The Big Bang Theory series stars Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco have reportedly closed multi-year deals with Warner Bros. Television which could be worth more than $90 million over three-years.
The deals come after protracted negotiations between Warner Bros and the actors, whose contracts expired at the end of last season. The situation came to ahead last week, when the studio was forced to delay the start of production on The Big Bang Theory‘s eighth season.
According to Deadline, the new contracts scored by the trio will now see them net close to $1 million per episode (up from their previous salary of $300K per episode) and the three-season deals, which include signing bonuses and increased back-end, are worth more than $90 million each. The new contracts also leave the door open for a potential eleventh season of the hit comedy.
With Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons and Kaley Cuoco having closed new deals, only two of the series’ regulars, Kunal Nayyar and Simon Helberg, are left without contracts for next season (Mayim Bialik and Melissa Rauch already have deals in place). The duo are in active talks with Warner Bros and a deal is expected to be reached by the end of the week, with Nayyar and Helberg eyeing significant increases on their previous salaries of more than $100K per episode. Assuming that happens as expected, production would begin on season eight next Wednesday.
One of CBS’ biggest hits, The Big Bang Theory was renewed for three seasons back in March, contingent on Warner Bros. securing new contracts for the cast. Despite the delay, Warner Bros was always expected to secure said contracts – especially considering the huge windfall the studio gets from syndication. The series is also a huge global commodity for the studio’s international distribution division, who have sold The Big Bang Theory into more than 120 territories.
