Over the past four years, Jenny Lumet established herself as one of CBS Studios’ most prolific creators/showrunners. Now the studio has secured Lumet’s exclusive services for four more years with a rich overall production deal, said to be in the eight-figure range.
The Rachel Getting Married screenwriter got in business with CBS Studios via a drama pitch during the 2016-17 broadcast season. The project, produced by CBS Studios-based Secret Hideout, went to pilot at CBS and started a fruitful collaboration with the high-profile pod, ran by Alex Kurtzman and Heather Kadin.
Lumet emerged as a key creative voice in the Kurtzman-led Star Trek universe with stints as co-executive producer/executive producer on Star Trek: Discovery and consulting producer on Star Trek: Picard. With frequent writing partner Kurtzman, Lumet co-wrote the episode “Runaway” of the Emmy-nominated series Star Trek: Short Treks.
And, along with Kurtzman and Akiva Goldman, Lumet co-created and executive produces the upcoming Discovery spinoff, Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. It is one of three greenlighted series for CBS Studios Lumet co-created and executive produces with Kurtzman, along with CBS’ Silence of the Lambs sequel Clarice and Paramount+’s upcoming The Man Who Fell To Earth reboot, on which she also serves as showrunner.
Additionally, Lumet serves as the creator-writer and executive producer of Blackbird: Lena Horne and America, based on the life of her grandmother, entertainer and activist Lena Horne, which is in the works at Showtime.
“Jenny is such a wonderfully gifted writer whose skills are not limited to any specific genre,” said CBS Studios President David Stapf. “Whether it’s exploring complex characters like Clarice or world-building stories such as The Man Who Fell To Earth and Star Trek, Jenny writes with an insight and authenticity that reveals a universal humanity. There’s nothing she cannot do. We feel so fortunate to be continuing our relationship with her.”
For her Rachel Getting Married script, Lumet received the 2008 New York Film Critics Circle Award, 2008 Toronto Film Critics Association Award, 2008 Washington D.C Film Critics Association Award and 2008 NAACP Image Award. She is also the writer of the screen adaptations of The Center Cannot Hold and The Language of Flowers, and she served as a script doctor on the films Remember Me, Bobbie Sue, Honeymoon with Harry and The Mummy and has written original screenplays Kingdom of Louie and Sambo.
“I feel genuine support and creative partnership at CBS Studios,” said Jenny Lumet. “It means the world to me that I can continue to work in so many different genres and know they’re behind me all the way. I’m so excited for this next step with such a forward-thinking team. A special thank you to George Cheeks, David Nevins, David Stapf and Bryan Seabury for continuing to believe!”
Lumet served on the council of the Writers Guild of America East and the board of the Writers Guild Initiative. She generated the WGAE’s first Diversity Caucus and is an executive director of Bindercon, a conference for women and non-gender conforming writers. She also holds screenwriting seminars for women of color and women over 40. Lumet is repped by ICM Partners and Alan Wertheimer and Adam Cooper at Jackoway Austen Tyerman.