AMC‘s drama Mad Men will be back for at least two more seasons with creator Matthew Weiner on board.
AMC and the series’ studio, Lionsgate Television Group, announced late Thursday that a deal has been struck with Weiner to stay on.
Negotiations had extended for months, delaying the return of the show for its fifth season. This week, AMC acknowledged that Mad Men would not return until early 2012. The series has previously aired in the summer.
Weiner has signed a new long-term contract with Lionsgate, providing for a possible seventh Mad Men season, the studio said.
The deal is reportedly worth $30 million to Weiner over three years. It was reported earlier this week that negotiations between the two sides were hung up on three issues: running time of the shows, budgets and product placement.
Quoting an unnamed source, Reuters is reporting today that a compromise will see the season opener and finale run 47 minutes while the other episodes will be 45 minutes. The same report claims Weiner will not be forced to kill of any characters to save money, and while he retains creative control of the show “AMC and Lionsgate will make it easier for advertisers to trumpet their involvement with the show.”
