The deal will allow the director to create and produce his own projects for the two studios.
Cartoon Network Studios and Warner Bros. Animation have inked an exclusive multi-year cross-studio overall deal with creator, producer and director Genndy Tartakovsky.
Under his deal, Tartakovsky will develop, create, and produce original animated programming at both CNS and WBA intended for a variety of audiences and for all television platforms, including HBO Max, external streaming services, cable and broadcast networks.
CNS and WBA said the cross-studio overall deal they have developed provides creators with maximum creative flexibility to develop original material and access to the extensive character and franchise libraries at each studio.
Speaking about the agreement, Sam Register, President of Cartoon Network Studios and Warner Bros. Animation said: “Genndy is a true visionary who embodies the creator spirit of Cartoon Network Studios. As he continues to push the boundaries of storytelling and animation, we are excited to have a front row seat both here and now also at Warner Bros. Animation.”
Tartakovsky created Dexter’s Laboratory, Cartoon Network’s first series, during his time at Hanna-Barbera where he also helped produce and direct another series, The Powerpuff Girls. He then moved to Cartoon Network Studios, where he created Samurai Jack and Sym-Bionic Titan as well as produced and directed the beloved animated series Star Wars: Clone Wars.
In 2012, Tartakovsky made his feature directorial debut with the Golden Globe-nominated Hotel Transylvania and later directed its two sequels.
Tartakovsky reunited with Adult Swim for half-hour animated series, Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal, which debuted in 2019. It features a caveman at the dawn of evolution, a dinosaur on the brink of extinction and their unlikely friendship that becomes their only hope for survival in a violent, primordial world.
Tartakovsky has received 13 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, winning five for his work on Star Wars: Clone Wars, Samurai Jack, and Genndy Tartakovsky’s Primal. He is repped by WME.