Amazon signs Luke Cage showrunner

Amazon has signed an overall deal with Luke Cage showrunner Cheo Hodari Coker, two months after Netflix axed the Marvel title.

As part of the deal Coker will develop and produce new series at Amazon, along with his Fighting 99^th Entertainment.

The deal is in place for three years, but details of the finances exchanged under it are yet to be revealed.

Coker will be based in Seattle, the home of Amazon’s main HQ.

Luke Cage became the latest casualty in Netflix’s purge of Disney-owned Marvel titles this October. The platform also cancelled Iron Fist and Daredevil late this year as it increases its focus on original content.

The move is in part due to Disney’s own SVOD platform looking to launch next year with a string of its own original content.

“Amazon is the future, and their bespoke, specific approach to building ground-breaking shows offers an amazing opportunity, one that I’m incredibly thankful for,” said Coker. “I can’t think of a better place to launch the first shows developed under my Seattle-based Fighting 99th Entertainment banner and am excited for people to see what we have in store.”

Vernon Sanders, co-head of Television at Amazon Studios, said: “We’re very excited to welcome Cheo to the Amazon Studios family. From Notorious to Luke Cage, Cheo is a provocative, revolutionary storyteller, and we’re happy he’ll be creating those kinds of bold new series exclusively for Prime Video.”