UTA Signs 'Steps' Director Alyce Tzue Ahead of Netflix Debut
UTA has signed 'Steps' filmmaker Alyce Tzue in all areas. Her animated Cinderella retelling, with Amanda Seyfried and Bette Midler, hits Netflix Nov. 20.
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- United Talent Agency signed filmmaker Alyce Tzue for representation in all areas.
- "Steps," co-directed by Tzue and John Ripa, premieres on Netflix Nov. 20.
- Tzue animated on "Henry," the first VR film to win an Emmy Award.
- Her short film "Soar" won a Student Academy Award; she was a Variety 10 Animators to Watch pick in 2016.
- Tzue remains represented by The Gotham Group and Bloch Law LLP.
United Talent Agency has signed filmmaker Alyce Tzue for representation in all areas, Variety reported exclusively. The deal lands weeks before her feature directorial debut reaches a global streaming audience.
Tzue co-directs Netflix's animated family comedy "Steps" with John Ripa. The film premieres Nov. 20. It retells the Cinderella fairy tale from the perspective of the evil stepsisters — a premise that practically writes its own pitch meeting. The cast includes Amanda Seyfried, Bette Midler, Daniel Radcliffe, Peter Dinklage and Ali Wong. Jen Chuck, Felicia Ho and Riki Lindhome wrote the script.
Where did Tzue come from?
The résumé is short and unusually decorated. Tzue, a Taiwanese American filmmaker, worked as an animator on Oculus Story Studio's "Henry," which became the first virtual reality film to win an Emmy Award. She executive produced the 2024 animated feature "Little Emma." Her entry into the industry came through her short film "Soar," which she wrote and directed; it earned a Student Academy Award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
In 2016, Variety named Tzue one of its 10 Animators to Watch. In that profile, she described the impulse behind the breakout short: "Ever since I was a kid, one of the first things I ever pointed out, or asked questions about, was things that were moving and things that were in the sky."
The training path was not the standard one. Tzue studied architecture at Princeton before completing an MFA in 3D animation at the Academy of Art University in San Francisco. Architects, it turns out, can build cartoons too.
What does the signing mean?
Tzue continues to be represented by The Gotham Group and Bloch Law LLP, so UTA joins an existing team rather than replacing one. The agency is betting on a director whose first feature arrives with a star-heavy voice cast and a built-in fairy-tale brand. If "Steps" performs when it lands Nov. 20, Tzue moves from animator-to-watch to feature director with leverage — and UTA will have signed her just before that price went up.
Source: Variety Film
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