| In the interest of speed and timeliness, this story is fed directly from the Associated Press newswire and may contain spelling or grammatical errors. |
Disney hires ``Smallville'' team to work for Touchstone division
Friday April 18, 2003LOS ANGELES (AP) The producers of the WB network's top-rated show ``Smallville'' have been hired by the Walt Disney Co. to work on projects for its Touchstone Television studio, officials said.
Mike Tollin and Brian Robbins, who run their own production company, struck a two-year deal with Disney and have an additional two-year option on their contract. Terms of the agreement were not released Thursday.
``This is a good deal for us, and a great investment,'' said Stephen McPherson, Touchstone Television president. ``These guys have incredible taste, they're very hard working and incredibly competitive.''
Two of the pair's pilots are being considered by executives at ABC, which is owned by Disney. Those shows and two other pilots ordered by News Corp.-owned Fox Broadcasting and the WB are part of the pair's existing agreement, which expires next month, with Warner Bros.
The new deal will allow Tollin and Robbins to sell shows to other networks, although the focus will be on providing programs for ABC.
The production team has made shows for the Nickelodeon channel such as ``All That'' and ``Arli$$'' for HBO. On the big screen, Tollin and Robbins have made ``Varsity Blues'' and ``Big Fat Liar.''
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