Yahoo Finance South Park Creators Sign $900 Million Deal to Release 14 Movies Based on the Series: Report
South Park co-creators Trey Parker and Matt Stone have signed a renewal deal that will not only extend their popular show's run through 2027 but will also see the creation of 14 South Park movies.
Deadline reports that Parker and Stone's new deal with ViacomCBS will keep their cartoon on Comedy Central and will send all 14 upcoming films to the company's Paramount+ streaming service.
The first two films are set to premiere on Paramount+ later this year, and the streamer plans to roll out two more each year through 2027. While ViacomCBS did not disclose the exact dollar amount of Parker and Stone's deal, it's reported to be in the $900 million range, making it one of the largest ever in TV history.
"Matt and Trey are world-class creatives who brilliantly use their outrageous humor to skewer the absurdities of our culture and we are excited to expand and deepen our long relationship with them to help fuel Paramount+ and Comedy Central," said Chris McCarthy, President/CEO -MTV Entertainment & CCO/Adult Animation – Paramount+.
He added, "Franchising marquee content like South Park and developing new IP with tremendous talent like Matt and Trey, is at the heart of our strategy to continue growing Paramount+."
Comedy Central
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In a joint statement, Parker and Stone joked that Comedy Central had been their home for 25 years, and the duo is "really happy that they've made a commitment to us for the next 75 years."
"When we came to ViacomCBS with a different way to produce the show during the pandemic, Chris (McCarthy), Nina (Diaz), Keyes (Hill-Edgar) and Tanya (Giles) were immediately supportive and enabled us to try something new that turned out to be really well received," they continued. "We can't wait to get back to doing traditional South Park episodes but now we can also try out new formats. It's great to have partners who will always take a chance with us."
Comedy Central
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South Park first premiered on Comedy Central in 1997. Since then, the long-running comedy has made a name for itself with boundary-pushing jokes and A-list guest stars ranging from George Clooney to Elon Musk.
Last year, the show took on current events with its very first hour-long episode. The special, which aired in Sept. 2020, chronicled the COVID-19 pandemic in the town of South Park.
The Pandemic Special, which was later nominated for an Emmy Award, came in as the No. 1 scripted telecast on cable last year.
