part of the deal, for shows that could spread to outlets beyond just Prime Video and MGM Plus.
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Audible will co-develop and co-produce TV shows adapted from original podcasts and audiobooks with Amazon MGM Studios that it can pitch to Prime Video and MGM Plus, as well as buyers outside of Amazon. The news was first reported by Variety.
Adapting recognizable podcast IP with a built-in audience is usually a safe bet for Hollywood. Chris Morrow, the head of audio at the production company Plan B, which signed a multi-project development with Audible last year, noted to The Verge that the goal was to use audio to “help launch IP, and then ultimately find new life for it as scripted features or scripted documentaries.”
A number of originals from both of Amazon Music’s podcast properties, Audible and Wondery, have turned into TV shows recently. Dr. Death, a Wondery original podcast, has been adapted into a TV series for Peacock, the most recent season of which debuted in December. “These original podcasts have already engaged and entertained audiences and we look forward to developing a visual component to expand the storytelling,” Amazon MGM Studio’s head of television Vernon Sanders says in a statement.
The deal involves both scripted fiction podcasts and unscripted podcasts, including The Prophecy, Hot White Heist, Oracle, Nut Jobs, Words + Music, and others. A number of influential figures are attached to the projects, including Kerry Washington’s production company Simpson Street and James Patterson Entertainment.
For Amazon as a whole, this deal is another chance for the media properties under its ownership to partner up. Most recently, the Audible Original The Wonderland Murders & the Secret History of Hollywood has been acquired by MGM Plus as a four-episode docuseries, with Alison Ellwood attached to direct.
The full slate of titles includes:
- The Prophecy, acquired by ABC Signature, Amazon MGM Studios as a one-hour drama series with Simpson Street, QCode, and Station 26 attached to produce, Randy McKinnon attached to write;
- Hot White Heist, acquired by Amazon MGM Studios as a half-hour comedy series, with Broadway Video and Alan Cumming attached to produce, John Riggi and Adam Goldman attached to write;
- Nut Jobs, acquired by MGM Television as a one-hour drama series, with Escape Artists attached to produce including executive producers Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Steve Tisch, and Jordan Edelstein; with Marc Fennell and Sony Music Podcasts attached to executive produce, and Aaron Korsh and Rick Muirragui attached to create and executive produce;
- Oracle, acquired by Amazon MGM Studios as a one-hour drama series, with Jordan Feiner and 3 Arts Entertainment attached to produce;
- Temporal, acquired by Amazon MGM Studios as a one-hour drama series, with Storypunk and Low Spark Television attached to produce, Julian Simpson attached to write;
- Daniel X: Genesis, acquired by Amazon MGM Studios as a one-hour drama series, with James Patterson Entertainment attached to produce;
- Words + Music, acquired by MGM Plus as a music docuseries with The Kennedy/Marshall Company attached to produce; Words + Music is a brand-defining content vertical for Audible, shining a light on today’s most significant artists;
- Breakthrough, a one-hour unscripted series, produced by MGM Alternative and At Will Media, executive produced by Grammy Award-winning duo The Chainsmokers;
- These new deals join the recently announced adaptation of bestselling author Michael Connelly’s The Wonderland Murders & the Secret History of Hollywood, acquired by MGM Plus as a four-episode docuseries, with Alison Ellwood attached to direct.
