Cruel Summer creator quit last summer after clashing with a Freeform exec

The Hollywood Reporter

Bert V. Royal, who's best known for writing the Emma Stone teen film Easy A, "grew frustrated after repeated clashes with an exec at the network during the pilot process and walked away from the 1990s-set drama starring Olivia Holt," reports The Hollywood Reporter's Lesley Goldberg. Despite quitting the series after the pilot, Royal kept his "created by" and executive producer credits and was paid for all 10 episodes of Season 1. "Sources note that Royal, who was credited as a writer on multiple episodes of Cruel Summer including the season one finale, chose to forgo any back-end profits that could emerge from Cruel Summer," says Goldberg. "It’s unclear if he will be compensated for the recently ordered second season of the series, which counts Jessica Biel and showrunner Tia Napolitano as exec producers. Napolitano, it’s worth pointing out, boarded the show after the pilot." Cruel Summer was renewed for Season 2 last month amid critical acclaim and big viewership for Freeform. "You're never guaranteed a season 2," showrunner Napolitano told EW last month after the renewal. "So we held hands and decided we have to make season 1 be able to stand alone if that was all it was going to be. We had to answer all the questions and we did -- well, I hope. So yeah, onwards!"