LaToya Morgan
LaToya Morgan | |
|---|---|
Morgan in 2026 at the 53rd Saturn Awards | |
| Born | Los Angeles, California, U.S. |
| Education | AFI Conservatory (MFA) |
| Occupations | Writer, producer |
| Years active | 2004–present |
| Notable work | Duster (co-creator) |
LaToya Morgan is an American writer and producer. She was a writer for Parenthood, Shameless, and Complications, and was both writer and co-executive producer for Into the Badlands and Turn: Washington's Spies. She was also a writer and consulting producer for The Walking Dead. She held two multi-year deals with AMC and She signed an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group in 2020.[1][2] Morgan is the co-creator, executive producer and showrunner of the HBO Max series Duster (2025).
Career
Television and film
Morgan began her screenwriting career as a participant in the Warner Bros. Television Writer's Workshop.[3] Her first screenwriting job was for Showtime's Shameless.[3] She went on to write for Complications, Parenthood, Turn: Washington's Spies, Into the Badlands, and The Walking Dead.
She signed her first of two overall deals with AMC in 2016, the last of which expired in 2020.[3][4] She had multiple requests from other employers before signing with AMC.[5] She was an executive producer for an adaptation of The Age of Miracles produced by AMC Studios for HBO Max.[3] She was also a writer and co-executive producer for Into the Badlands, and a writer and consulting producer for The Walking Dead.[3][1] She oversaw AMC's inclusion initiative designed to create pathways for diverse emerging writers.[6][1] Through the initiative she developed two projects, Farmhand and Of Two Minds.[6]
In July 2020, Morgan signed an overall deal with Warner Bros. Television Group through her newly launched production company TinkerToy Productions.[3] That year, Morgan won the Telling Our Stories short film competition hosted by WrapWomen and received distribution on Starz for the film Team Marilyn.[2]
In 2022 it was announced that Morgan will write the screenplay for the upcoming Night of the Living Dead reboot film, to be directed by Nikyatu Jusu.[7]
She collaborated with J.J. Abrams to develop a crime drama, Duster, that HBO Max ordered in 2020.[3] The series premiered in May 2025 and was cancelled after one season.[8][9] In September 2025, she signed a mini first-look deal with Universal TV, under which she will write and co-executive produce the adaptation of the novel The Paris Widow by Kimberly Belle.[10]
Graphic novels
Morgan's debut graphic novel, Dark Blood, was released in fall 2021 by Boom! Studios.[3] She also wrote the graphic novel series Creed: The Next Round as a franchise tie-in for the film Creed III for Michael B. Jordan's company Outlier Society, which was published in 2023 by Boom! Studios. DC Comics selected Morgan to write a short story for the horror anthology series DC Horror Presents (2025).[11]
Other work
In April 2019 she created the hashtag #WGAStaffingBoost to help connect WGA writers seeking work amid the union's dispute with the Association of Talent Agents (ATA).[12]
Personal life
Morgan was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where she resides.[13] She received her MFA in screenwriting from the AFI Conservatory in 2005.[14]
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Nominated work | Result |
| 2016 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series | Turn: Washington's Spies [15] | Nominated |
| 2017 | NAACP Image Awards | Outstanding Writing in a Drama Series | Turn: Washington's Spies [16] | Nominated |
| 2025 | Women's Image Network Award | Best Drama Series | Duster | Won |
| 2025 | Golden Tomato Awards | Best Action/Adventure Series | Duster | Nominated |
| 2025 | Golden Trailer Awards | Best Action - TV/Streaming Series | Duster | Nominated |
| 2026 | Saturn Award | Best Action/Adventure Television Series | Duster [17] | Won |
Filmography
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | Shameless | No | Yes | No | [3] | |
| 2012–2013 | Parenthood | No | Yes | No | [3] | |
| 2013 | American Horror Story: The Orderly | No | Yes | No | [18] | |
| 2014–2017 | Turn: Washington's Spies | No | Yes | Yes | Co-executive producer | [4] |
| 2015 | Complications | No | Yes | No | [3] | |
| 2015 | Cobalt 60 | No | Yes | Yes | Short film | |
| 2017–2018 | Into the Badlands | No | Yes | Yes | Co-executive producer | [1] |
| 2019 | Team Marilyn | Yes | Yes | Yes | Short film; executive producer | [2] |
| 2019–2021 | The Walking Dead | No | Yes | Yes | Consulting producer | [1] |
| 2025 | Duster | No | Yes | Yes | Co-creator and executive producer | [3] |
References
- ^ a b c d e Andreeva, Nellie; Petski, Denise (June 21, 2018). "LaToya Morgan Re-Ups Overall Deal With AMC, Will Oversee Inclusion Initiative". Deadline. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c ""Team Marilyn" Wins Telling Our Stories Film Competition 2020". TheWrap. December 11, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Andreeva, Nellie (July 1, 2020). "Writer LaToya Morgan Inks Overall Deal With Warner Bros. Television Group, Launches Production Company". Deadline. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
- ^ a b Andreeva, Nellie (June 28, 2016). "Writer LaToya Morgan Inks Overall Deal With AMC, Joins 'Into The Badlands'". Deadline. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ Buckley, Cara (September 2, 2018). "As TV Seeks Diverse Writing Ranks, Rising Demand Meets Short Supply (Published 2018)". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved February 6, 2021.
- ^ a b Sippell, Margeaux (July 25, 2019). "AMC, LaToya Morgan's Scripted Inclusion Initiative Sets First 2 Projects". TheWrap. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (October 26, 2022). "Hot AFM Package For Buyers To Gnaw: 'Night Of The Living Dead' Sequel From Village Roadshow, Vertigo, Westbrook & George Romero's Sanibel, With 'Nanny's Nikyatu Jusu Helming 'Walking Dead's LaToya Morgan Script". Deadline. Retrieved December 4, 2022.
- ^ Bell, Amanda (July 9, 2025). "'Duster' Canceled After One Season at HBO Max". TV Insider. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ Hibberd, James (March 19, 2025). "'Duster' Trailer: First Footage From J.J. Abrams, LaToya Morgan's Retro Action Series". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved March 20, 2025.
- ^ Andreeva, Nellie (September 5, 2025). "LaToya Morgan Inks Mini First-Look Deal With Universal TV Under New Model, Joins 'The Paris Widow' Adaptation As Writer/EP". Deadline. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- ^ "DC HORROR PRESENTS..." DC. Retrieved March 15, 2026.
- ^ Mason, Heather (April 15, 2019). "#WGAStaffingBoost creator LaToya Morgan talks the importance of supporting writers". SYFY WIRE. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ Gardner, Chris (November 13, 2020). "Screenwriter LaToya Morgan to be Honored at Film2Future Benefit". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ "AFI CONSERVATORY CELEBRATES 50TH ANNIVERSARY WITH STELLAR ALUMNI TURNOUT AT GREYSTONE MANSION". American Film Institute. September 19, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ Waxler, Caroline. ""Turn" Writer LaToya Morgan On Why Soap Operas Should Be Getting More Love". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ "NAACP | NAACP Image Award Nominations Announced". NAACP. December 13, 2016. Archived from the original on April 30, 2019. Retrieved February 7, 2021.
- ^ Hipes, Patrick (March 9, 2026). "Saturn Awards 2026 Winners List". Deadline. Retrieved March 12, 2026.
- ^ Horne, Karama (September 7, 2021). "Indie Comics Spotlight: LaToya Morgan's 'Dark Blood' explores the Jim Crow South with superpowers". Syfy. Retrieved February 23, 2022.