According to Deadline, the creator and executive producer of Netflix’s dark comedy/thriller series Beef, Lee Sung Jin (Mothman, Thunderbolts), signed a multi-year overall deal with the streaming service. The deal extends across both featured film and scripted series.
Vice President of Drama Series at Netflix Jinny Howe (Southland, Shameless) will oversee the partnership with her team, Deadline has reported.
“We’re so proud to see how Beef has broken through and brought Sonny Lee’s singular vision to life. It delivered performances of a lifetime from the inimitable Ali Wong and Steven Yeun. That the series went on to capture critical praise is just a dream come true. We’re thrilled to continue on this storytelling journey with Sonny and can’t wait to see what he has in store,” Howe told Deadline in an exclusive statement.
Beef was first released on Netflix on April 6, 2023 and stars Steven Yeun (Invincible, The Walking Dead) as Danny Cho and Ali Wong (Always Be My Baby, American Housewife) as Amy Lau. Deadline reports that, according to Netflix, the series spent five weeks on the Global Netflix Top 10 and was in the Top 10 in 87 countries.
The cast of Beef also features David Choe (The Choe Show, David Choe: High Risk) as Isaac, Young Mazino (Fish Bones, Glass) as Paul, Ashley Park (Emily in Paris, Only Murders in the Building) as Naomi, Joseph Lee (Searching, The Miracle We Met) as George, Mia Serafino (Crowded, Electric Love) as Mia, Andrew Santino (Dave, Me Time) as Michael, and Justin H. Min (Shortcomings, The Umbrella Academy) as Edwin.
The series has been critically acclaimed, receiving over 30 nominations for awards including 3 Gotham Award nominations and 13 Emmy nominations. Earlier this year, it won Outstanding Limited series at the TCA Awards. According to Deadline, Lee will is set to receive the award for Breakthrough Director from the Critics Choice Association.
Lee has previously worked on HBO’s Silicon Valley, FX’s Dave, Prime Video’s Undone, and is currently writing Marvel’s Thunderbolts film.