Shawn Levy and 21 Laps Entertainment signed a multi-year overall TV deal with Disney’s 20th Television, starting October 2027. He spent roughly 15 years at the same studio before Netflix, and he has been directing Disney movies the whole time.
Shawn Levy is moving his television business to Disney.
The director and producer signed a multi-year overall deal with 20th Television on Sept. 28, bringing his company 21 Laps Entertainment to Disney after nearly a decade at Netflix.
The deal begins in October 2027, when his current Netflix arrangement expires.
He’s going back where he started
20th Television is the former 20th Century Fox Television. Levy set up 21 Laps there with a first-look deal in 2003, and stayed with the company until roughly 2020.
That’s about 15 years at the same studio before Netflix.
Disney acquired Fox in 2019. So the studio Levy is joining is the one he built his career at, under new ownership.
Disney president and chief creative officer Dana Walden nodded at it directly. “Shawn has a rare ability to tell stories that are wildly entertaining and deeply human, something he’s brought to Disney across two decades,” she said.
He never stopped making Disney movies
The other reason this isn’t a shock.
While based at Netflix for television, Levy has been directing major films for Disney the entire time:
Deadpool & Wolverine for Marvel Studios in 2024
Free Guy for 20th Century Studios in 2021
Star Wars: Starfighter, arriving May 28, 2027
Before that, he directed the Night at the Museum trilogy for 20th Century Fox.
So the split was always a little odd. Movies at Disney, television at Netflix. The new deal removes that.
The timing lines up with Star Wars Starfighter
Starfighter opens May 28, 2027, on the 50th anniversary weekend of the original Star Wars premiere. Levy’s Disney TV deal starts five months later, in October.
The film stars Ryan Gosling and was shot with IMAX cameras. It’s the biggest project of Levy’s career and Disney’s most important Star Wars release in years.
Signing his television business shortly after that film lands is not an accident of scheduling.
He’s staying on Stranger Things
He will remain an executive producer on any upcoming Stranger Things projects, the series he helped shepherd across its full run and also directed episodes of.
His Netflix credits also include The Adam Project, Shadow and Bone, Lost Ollie and Stranger Things: Tales from ‘85.
Levy was gracious about the exit. “I will forever cherish the incredible ride 21 Laps has had with Netflix,” he said, thanking executives including Ted Sarandos and Bela Bajaria by name.
Netflix has now lost both Stranger Things architects
This is the second major departure from that show’s creative core.
The Duffer Brothers, who created Stranger Things, left Netflix shortly before the fifth and final season premiered and set up at Paramount.
Now Levy is gone too.
Netflix built much of its prestige identity on Stranger Things. Within roughly a year, both the creators and the producer-director most associated with it have signed elsewhere.
20th Television has been on a signing run
Levy is not the only name Disney’s TV studio has pulled from a rival recently.
20th Television also signed Quinta Brunson, creator and star of Abbott Elementary, away from Warner Bros.
Reporting on the Levy deal describes it as a competitive situation, with Netflix trying to keep him and Disney winning out.
Disney Entertainment Television chairman Debra OConnell framed it around volume. “Along with Shawn’s remarkable body of work in film, he’s also been one of the most prolific producers in television over the past decade,” she said.
What this actually buys Disney
Under the deal, Levy and 21 Laps will develop and produce projects across Disney’s television and streaming platforms.
No specific shows or payment have been announced.
Levy’s prior Netflix deal was reported at the time to be in the nine-figure range, unusual for a producer who doesn’t write. Terms of the Disney deal have not been disclosed.
October 2027 is a long way off. The Star Wars movie comes first.
Article compiled with the help of the Pirates & Princesses newsroom.
Pirates and Princesses is your destination for Disney news, theme park updates, and the pop culture you love. From Disney cruises and travel tips to Disney fashion, food, collectibles, and movie news, PNP covers it all. Visit us at piratesandprincesses.net for daily coverage. Follow PNP on Facebook and Instagram, and listen to the Pirates & Princesses podcast on Apple Podcasts and YouTube.
Hat Tips:
Variety (Sept. 28, 2026), the deal announcement, the October 2027 start date and Levy’s Netflix tenure
Deadline (Sept. 28, 2026), the Duffer Brothers departure context, the Quinta Brunson signing and the reported terms of Levy’s earlier Netflix deal
TheWrap (Sept. 28, 2026), the competitive situation between Netflix and Disney
LaughingPlace (Sept. 28, 2026), Eric Goldman’s reporting on Levy’s continued Stranger Things involvement and his early television career
Yahoo Entertainment (Sept. 28, 2026), the full Dana Walden and Debra OConnell statements
Wikipedia (retrieved Sept. 28, 2026), the 21 Laps history at 20th Century Fox Television
AI Disclosure: All articles are assigned, edited and reviewed by an experienced human editor before posting. Like most modern newsrooms, WebReef Media uses a variety of AI tools to help with accuracy and efficiency. Ways AI may be used in article creation include research, grammar, fact-checking and ideation, as well as occasional AI generated or enhanced thumbnails or graphics. No articles are generated or posted without human oversight or involvement.