Ashton Kutcher’s latest film, the action-comedy Killers, may not have slayed the competition in its opening frame this past weekend, but his TV production company’s future has never looked better. The Hollywood Reporter states that the 32-year-old actor/producer, along with his partner Jason Goldberg, have inked a two-year pact with Warner Horizon Television.Their company, Katalyst Media, will create unscripted format for the alternative programmer.
The deal will boost the resources and distribution power of the 10-year-old Katalyst, which has produced shows such as ABC’s True Beauty, the CW’s Beauty and the Geek and MTV’s Punk’d. Though the shingle had previously signed an overall deal at 20th Century Fox TV and a first-look deal at CBS Paramount, Kutcher and Goldberg believe that Warner Horizon will help grow the production company in the international marketplace.
Katalyst already has a number of shows in development, including a stunt-based show called Numbnuts, where a trio of extreme stunt veterans challenge amateurs who’ve uploaded stunts onto the Internet to attempt ramped-up versions of their original stunt. Another takes the “Presidential Pledge” movement, where celebrities and citizens are encouraged to post videos pledging their service to a worthy cause, and turns it into an activist reality series.
It’s a major save for Kutcher, who’s track record in film is spotty at best. Katalyst’s production resume is far more successful than the former That 70’s Show actor’s own and he’s shown an aptitude for producing hits for television in the past, so this deal should take him one step further to mogul status. Not bad at all, Ashton.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
