‘Power’ Creator Courtney Kemp Revealed Why She Really Left Starz for Netflix
Courtney Kemp created the Power Universe and it has become one of the biggest TV franchises in history. Now, the writer/showrunner is leaving the Starz network which has been her home since the original series debuted in 2014. Though Netflix has brought in major talent like Shonda Rhimes and Ryan Murphy, Kemp is explaining why she’s joining the pack.
This is why it was time for her to say goodbye to Starz and put the Power Universe in someone else’s hands.
‘Power’ creator Courtney Kemp signed a massive deal with Netflix
When Kemp created Power following the death of her father in the early 2010s she had no idea that it would become a massive TV universe. The Bernie Mac Show alum brought in Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson to work alongside her as an executive producer and the rest is history. The original series has spawned several spinoffs including Power Book II: Ghost, Power Book III: Raising Kanan, Power Book IV: Force, and the forthcoming Power Book V: Influence.
Now, following the second season of Ghost, Kemp has left Starz and signed a massive deal with Netflix. Deadline is reporting that Kemp’s deal at Netflix is worth at least eight figures. The new deal is to create new series and develop other projects through her company, End of Episode. Kemp’s four-year agreement also says that her compensation could rise to nine figures depending on the success of the shows.
They also say that Lionsgate fought to keep Kemp, but they could not top Netflix’s pay.
Courtney Kemp revealed why she really left Starz for Netflix
Fans were stunned to learn that Kemp would be leaving her Power Universe behind. However, the writer/showrunner producer got candid about why it was time. “I am now working at Netflix and developing new shows,” she said during a recent Instagram Live. “It was time, it was time for me to move on and do something else. I have said this in interviews before, but I’m happy to explain it again. The job of putting the three shows at once on the air during COVID was just air traffic control, it was just like budget talks and are we going to build a set, how are we going to do COVID? It wasn’t writing, it wasn’t creating, it was all this pressure and I didn’t want to do it anymore. I have to be honest with you, I didn’t want to do that, I wanted to make stuff up, I’m a writer. At some point you do have to think about self care and now that I’m at Netflix I get to come up with new stories.”
Kemp will still be producing the Power Universe.
How will Courtney Kemp’s move to Netflix effect ‘Power Book II: Ghost’ Season 3?
Filming for season 3 of Power Book II: Ghost is underway in New York City. Though Kemp was present for the first table read, she has passed the torch to former Empire showrunner Brett Mahoney. Kemp has also created a bible for her series. Therefore, though it’s not in her hands anymore, there are certain checkpoints that she created that the series will hit.
“I think I have, in my mind I have five or six seasons,” she told Deadline. “The big shift that would happen in season 5, the big shift that I’m planning for season 5 would take the show in a direction where frankly it could go on forever. The show could go for 10 seasons or more considering that shift and it’s a big shift. But if that yeah, we could go forward for sure and do some fun stuff. But that depends on whether we make it there.”
