Endemol Shine’s Sharon Levy Talks the ‘Audacity’ of Joe Manganiello-Hosted ‘Deal or No Deal Island’: ‘You Say That Title and People Are Like, ‘Is That for Real?”
01.03.2024 - 16:25
/ variety.com
Marta Balaga Imagine “Deal or No Deal” set on an exotic island, with its 13 participants facing extreme challenges, testing their limits and literally crawling through mud. Except you don’t have to – it’s already here. “What if the Banker had a private island and decided to put his contestants through an extreme game to find one winner? The craziness of the idea is, I think, what we and NBC rallied around,” says Sharon Levy, CEO at Endemol Shine North America.
Levy also executive produces “Deal or No Deal Island” alongside Matt Kunitz, Matt Apps, Sarah Happel Jackson, Howie Mandel, DJ Nurre and Sean Loughlin. “You say the title and people are like: ‘Is that for real?’ Our favorite comments on social media have been about whether this is a ‘30 Rock’ pitch. I take that as the highest, and best, compliment,” she adds, referencing the sitcom created by Tina Fey.
“I am a firm believer that not everything deserves a reboot, but I like taking classic IP and reimagining it for today’s audiences. NBC got the idea immediately – they truly got behind the audacity of the concept.” The classic game show, now reimagined as a whole different adventure, will see contestants battle it out for $200 million. They will have to work for it, though.
“It was vital for us to keep the DNA of the original ‘Deal or No Deal’ at the core, testing who is willing to gamble, bluff and who is in it for the group vs. themselves,” notes Levy. “The Banker is looking for his most worthy adversary in ‘Deal’ history and these excursions have to showcase what our guests are made of.” Now, the iconic briefcases are hidden around the island.