Darrell D. Miller

As the heated Streaming Wars inch closer towards a boiling point, the water has rarely been better for top-tier talent attorneys like Miller to land hot deals.

Miller’s negotiated an impressive array of lucrative and career-defining deals for the actors, directors and producers he calls clients. While years past were dominated by film and traditional cable broadcast roles, he said he’s recently been finding more opportunities in the ever-expanding streaming space.

He negotiated on behalf of Angela Bassett, who’s set to star in the comedy “Otherhood” and an independent film called “Gunpowder Milkshake.” He represented Courtney B. Vance in a deal to star in the upcoming drama film “Uncorked” and Tati Gabrielle in a deal to star in the series “The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina.” He handled high-profile renegotiations for “13 Reasons Why” star Justin Prentice and landed Jeanté Godlock a deal to star in the series “Daybreak.”

That’s just Miller’s recent deals for Netflix. The most prominent streaming services are producing a feverish amount of content at the moment in an ongoing war for TV supremacy, and Miller said he’s striking hard while the iron’s hot.

“It’s just made for a wild amount of opportunity, for creatives, for performers,” Miller said.

A number of new heavyweight streaming services are set to hit the market by year’s end, most notably Disney+, so Miller expects the iron will only be getting hotter. Having already negotiated with Disney on behalf of Bassett in her role in the recent “Avengers: Endgame” film, Miller may have something of a leg up. Bassett’s slated to appear in a Disney+ spinoff series based on Marvel’s “Black Panther” films.

As evidenced by Bassett’s expanding presence in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Miller said he felt one of the things that sets his approach apart is how he can maneuver a client’s momentum so successes generate more successes.

“Everyone is trying to grab eyeballs and trying to grab subscriptions to build their stake down and build what they will call their hit programming,” Miller said. “It’s afforded us a lot of work on the series side.”

All the while, Miller’s juggling his duties to his clients with his role as chair of Fox Rothschild LLP’s entertainment law department, a roster of more than 50 attorneys.

— Steven Crighton