Viola Davis' JuVee Inks First-Look Deal With Universal TV
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- JuVee Productions signed a first-look deal with Universal Global Television to develop series for all platforms, with the pact's first project being romantic drama "Pawn."
- "Pawn" adapts an original short story by bestselling author Kennedy Ryan ("Before I Let Go," "Score") and follows Gina Jones, who enters St. Louis's Rossi crime family as a "pawn" to fund her grandmother's medical care — only to fall for Drayden, heir apparent of rival family the Norths.
- Chantelle M. Wells — whose recent credits include "Daredevil: Born Again" and "Yellowjackets" — is writing the Pawn adaptation.
- Davis, Tennon, JuVee Head of TV Andrew Wang, Wells, and Ryan are all set as executive producers on Pawn.
- Davis and Tennon said they felt "uniquely connected" to UGT on bringing "empowering and fearless voices to the screen," while UGT President Beatrice Springborn called JuVee "a home for dynamic and powerful stories."
Why it matters: The pact formalizes Davis and Tennon's expansion from film and theater into prestige TV development at a major studio platform. With bestselling Kennedy Ryan attached and UGT's president personally endorsing the partnership, the deal puts real studio resources behind JuVee's stated mission of amplifying emerging and established voices.
