Latest news with #JeffGaspin
Yahoo
23-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
‘Monopoly': Inside Netflix's Massive Bake-Off To Win Right To Produce Board Game Reality Series
EXCLUSIVE: Netflix is no stranger to the bake-off, a process designed to choose a production company to make a certain show, in the unscripted universe. The streamer has held auditions for such series as Meghan Markle's With Love, Meghan, which was won by Sony's IPC, and its upcoming Willy Wonka series The Golden Ticket, which will be produced by The Floor producer Eureka Productions. More from Deadline 2025 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming Netflix's 'Willy Wonka' Reality Competition Series Bake-Off Won By 'The Floor' Producer Eureka YouTube Shows Are Increasingly Going To Netflix. Now The Streamer Wants To Make Them Bigger However, its latest process to pick a company to make a reality series based on iconic board game Monopoly has taken things to a new level. Deadline understands that there are around 40 companies vying to score the right to make Monopoly, which Netflix picked up from Hasbro Entertainment earlier this year, as revealed by Deadline. Seeing as there are around the same number of companies keen to battle it out to make the show as there are squares on a Monopoly board, the process has been the talk of the unscripted business over the past week. Jeff Gaspin, who heads up unscripted at Netflix, told Deadline that he was convinced to buy the project without a pitch in part due to the success of Monopoly Go!, the mobile board game from Scopely that came out in 2023. That game is thought to have had more than 150 million downloads and generated at least $5 billion in revenue. 'There's a gameplay in Monopoly Go! that I think really will resonate with gameplay in an unscripted series,' he said. 'The idea itself is still up for grabs. How do we want to approach it? Is it a giant game board? Is it in the real world? We don't have the answer and we had so many agents and so many production companies reaching out and asking us if they can participate, and asking if we'll consider putting them in the bake-off that we didn't want to be restrictive. So, we said, 'Why don't we do a first round that's pretty broad.'' Companies have had to be either invited to join the process or pre-approved by Netflix executives. It's believed that these companies then signed a two-page contract, which highlights that the successful company won't secure any back-end rights to the property, before being asked to submit a logline. It's thought that this larger group will be whittled down to around 15 companies who will be invited into a 15-minute pitch meeting, where a winner will either be declared or a handful of companies will be chosen to develop their ideas further. Netflix is hoping that the end product will be a 'large-scale' series similar to its hits like Love Is Blind and Squid Game: The Challenge. One source said that the unprecedented scale of the bake-off was 'ridiculous,' while another called it a 'little out of control.' 'It seems completely crazy and also seems completely disrespectful of people's time and resources,' added a producer. But Gaspin disputed this notion, saying the process is designed so companies don't waste a lot of time developing and pitching a series that doesn't make it. 'We'll see what comes back,' he said. 'My guess is this is going to be an iterative process. It's going to take us a little while, but that's okay. We did it with The Golden Ticket and I'm really excited about the creative on The Golden Ticket. We did that in a bake-off style process and I think it's good for the community that producers and production companies have a chance to show what they have.' He added that it may also open doors for companies that haven't scored a big unscripted series for Netflix. 'Even if they don't get picked on this project, we might see something in their pitch that we really like, so we'll keep them in mind the next time something comes along. I think it's healthy for the community to give a lot of people an opportunity.' Best of Deadline 2025 TV Series Renewals: Photo Gallery 2025-26 Awards Season Calendar: Dates For Emmys, Oscars, Grammys & More Everything We Know About 'The Devil Wears Prada 2' Solve the daily Crossword
Yahoo
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Amazon's Head Of Unscripted Series Jenny Falkoff Joins Netflix
EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has hired another unscripted executive from Amazon. The Love Is Blind streamer has appointed Jenny Falkoff, fresh from the success of Beast Games, to its Jeff Gaspin-led unscripted team. More from Deadline Amazon's Head Of Docuseries Alysia Russo Leaves, Joins Netflix Netflix Reality Boss Jeff Gaspin Hunts 'Broadcast Replacement' Formats & Seeks 'Fresh Takes On The Familiar' 'The Waterfront' Trailer: Coastal Family Turns To Drugs To Save Empire in Kevin Williamson Drama Falkoff is being tasked with helping Netflix find more large, 'splashy' competition formats and 'buzzy' social experiments. As Gaspin told Deadline last year, he is now focusing on 'bigger formats, more of what you would call broadcast-style shows versus the cable style shows'. It comes after recent greenlights for series such as The Golden Ticket, first revealed by Deadline, and Star Search. Falkoff was previously head of unscripted series at Amazon, having spent seven months in that role, after previously having been head of reality series for nearly two years. It comes eight months after her former colleague Alysia Russo, who was head of docuseries at Amazon, made the same move to join Netflix. It used to be rare for executives to move between the streamers but it seems less rare over the last twelve months, particularly in unscripted. Falkoff joined Amazon in May 2021, having previously been on the production side, working on series such as Big Brother, Love Island, Fox's 24 Hours to Hell and Back and Netflix's How To Be A Cowboy. At Amazon, she was initially a senior unscripted creative executive for Amazon Freevee, where she worked on series including Play-Doh Squished, Judy Justice, and Hollywood Houselift with Jeff Lewis. More recently, she ordered Wear Whatever The F You Want, hosted by Clinton Kelly and Stacy London, who previously hosted What Not To Wear for TLC, and worked on Beast Games. Lauren Anderson, who is Head, Brand and Content Innovation, Amazon MGM Studios, currently oversees the company's unscripted programming. The company has been trying to figure out its unscripted strategy of late. There have been some conflicting reports as to whether Amazon was hunting for a new unscripted chief with some sources saying that Mike Hopkins, who is head of Prime Video and Amazon MGM Studios, was leading the charge. Others caution that the company has been talking internally about which executives may take on more responsibilities in unscripted. Amazon recently renewed Beast Games for two more seasons in an eye-popping deal and, last year, launched a gameshow block with Are You Smarter than A Celebrity? hosted by Travis Kelce, Buy It Now hosted by JB Smoove, Wish List Games and Pop Culture Jeopardy hosted by Colin Jost. However, many in the unscripted business have been slightly confused by its strategy since Chris Castallo left the role of head of unscripted in 2023. Netflix's reality slate including series such as Queer Eye, which just aired its ninth season, Selling Sunset, which is returning for its ninth season, Love Is Blind, which just premiered its eighth season, The Ultimatum: Marry or Move On, which has run for three seasons, Rhythm + Flow, which was brought back for a second season at the end of last year, Peter Serafinowicz-led gameshow Million Dollar Secret and recent lanches Battle Camp and Sneaky Links: Dating After Dark. Best of Deadline Every 'The Voice' Winner Since Season 1, Including 9 Team Blake Champions Everything We Know About 'Jurassic World: Rebirth' So Far 'Nine Perfect Strangers' Season 2 Release Schedule: When Do New Episodes Come Out?
Express Tribune
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Express Tribune
Netflix's Willy Wonka ‘Golden Ticket' series: How to apply and what to expect
Netflix has unveiled an exciting new reality competition inspired by Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Fans eager to step inside a magical world of sweets can now apply for Netflix's Golden Ticket casting, with the streaming giant promising a unique experience that blends adventure, strategy, and social dynamics. Following in the footsteps of popular shows like Squid Game: The Challenge and Floor is Lava, this Willy Wonka-themed competition series invites contestants to take on imaginative and thrilling challenges inside a factory filled with surprises. To enter, applicants must be U.S.-based and over 18 years old. Interested participants can apply by visiting The GoldenTicket Casting website and completing the official form. Netflix has yet to reveal the show's premiere date or filming location, but more details are expected soon. Jeff Gaspin, Vice President of Unscripted at Netflix, shared excitement for the series, stating: 'We are thrilled to bring the magic of The Chocolate Factory to life like never before… creating an experience that is as captivating as it is unpredictable.' While casting for Netflix's Willy Wonka series is open, fans are already speculating about the format. Many are hoping for an authentic competition with everyday contestants rather than social media influencers. Some have even suggested Johnny Depp as a host. As Netflix expands its Roald Dahl universe, viewers can also look forward to upcoming releases like The Twits movie and Matilda the Musical.
Yahoo
20-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Netflix announces Willy Wonka-inspired reality show where contestants must 'thrive in chaos'
Did you watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory as a child and think, 'Oh, I would've totally breezed past all those bratty kids and won a lifetime supply of chocolate easily?' Well, now you have the chance to prove it. Netflix has announced that they are in the process of casting for The Golden Ticket, a reality survival competition that will see its candy-loving contestants use their less-than-pure imagination to fight for a chance to enter Wonka's legendary chocolate factory. However, what's waiting for them inside the candy kingdom might not be such a sweet treat. 'We are thrilled to bring the magic of The Chocolate Factory to life like never before,' Jeff Gaspin, Vice President of Unscripted at Netflix said in a press release. 'This one-of-a-kind reality competition blends adventure, strategy, and social dynamics, creating an experience that is as captivating as it is unpredictable. For the first time, a lucky few won't just have to imagine the experience — they'll get to step inside the factory and live it.' Related: Yes, there's already a Willy Wonka Glasgow experience parody — and John Stamos stars in the music video The series, which is described as a 'high-stakes social experiment,' is based on Roald Dahl's titular 1964 novel will challenge participants to 'adapt, strategize, and withstand the unknown' in order to win themselves an unspecified prize. The premise feels like a spiritual successor to that strange, slightly terrifying Willy Wonka-themed experience that took place in Glasgow last year, which even featured a random character named the Unknown. Along the way, its participants will face a collection of both physical and mental games that are set to challenge their 'instincts, resilience, and ability to thrive in chaos.' Losers, we assume, will be thrown into a chocolate river or turned into human blueberries. While a host for the series has not been announced just yet, we've got our fingers crossed that either a member of the Wonka cast (Timothée Chalamet? Hugh Grant?) or one of the Glasgow experience actors will step in to lead the scrumdiddlyumptious social experiment. Related: Freddie Highmore serves 'yummy methamphetamine' in spoof of infamous Willy Wonka fan experience How is all of this happening? Well, Netflix secured the rights to all of Dahl's IP when they acquired the Roald Dahl Story Company in 2021. In the years since, the company has teamed up with Wes Anderson to release his 2023 short film anthology, The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More. Chocolate connoisseurs eager to prove themselves can apply for the series here, with the show's filming location and premiere set to be announced at a later date. For now, watch the trailer above. Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
