Warner Bros. Television Renews Overall Deal With ‘Roots’ Producer The Wolper Organization

EXCLUSIVE: The Wolper Organization, the company behind the iconic Roots miniseries, is staying in business with Warner Bros. Television Group.

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The two companies have renewed their overall deal, meaning that the company will have been in business with the studio for more than 50 years. It marks one of the longest consecutive studio deals in entertainment history.

The multiyear pact will see The Wolper Organization continue to develop and produce television series exclusively for the TV group, alongside its first-look feature deal with the movie studio.

Warner Bros. started working with The Wolper Organization, then run by David L. Wolper, in 1976 after Warner Communications bought it for $1.5M. It is behind three of the most successful limited series of all time: Roots, The Thorn Birds and North and South , was first to bring DC’s Superman franchise to TV and introduced viewers to the likes of Jacques Cousteau and Jane Goodall.

In TV, the company produced Chico and the Man, Welcome Back, Kotter , and the A&E flagship series Biography , while on the film side, it produced movies such as Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory and L.A. Confidential.

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David L. Wolper, who died in 2010, also produced the opening and closing ceremonies of the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.

The company is now run by Mark Wolper, who produced by New Line Cinema film Salem’s Lot , which will debut on Max in 2024, and previously executive produced The Bad Seed and The Bad Seed Returns for Lifetime as well as the 2016 version of Roots and Bates Motel . Its film slate also includes a film about Richard Simmons starring Pauly Shore.

Mark Wolper, who started his career on films such as The Betty Ford Story and series such as Queen with Halle Berry and Murder in the First also moved the company into unscripted television with series such as Ripley’s Believe it or Not and Penn & Teller: Bullshit!.

“Warner Bros. has literally been home for most of my life. I am like an old teenager that won’t leave. And why should I?,” said Wolper. “Warner Bros. has been a trusted partner and our long-time home for decades. Signing a new deal that will bring us to 50 years together is something that I’m particularly proud of. We look forward to bringing new award-winning shows to Warner Bros., and look forward to new opportunities across all of its platforms.”

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