EXCLUSIVE: The upcoming thriller drama The Hunting Wives, previously set at Starz, has a new home. Netflix has picked up the exclusive U.S. rights to the series, starring Malin Åkerman and Brittany Snow, which comes from showrunner Rebecca Cutter (Hightown), Lionsgate Television and 3 Arts Entertainment. It will debut on the streamer on July 21.
The Hunting Wives, an adaptation of May Cobb’s best selling novel, was greenlighted by Starz in October 2023 when the network was part of Lionsgate, with Lionsgate Television serving as its in-house studio. The show, also starring Dermot Mulroney and Chrissy Metz, was filmed last year and is now completed and in the can.
According to sources, as part of Lionsgate and Starz’s separation agreement, which came into effect May 7, Lionsgate Television negotiated the acquisition of The Hunting Wives‘ rights back from Starz as the studio executives felt that there was a better opportunity for a multi-season run on another platform vs. the limited series envisioned by Starz.
The move also made sense for Starz which is moving towards owner economics post-separation with its programming strategy focused on series the network fully controls or co-produces. Starz recently opened writers rooms for several new projects in contention for a series green light, all fully owned.
It is unclear whether The Hunting Wives falls under the restructuring charge of $177.4 million Starz recently took “related to a strategic reassessment of the company’s content portfolio.”
Netflix’s The Hunting Wives exclusive deal is for one year, sources said. Meanwhile, Lionsgate’s worldwide television group is in the process of selling the show to international buyers, which had been the plan since the time the series was earmarked for Starz, a largely domestic player.
The Hunting Wives tells the story of Sophie (Snow) and her family’s move from the East Coast to deep East Texas, where she succumbs to socialite Margo Bank’s (Åkerman) irresistible charms – and finds her life consumed by obsession, seduction, and murder.
The series is executive produced by writer-showrunner Cutter, Erwin Stoff (The Serpent Queen) for 3 Arts Entertainment and Cobb.
