December, 2009

A relatively quiet December and early January for script sales, in comparison to previous months—as expected.  Script Pimp partner Sean McKittrick and Darko entertainment will co-produce the horror/romance “Pride and Prejudice and Zombies” with Lionsgate and Natalie Portman’s company.  The comic adaptation bug bites again, as the franchise “Deadpool” will see a film version, and other comedies and action/thriller scripts found their way in the winter sales.  Few dramas marked the landscape of genres, at least for this period ending 2009.

Selected scripts include:

--An as-of-yet untitled Ron Howard / Vince Vaughn romantic comedy project.

--The comedy “Mail Order Groom,” which may star Tiny Fey and Steve Carell, who are producing.

--A new Mel Gibson-helmed film starring Leonardo DiCaprio and centering on the Vikings.  Scripted by William Monahan.

--“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo,” a remake of the popular Swedish film of a different name.

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Comedies, anyone?

A slate of comedies—some traditional, some off-beat— make up the script sales for December.  A handful revolve around (surprise) vampires, some concerning astronauts, and others two “classic” characters once appearing on “In Living Color” and “Martin.”  Other scripts include an adaptation of the civil rights march in Selma, a Greenpeace dramatic project, a remake of “The Black Hole,” and three—yes, three—Aziz Ansari (“Parks and Recreation”) projects.

Selected script sales:

--Mindy Kaling (“The Office”) will be co-writing the romcom “The Low Self Esteem of Lizzie Gillespie.”

--And the vampire craze wears on.  Amy Heckerling will direct “Vamps,” which will center on two female vampires who find love in New York. . . no, really.  But veteran Heckerling should pull it off brilliantly.

--Martin Lawrence and Jamie Foxx team up as Shenaheh and Wanda, their female characters from the bygone nineties, playing two rather hideous bank robbers.

--Remake of the 1985 horror “Fright Night.”

--“Space Invader,” starring Will Arnett, about a man who goes to space after suspecting his wife of infidelity.

Biopics and stories revolving around real-life stories and figures, as well as higher-profile comedies, are littered among dramas, horrors, and thrillers across October’s script sales.  The hit Japanese manga comic “Ghost in the Shell” will see a big-screen adaptation, as will “Warcraft,” based on the popular game.  The “Spider-man” sequel, “Venom,” is currently in the process of rewrites.  “Vacation,” a sequel to the 1983 Chevy Chase comedy, sees a grown up Rusty Griswold take his own family on vacation—a writer is currently being sought.

Selected/notable sales include:

--A $150 million budgeted project centered on the Prophet Mohammed

--“Men in Black 3,” with Ethan Cohen penning the script and Barry Sonnenfeld directing

--An untitled George Gershwin biopic

--The romantic comedy “Jack and Jill.”  Adam Sandler will star as both Jack and Jill (not a typo)

Lastly, TV comedy fans rejoice: “Arrested Development” is coming to theaters.  And yes, everyone who’s awesome will be in the movie version.

As always, sequels and remakes are scattered throughout September’s script sales, as well as a biopic on the post-presidential life of Teddy Roosevelt (“River of Doubt”), a mid-nineties Wall Street crime/drama, a fantasy basketball camp comedy featuring NBA star LeBron James, the comedy “Super” starring Ellen Page and Rainn Wilson, and an as-of-yet untitled Barry Manilow project focusing on his fans.

Other selected/notable sales include:

--Building upon the successful franchise, a new edition of “Spy Kids” in 3-D

--A fresh look at the classic “A Star is Born”

--Nicholas Cage will reprise his role in “Ghost Rider 2”

--A remake of “The Fly,” with David Cronenberg possibly writing and directing

--Live-action “Barbie” film—no writer attached as of yet

--Another re-imagining of “The Three Musketeers”

Popular movie franchises will see further episodes, with “Hancock 2,” “Spider-man” (5 and 6), “Mission: Impossible,” “X-men: Origins,” and a new Jason Bourne film in the works.  Beatles-related projects are also planned, including a biopic of manager Brian Epstein.  Rounding out August were a number of urban/street stories, “Q School” (a golf comedy), a questionable sequel to “White Chicks,” and a remake/adaptation of “Brewster’s Millions.”

Other selected/notable sales include:

--Rob Zombie will continue his streak of gritty horror remakes with his rendition of “The Blob."

--A adaptation of Charles Dickens’ “Great Expectations.”

--The (possibly) Steven Spielberg-directed project “Pirate Latitudes,” based on the Michael Crichton novel.  David Koepp pens the Spielberg-produced script.

--The life of music biz icon Brian Epstein, who discovered and managed The Beatles, in “A Life in the Day.”

--Walt Disney’s almost sure-to-be poignant film, “The Diary of Anne Frank.”

--Bryan Singer may take the helms of the legendary story “Excalibur.”  This will be a remake of the previous 1980s film.

--Robert Zemeckis will helm a 3-D remake of “Yellow Submarine,” the 1968 Beatles music-based film.

Well-known classic and recent video game franchises will see film adaptations, in addition to a spattering of biopics, sci-fi/adventures, and other remakes and prequels.  The “Saw” series will also see another sure-to-be gruesome installment.

Some selected/notable sales:

--“Castlevania,” based on the mega-popular video game franchise.  James Wan tapped to direct.

--A prequel to “King Kong”: the adventure “Kong: King of Skull Island.”

--The David Cronenberg project “Cosmopolis,” adapted from the Don DeLillo novel.  Story revolves around a 28-year-old multimillionaire who is chauffeured across Manhattan for a haircut but the journey takes 24 hours due to a presidential visit, anti-globalization demonstrations, and a celebrity funeral.

--Perhaps drawing inspiration from Disney’s “Pirates of the Caribbean” franchise, a Calico Ghost Town screenplay is in the works to be based on the old Knott’s Berry Farm attraction.

--Kids of the 1990s rejoice: World of Warcraft will finally get a film rendition.  Sam Raimi set to direct for the Warner Bros. project.

--A biopic of legend Bruce Lee.

--“The Twilight Zone” adaptation, produced by Leonardo DiCaprio’s company Appian Way.

Comedies, actions, and thrillers (and alien-based scripts) dominate this past month—expected, since some of the biggest box office money-makers of the year have thus far fallen into one of those categories.

Some selected/notable sales:

--“I Am Number Four,” a science-fiction story based on an as-of-yet unpublished novel.  With Steven Spielberg on board to possibly executive produce.  Michael Bay will produce.

--Tom Cruise returns for “Mission: Impossible IV.”  J.J. Abrams will produce.

--A remake of the 1981 classic “An American Werewolf in London.”  No writer attached as of yet.  John Landis producing.

--“Go Mutants!”, where aliens assimilate with other high school kids.  In development with Universal.

--A modern adaptation of the hit film “Meatballs.” No writer attached as of yet.

--The Warner Bros. project “Thieves of Baghdad,” set in the 10^th century and will revolve around Ali Baba and other notable figures. 

--A remake of the 1980s cult classic “Short Cicuit.”

And lastly, the next James Bond project is in the works, with Daniel Craig returning as 007.

As is the current norm, remakes of previously popular films and series comprise at least part of May’s script sales, including a screenplay based on the comic strip “Bazooka Joe.”  An animated film, “Nick Ratchet,” based on an idea by Stan Lee and the latest Disney project in development, revolves around a police officer's online alter-ego, Nick Ratchet, who tries to usurp the life of his creator.  “Looking for Norma Desmond,” presumably based on “Sunset Boulevard,” is also in the works, as is an adaptation of “Jekyll and Hyde” and the life of Frank Sinatra.

Other selected sales include:

--Remake of the 1980s classic (well, moderately classic) “Flight of the Navigator,” about a 12-year-old boy who discovers a spaceship that takes him to the future.

--A comedy script based on The Blue Man Group.

--“Buffy the Vampire Slayer”: a remake of the fan-favorite series.

--A project from Dreamworks detailing the life of Martin Luther King Jr.  Steven Spielberg will produce.

And last, but certainly not least, former Script Pimp Competition winner Evan Daugherty will pen a new draft of the He-Man story entitled “Grayskull” for Warner Bros.

A somewhat quiet month in April, as lower-budget comedies and dramas, film adaptations from popular novels, and a handful of sci-fi thrillers and fantasy screenplays round out the script sales, joined by a few higher-profile projects from acclaimed writer/directors Robert Rodriguez and Sofia Coppola.

Selected sales include:

--“Born to be a Star,” co-written by Adam Sandler, about a Midwestern nerd who discovers his parents used to be porn stars.

--The latest Robert Rodriguez projects: a crime/drama entitled “Machete” and a follow-up to the “Predator” series.

--Another incarnation (presumably live-action) of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.”

--The Sofia Coppola project “Somewhere,” drama starring Stephen Dorff and Elle Fanning.

A broad handful of biopics stand out in script sales through mid to late March, including films revolving around the lives of Houdini, Lou Rawls, Steve McQueen, and H.P. Lovecraft, as well as adaptations of popular novels and TV series.

Selected sales include:

--From the Image Comics graphics novel, “The Strange Adventures of H.P. Lovecraft” touches upon the struggles of the well-known horror fiction writer.  Ron Howard will produce and is rumored to direct.

--“Through the Eyes of a Son,” based on the career of musician Lou Rawls.

--Arguably the world’s most popular magician, Harry Houdini will be featured in “The Secret Life of Houdini: The Making of America's First Superhero,” chronicling his experiences as a British spy and debunker of con artists.

--Andy Garcia, and Anthony Hopkins thus far, set to star in “Hemingway and Fuentes,” centering on the friendship between Ernest Hemingway and Gregorio Fuentes.

--The new Coen Brothers film, a remake of “True Grit.”

--“Steve McQueen: Portrait of an American Rebel,” based on, of course, actor Steve McQueen.

--Natalie Portman and Brad Pitt will star in “Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris,” a romantic comedy.

--Sean Penn to play the lead in “Cartel” as a man looking to protect his son after his wife’s murder.

--For Stephen King fans, the mediocre 1990s version of “It” will see a film rendition through Warner Bros.

Hard to see anyone not getting excited about this: “MacGyver” has been given the go-ahead through New Line Cinema.  No writer attached yet.

One of the more notable developments this year so far: the musical “Damn Yankees” is set for a remake, with Jim Carrey and Jake Gyllenhaall confirmed as leads.  As anticipated, “Friday the 13^th” will see a second incarnation, and for those interested in further reliving the 80s, “The Neverending Story” has been given the green light, though no writer is attached as of yet.

Other selected sales include:

--The drama/comedy “Downsizing,” with Reese Witherspoon, Sasha Baron Cohen, and Paul Giamatti to star.

--“Rape: A Love Story,” based on the Joyce Carol Oates novella.  Abigail Breslin, Samuel L. Jackson, and Maria Bello attached.  3 Arts Entertainment to produce.

--The DC Comics story “Suicide Squad”

--“Little Fockers,” the third installment of the Stiller/DeNiro comedy series.

And as Hollywood has been infected with the remake bug, expect to see a fresh, new, “improved” version of the Schwarzenegger classic “Total Recall.” 

Adaptations (and an adaptation of an adaptation) continue to share the spotlight with a spattering of comedies, science fiction, crime dramas, and family scripts.  Notable sales include:

--“Cowboy Bebop,” based on the popular Japanese anime series.  Keanu Reeves set to star.

--A Cher and Jonny Knoxville (not a typo) project, “The Drop-Out”

--A Warner Bros. adaptation of the animated series “Tom and Jerry”

--“The A Team,” a polish of a script and project first announced in 2001.

--The sequel to “The Chronicles of Narnia,” “Voyage of the Dawn Treader”

--“Lowriders,” based on a Brian Grazer concept.

Feeling as though “Tomb Raider” deserves another go-around, the popular comic (and Angelina Jolie film) will get a re-imagining as well.  No screenwriter or director attached as of yet.