EXCLUSIVE: More Beef may be on the way as Netflix is staying in the Lee Sung Jin business. The streamer has renewed its overall deal with the Emmy-winning Beef creator. The multi-year extension will once again span scripted series and feature film.
News of Lee’s new pact comes ahead of the world premiere for Beef Season 2 tonight at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood.
Netflix first signed Lee (aka Sonny Lee) in an overall deal in 2023, following the breakout success of the original Beef installment, which stayed in Netflix’s Global Top 10 for five weeks, reaching the top 10 in 87 countries, while also sweeping all major awards, including the Emmys with eight wins and the Golden Globes with three, capped by Best Limited/Anthology Series trophies.
Since then, Lee has been able to reinvent what had been originally conceived as a one-off limited series with a second season featuring a new theme and new case, which already is garnering Emmy buzz ahead of its April 16 launch.
“Lee Sung Jin is a singular storyteller whose distinct voice and rare ability to forge deep, emotional connections with audiences around the world make him a true visionary,” said Jinny Howe, Netflix Head of US and Canada Scripted Series, who has been overseeing Lee’s overall deal with the streamer since the start. “He has an exceptional gift for reaching across cultures and generations, bringing a remarkable sense of specificity and intimacy to everything he creates. It’s a privilege to continue this journey with him at Netflix, and we look forward to bringing more of his fearless, bold storytelling to life.”
Lee serves as creator, executive producer and showrunner of Beef Season 2, in which the black comedy/social commentary tackles multi-generational relationships.
The new “beef” revolves around a Gen-Z couple who witnesses an alarming fight between their Millennial boss and his wife. Newly-engaged Ashley Miller (Cailee Spaeny) and Austin Davis (Charles Melton), both lower-level staff at a country club, become entangled in the unraveling marriage of their General Manager, Joshua Martín (Oscar Isaac), and his wife, Lindsay Crane-Martín (Carey Mulligan). Through favors and coercion, both couples vie for the approval of the elitist club’s billionaire owner, Chairwoman Park (Youn Yuh Jung), who struggles to manage her own scandal involving her second husband, Doctor Kim (Song Kang Ho).
Lee executive produces with Jake Schreier, Steven Yeun, Ali Wong, Mulligan, Isaac, Melton and Spaeny.
A24 is the studio.
“I am incredibly grateful to have found a home at Netflix,” Lee said. “They have provided unwavering support across all departments, and the last two seasons of Beef would not exist without the creative collaboration of Ted Sarandos, Bela Bajaria, Jinny Howe, and Irene Lee. I am so excited to continue this relationship and create many more stories together.”
English (US) ·