Details of a jaw-dropping deal between Netflix and Chris Rock have just come to light. The Top Five writer-director-star is about to earn a whopping $20 million dollars for exercising his always-hilarious stand-up skills — not once, but twice — ultimately landing himself a massive $40M paycheck.
According to THR, Rock has signed with the streaming behemoth to deliver a pair of specials in a record-breaking deal that sets a new earnings bar for all of stand-up comedy. Rock, who hosted The 88th Annual Academy Awards earlier this year, will tape the first of the two specials sometime in 2017 following a forthcoming world tour (details of which are currently in the works). Specifics as to when the first special will drop on Netflix have not yet been revealed, nor have the particulars on the taping/airing of the subsequent second special.
Netflix was the apparent winner of a multi-network bidding war for Rock’s specials, edging out other major competing streaming services including Amazon and Hulu. Rock’s not inking the deal with HBO also comes as a bit of a surprise as the pair have worked together for over two decades, producing almost half a dozen standup specials dating all the way back to 1994’s Chris Rock: Big Ass Jokes.
While Rock’s partnership with HBO, which just resulted in the former receiving a directing Emmy nod for Amy Schumer: Live at the Apollo, has undoubtedly been strong over the years, his appearance in the 2015 Netflix holiday comedy-musical A Very Murray Christmas — combined with today’s news — certainly suggests a budding new relationship. Netflix Chief Content Officer Ted Sarandos had this to say with regards to the company’s deal with Rock:
“Chris Rock is a beloved actor and director, and his remarkable stand-up makes him comic royalty. There is no one like him, and Netflix offers the global platform and creative freedom that will serve as a perfect home for someone with his incredible talent.”
Rock’s new deal with Netflix will mark the end of an eight-year stage absence for the comedian. It will also take things to the next level for the SVOD service, which over the years has produced a massive catalog of stand-up specials from the likes of Cedric the Entertainer, Demetri Martin, Jeff Foxworthy and Larry the Cable Guy, Aziz Ansari, Russell Peters, Bill Burr, Chris Tucker, Ali Wong, Mike Epps, Anjelah Johnson, Chelsea Handler, Jim Jefferies and Bo Burnham. David Cross and Iliza Shlesinger are among the most recent Netflix stand-up offerings, with Gabriel Iglesias, Joe Rogan, Michael Che, Colin Quinn, Reggie Watts and Dana Carvey soon to join the ranks.