Netflix’s Matt Thunell Replaces Bill Bost as Skydance TV President

Netflix’s Matt Thunell is replacing Bill Bost as Skydance TV president with Bost transitioning back to producing amid the launch of his own company.

Netflix’s Matt Thunell Replaces Bill Bost as Skydance TV President

Matt Thunell (left) and Bill BostCourtesy of Skydance Media (2)

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There’s a change at the top of Skydance Television.

Bill Bost is stepping down from his post in favor of a return to producing. Netflix’s Matt Thunell has been recruited from the streaming giant to replace Bost as president of the TV pision known for producing Grace and Frankie, Foundation and Reacher, among others.

The change comes after Bost spent a dozen years at Skydance working with Thunell on Netflix’s Grace and Frankie, among other projects. Bost, in his return to producing, has launched his own production company and signed an overall deal with Skydance. Bost made the decision after wrapping the series finale of Grace and Frankie, which this year became Netflix’s longest-running U.S. scripted original series.

“For nearly 12 years, I have had the privilege of calling Skydance my professional home,” Bost said in a statement Tuesday. “Working alongside extraordinary storytellers on all sides of the camera has been a dream come true, and I am particularly proud of the team’s growth and success through the pandemic. Like so many, this period has also been a moment of reflection for me, balancing my deep connection to Skydance and the stories we tell, alongside my desire to become more involved in all aspects of creating and producing great TV. With David [Ellison] and Dana [Goldberg]’s encouragement and full support, I am thrilled to say that journey continues as I launch this new company. Furthermore, I have had the pleasure of working closely with Matt through the years and look forward to continuing that support and collaboration.”

Thunell, meanwhile, spent eight years at Netflix where he most recently served as president of spectacle and event TV and worked on such hits as Stranger Things, The Umbrella Academy, The Queen’s Gambit and the upcoming Three Body Problem from the creators of Game of Thrones. Before that, Thunell was vp overall deals at the streamer, where he worked with the Duffer brothers, Shawn Levy, Brian Yorkey (13 Reasons Why), Steve Blackman, Brad Falchuk, Mike Flanagan and Jason Bateman, among others. During his tenure, he helped steer shows including Grace and Frankie, 13 Reasons Why, Shadow and Bone, Outer Banks, Atypical, Black Mirror and House of Cards. He also helped found Netflix’s emerging director program, among several other initiatives.

“The past eight years at Netflix have been the most rewarding of my career. I am grateful to everyone at Netflix and am humbled to reflect on the ground-breaking series and world-class talent I’ve had the opportunity to support,” Thunell said. “Now, I am thrilled to take on this new opportunity at Skydance at such an exciting time in the company’s growth. I’ve partnered with David, Dana, and Bill for years, and can’t wait to work more closely with them, as we further expand the business. I also am honored to collaborate with Skydance’s incredible roster of talent and look forward to championing their creativity for audiences around the world.”

Before joining Netflix in 2015, Thunell was a creative exec at The CW, working on DC Comics shows as well as Jane the Virgin. He’s a member of THR’s Next Gen class of 2014 and also spent time at Sony Pictures TV, Disney and UBS.

Skydance TV is the studio on such series as Apple’s Foundation, Amazon’s Reacher and Jack Ryan as well as an untitled spy series starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

“After a hugely successful past few years, this is a milestone time for Skydance Television. Today we are doubling our executive and creative TV business talent by continuing to benefit from Bill’s creative vision in his new role as a supplier and collaborator, while welcoming Matt who brings remarkable expertise and passion during a particularly revolutionary time in our business,” said Skydance creative chief Goldberg. “As we hit the ground running on this next phase, we are grateful beyond words for Bill’s tireless work at Skydance over the last twelve years, especially his passionate leadership and guidance of our television pision and are thankful that he has chosen to stay a part of the Skydance family as he embarks on the next chapter of his career. Likewise, we are thrilled that Matt Thunell is joining the company to lead our television group into the future. In addition to simply being one of the best creative and strategic executives in the business, Matt has an incredible understanding of the global marketplace and a breadth of experience and relationships that are beyond compare.”