Script Sales 2012

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April 2012

Novel (and graphic novel) adaptations are the hot item in April, including the sci-fi Anomaly with Joe Roth producing, and The Graveyard Book with Disney at the helm.  Leonardo DiCaprio will star in Live By Night, set in the 1920s during the Black Sox scandal.  Since we've gone way too long without a good poker movie: DiCaprio also producing a film with Ben Affleck and Justin Timberlake about illegal online gaming, Runner Runner.  And former Script Pipeline Workshop "Recommend" writer Michael Starrbury will write an adaptation of The Great Unknown, originally published by Image Comics.

Other script sales include:

- A reboot of Daredevil, to be drawn from Frank Miller's own reboot of the popular comic hero.

- Based on the NBC TV series, The Rockford Files.  Vince Vaughn to produce and star.

- The 1982 film Poltergeist will get a Sam Raimi-esque remake.

- An animated feature from Pixar, Day of the Dead, revolving around the holiday Dia De Los Muertos.

March 2012

As in previous months (and years), plenty of novel adaptations to go around--perhaps the most specs based on books in a while.  One of them few saw coming: a remake of 1984, possibly to be renamed "So None of this Stuff Actually Happened."  Ron Howard producing.  Brett Ratner may direct the sequel to the 1988 film Midnight Run.  Dr. Seuss' The Cat in the Hat gets another green light, sans live-action.  Based on the graphic novel, The Red Star, set in an alternate future where the USSR still exists, should add some fresh vision to theaters.  And Muppets 2--hopefully it won't take long, looking forward to 10 more 80s-quality Muppet films.

Other script sales include:

- Adaptation of the 2011 novel Crazy U: One Dad’s Crash Course In Getting His Kid Into College.  If only Will Ferrell was involved.  Say, producing through his company Gary Sanchez and possibly starring.

- The erotic drama 50 Shades of Grey, which should inevitably spark an erotic drama revolution in Hollywood.

- Huck and Tom, a modern-day tale of the adventurous duo.  Paramount producing.

- Biopic of the eccentric artist Salvador Dali.  Moustache casting separately.

February 2012

A good mix of genres, from comic adaptations to family comedies, fill what was a busy February for script sales.  The Jetsons are coming to theaters from WB--live action to boot.  Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson may be teaming up again in the comedy Interns.  Catherine Hardwick returns with a script set against LA's music scene, Evan Rachel Wood starring.  And the potential cast of the musical comedy One Hit Wonders includes Gwyneth Paltrow, Andy Samberg, Reese Witherspoon, and Beyonce.  Sounds about right, albeit Samberg seems to be the curve ball in that one.

Other script sales include:

- Hilarity returns in The Muppets 2.  No word yet on returning human cast.

- Maybe the most promising concept from February: The Curiosity, based on the to-be-published novel about a man frozen for 100 years returning to modern society.  Fox to produce.

- A sports bio on the legendary Jim Brown.  Hal Lieberman producing.

- It didn't even take two decades: a sequel to the 80s hit Top Gun.

January 2012

What might be one of the more original spins on the typical true WWII story, George Clooney is set to star and direct The Monuments Men, where a group of historians and curators embark on a mission to rescue art stolen by the Nazis.  While it's not confirmed, Jim Carrey may reprise his role as Bruce in a sequel to Bruce Almighty.  Toy giant Hasbro is entering the film world with scripts based on Stretch Armstrong and the board game Candyland.  And if you haven't had your fill from the first three Paranormal Activity movies, you'll have a fourth shot at horror.

Other script sales include:

- Kids and people-who-were-not-so-long-ago-kids, rejoice: Ben 10 is coming to the big screen.

- In the hopes of squeezing every last possible story from the X-men, a sequel to X-men: First Class.

- The found-footage horror script, Bermuda, chronicling a missing documentary crew.  Sounds like one of the cooler found footage concepts, at least. . . .

- Chris Hemsworth returns as the Norse god in Thor 2.