Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
In the wake of the on-again, off-again Hulu docuseries now appearing to be permanently “off,” local TV station WRAL in Raleigh says it will be airing its own documentary about Bill Belichick and his controversial first season as head football coach at the University of North Carolina.
This past weekend, it was reported that the deal between the University of North Carolina, Bill Belichick, and production company EverWonder Studio now looks to be all but dead. That report also detailed how Belichick’s girlfriend Jordon Hudson appears to be the one who, along with Belichick, signed off on the original deal as the Chief Operating Officer of TCE Rights Management LLC, a company she owns. That deal, according to the report, is only worth $250,000, far below what NFL teams earn for similar documentary series like Hard Knocks.
Earlier this month, it was reported that the planned Hulu series had ceased production. Now, however, while WRAL News does say “the show is no longer in development at Hulu,” the station also revealed it “is planning to release a documentary on Belichick’s first year at UNC at the end of the year.”
Why was production of the Hulu UNC docuseries put on hold?
According to the contract for the Hulu docuseries, the University of North Carolina owns all copyrights to the photographs, images, recording, videotape or film taken by EverWonder on university property. EverWonder does, as part of the agreement, still have “a non-exclusive, perpetual, worldwide, royalty-fee license” to use those recordings and images.
As for why then, would the docuseries not be produced, the contract between the University of North Carolina and EverWonder, which was obtained by WRAL News, gives the school and Bill Belichick an out.
“The parties acknowledge and agree that both the University and Coach Belichick are essential subjects of the docuseries and that the success of the production and the creation of the docuseries is contingent upon Coach Belichick’s participation,” the contract reads. “Either party may terminate the agreement immediately via written notice to the other party specifying the date of termination if Coach Belichick does not provide EverWonder with the necessary permissions for his inclusion in the docuseries in accordance with Section 8(a) of this agreement; or if any such permission is revoked by Coach Belichick during the license term; or if Coach Belichick otherwise notifies the terminating parting that he will not participate or will cease participation in the production.”
As for if the project is really, truly dead, a university spokesperson told WRAL News that while “UNC and EverWonder have paused production” they “remain in contact with the possibility of continuing in the future.” Whether that ever happens may have a lot to do with what WRAL’s documentary ends up looking like.