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The Other Billy Drake
Genre: Romantic comedy
Writer: Walt Becker, Peter Nelson
Buyer: Robert Evans Co.
Producer: Robert Evans, Christine Peters
Logline: Self help guru and lifelong bachelor gets a taste of hell after a near death experience and likes it. To return there, he must commit the one sin that has evaded him his entire life--that of adultery. Marrying and then cheating on a woman proves more difficult than it sounds after he realizes that larger forces may be at play.
Side Note: Rewrite. Robert Evans and Christine Peters to produce. Co-writer Walt Becker might direct.
The Rules Of Silence
Genre: Thriller
Author: David Lindsey
Buyer: Universal
Purchase Price: Mid-six figures
Logline: Businessman is held captive by a South American criminal who threatens to kill his friends and family. The businessman is forced to pay millions of dollars in ransom, until he fights back with the help of a former government agent.
Side Note: Option of film rights to Lindsey's novel.
Sentenced To Nature
Genre: Drama
Writer: Michael McGruther
Author: Charles Siebert
Buyer: Universal/Jersey Films
Logline: Dysfunctional teenagers from well-to-do families are sent into unregulated wilderness camps to learn how to achieve their goals in life, and face various trials in the process.
Side Note: Feature story article by Charles Siebert which appeared in the Dec. 17, 2001 magazine section of The New York Times. Magazine article was originally purchased on 1/18/01. Screenwriter Michael McGruther has come aboard to adapt the article.
Son Of The Bride
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Writer: Juan Jose Campanella, Fernando Castets
Buyer: Columbia Pics.
Producer: Jack Giarraputo, Adam Sandler
Logline: Guy who lives in the shadow of his dad, feels guilty for not visiting his mom regularly or his daughter, now in custody with his ex wife. A minor heart attack leads to a reunion with a childhood friend, who helps the man deal with his past and move forward.
Side Note: Remake rights of Argentine film directed by Campanella. Adam Sandler to star in. Sandler will also produce along with Jack Giarraputo via their Happy Madison Productions banner. Sandler will also most likely co-write the remake with a yet undetermined screenwriter.
Untitled Wendkos Project
Genre: Drama
Writer: Gina Wendkos
Buyer: Revolution Studios
Producer: Beau Flynn
Logline: In a Miami club that features burlesque dancing, a young girl takes over the club after the owner is jailed.
Side Note: Firm Films' Beau Flynn will produce. Firm Films' Tripp Vinson will executive produce.
De-Fense
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Ice Cube
Buyer: Walt Disney Pics.
Producer: Ice Cube, Andrew Gunn, Matt Alvarez
Logline: A suspended NFL player sentenced by the league to return to his hometown of Los Angeles to coach a high school football team. While dealing with the teens and the sport, he finds the love of the game within himself.
Side Note: Ice Cube's company, Cube Vision will produce for Disney along with Gunn Films. Project was originally set up at Universal. No director is attached as yet.
Vanity Fair
Genre: Historical drama
Writer: Julian Fellowes
Author: William Makepeace Thackeray
Buyer: Focus Features/Granada Film
Producer: Janette Day, Donna Gigliotti
Logline: Set during the 1840s, a lower-class girl defies her poverty-stricken background to climb the London social ladder with her best friend by her side.
Side Note: Universal's Focus Features and U.K. based Granada Film are developing this project based on the novel of the same name by William Makepeace Thackeray. Nair and Fellowes to also direct. Reese Witherspoon is in talks to star.
McGoorty
Genre: Drama
Writer: John McCormick
Buyer: UA
Producer: Dan Lindau
Logline: True story of Danny McGoorty, the infamous pool and billiards player. Ladies' man, bad boy, dandy, drinker, and hobo in the days before World War II, he skipped from town to town with his pool cue as a meal ticket.
Side Note: Rights to Robert Byrnes' book were purchased. Deal was made with Crossroads Films which has a three pic deal with UA.
False Advertising
Genre: Romantic comedy
Writer: Micah Schraft, Abdi Nazemian
Buyer: Universal
Producer: Kathy Jones, Buffy Shutt
Logline: Set in the high stakes world of advertising.
Side Note: Pitch was based on the 1960's Hudson-Day comedy, "Lover Come Back." Shutt/Jones Prods will produce.
MacGyver
Genre: Action/Adventure
Writer: Lee Zlotoff
Buyer: New Line
Purchase Price: Seven figures
Producer: Lee Zlotoff
Logline: Based on tne 80's TV show which starred Richard Dean Anderson, a guy who could turn everyday objects into such things as explosives and flamethrowers.
Side Note: Zlotoff is the original creator of late-1980s television series that this film will be based on. He will also direct and produce. No word on whether the star of the TV series, Richard Dean Anderson, will return to star in this film.
The Root
Genre: Drama
Writer: Gary Richards
Producer: Avram Ludwig, Michael Alden
Logline: Story is about a man who runs a chop shop, selling off parts from stolen cars. A relationship with a crooked police detective leads him to attempt to get out of the business, and that's where the trouble begins.
Side Note: TV director Matthew Penn will make his feature directing debut on this low budget feature. David Strathairn, Gregory Hines, Karen Allen and Eli Wallach will star. Screenplay was written by Gary Richards based on his play. Film will be shot in NY early next year.
The Whale Hunter
Genre: Drama
Writer: Jason Smilovic
Author: David Johnston
Buyer: FilmEngine
Logline: Story is about a young casino hosts as he rises to the top of the casino biz, bringing in the world's top 200 high rollers known as "whales." He is
initially blinded by greed and power and soon realizes that that he is caught in a web of corporate corruption, odds stacking, embezzlement and murder.
Side Note: Based on the nonfiction book "Temples of Chance" by Pulitzer Prize winner David Johnston.
The Big Bounce
Genre: Drama
Writer: Sebastian Gutierrez
Author: Elmore Leonard
Buyer: Shangri-La Ent.
Logline: A charming drifter hooks up with a criminally minded beauty while trying to decide if he can trust a powerful local figure, Mr. Majestyk.
Side Note: Based on Elmore Leonard's novel. Steve Bing's Shangri-La Ent. will finance and produce. Also producing will be Jorge Saralegui's Material and George Armitage's Taormina Prods. Warner Bros. will handle worldwide distribution. George Armitage will direct. Morgan Wilson will join Owen Wilson in the cast. Brent Armitage and Zane Weiner will executive produce.
Creature Tech
Genre: Horror/Action
Author: Doug TenNapel
Buyer: Regency Ent.
Purchase Price: High-six figures/low-seven
Producer: Wendy Finerman, Peter McHugh, Ellen Goldsmith-Vein
Logline: Set in the rural American heartland, the specter of an evil wizard uses the shroud of Turin to conjure a giant space eel in an attempt to destroy the world. The only thing standing in his way is an atheist with an alien strapped to his chest.
Side Note: Graphic novel from imprint Top Shelf Productions. Wendy Finerman to produce along with Gotham's Ellen Goldsmith-Vein and Peter McHugh.
Superhero Summer Camp
Genre: Family
Writer: Lauren Lungerich, Brad Follmer
Buyer: Warner Bros, Weed Road Pictures
Producer: Akiva Goldsman
Logline: A group of misfit kids are sent to summer camp only to discover that it is a training ground for superheroes.
Side Note: Pitch. Iungerich and Follmer to write screenplay. Weed Road's Akiva Goldsman will produce.
Billy Jack
Genre: Drama/Action
Writer: John Fusco
Buyer: Intermedia
Purchase Price: Seven-figures
Logline: Centers on a one man gang who fights against injustice.
Side Note: To be based on the film "Billy Jack." Frank Laughlin to produce. Tom Laughlin and Delores Taylor to executive produce. Originally set up with Jersey Films & 3 Arts Entertainment in March 2002.
Crush
Genre: Drama
Writer: Tristan Patterson
Buyer: Walt Disney Pictures , Jerry Bruckheimer Films
Producer: Jerry Bruckheimer
Logline: Story is about an elite force focused on solving criminal-on-criminal homicides in San Francisco.
Side Note: Rewrite.
Family Planning
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Shari Springer Berman, Robert Pulcini
Buyer: New Line
Producer: Anne Carey, Ted Hope, Anthony Bregman
Logline: An eccentric father offers a $1 mil prize to the first one of his two sons to produce an heir.
Side Note: First project to come out of new production company, This Is That formed by Ted Hope, Anne Carey and Anthony Bregman. They have a first-look deal with Universal-based Focus Features but this project has been set up at New Line. To be written by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini.
Lazarus
Genre: Supernatural thriller
Writer: Tony Bui
Buyer: Warner Bros.
Producer: Ed Pressman, Jeff Most
Logline: After committing a crime together, two friends become mortal enemies due to an ancient Asian curse set in motion.
Side Note: Tony Bui will write and direct for Warner Bros. Allesandro Camon will exec produce.
Regulators
Genre: Action
Writer: Tristan Patterson
Buyer: Walt Disney Pics.
Producer: Jon Shestack
Logline: Centers on the L.A. surfing world and gang culture.
Side Note: The script was originally set up as a pitch.
Superstar 81
Genre: Drama
Writer: Tristan Patterson
Buyer: Killer Films, Magnet Ent.
Producer: Christine Vachon
Logline: Based on the Wonderland Murders that porn star John Holmes was involved in during 1981.
Side Note: Jesse Peretz is set to direct.
Inside Man
Genre: Thriller
Writer: Russell Gewirtz
Buyer: Universal, Imagine
Purchase Price: $400k/$1 mil.
Producer: Brian Grazer
Logline: A tough cop matches wits with a clever robber during a hostage situation at a bank.
Side Note: Ron Howard might direct. Deal was made with Daniel Rosenberg who developed the script with the writer. Daniel Rosenberg to executive produce. Several companies wanted this script.
Return To Castle Wolfenstein
Genre: Action/Adventure
Writer: Rich Wilkes
Buyer: Columbia Pics.
Producer: John Baldecchi, Mark Gordon
Logline: Highly decorated Army Ranger who is recruited into the Office Of Secret Actions, must gain entry into and escape from Castle Wolfenstein, the lair of Gestapo capo Heinrich Himmler -- whose occult and genetic experiments are raising an unstoppable army to level the Allies. In order to save Western culture, the Ranger and his group must fight off the mutants and the Nazis.
Side Note: Film rights to video game were purchased on 7/15/02. It was announced that Rich Wilkes ("XXX") has come aboard to adapt.
Thunderhead
Genre: Thriller/Action
Author: Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
Buyer: Gryphon Films
Producer: Robert Gryphon, Brett Morrison
Logline: A female archeologist leads a fast paced expedition to a lost "city of gold" in the American Southwest.
Side Note: NY-based Gryphon Films plans putting this project into production next year. Gryphon specializes in films with a strong female lead. Warner Books first published the novel in 1999. No screenwriter attached yet.
Warrior
Genre: Action/Sci-fi
Writer: W.D. Richter
Buyer: Columbia Pics.
Producer: Mike Medovoy, Laura Ziskin
Logline: A high- tech air force fighter drone that malfunctions, wiping out the better part of an manned elite squadron. Against all odds, a single pilot must attempt to destroy the drone.
Side Note: Script was initially set up at Phoenix Pics. which took it to Columbia. Laura Ziskin and Phoenix Pictures' Mike Medavoy to produce.
Hong Kong Phooey
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Robert Ritger
Buyer: Alcon Ent., Rat Ent.
Logline: A clumsy, kung-fu using detective dog uses his supernatural talents to battle a villain intent on stealing those powers.
Side Note: Alcon Ent. has teamed with Brett Ratner and Jay Stern's Rat Ent. to bring this 1970's Hanna Barbera cartoon series to the screen. Film will be a combination of live-action and CGI. Warner Brothers to distribute.
Money To Burn
Genre: Drama/Action
Author: James Zagel
Buyer: David Permut, Site 85 Prods.
Producer: David Permut, Neil Russell
Logline: Story is about a federal judge who masterminds a plot to rob the Chicago Federal Reserve of $100 million.
Side Note: Novelist is a U.S. district court judge. No screenwriter is attached. Michael King and Permut Presentations' Steve Longi to co-produce.
The Persian Bride
Genre: Romantic drama
Author: James Buchan
Buyer: Firstsight Films
Producer: Shiva Rose, Yalda Tehranian
Logline: Epic love story between a young Englishman and an Iranian girl against the backdrop of the emerging fundamentalist government in Iran. set against the fall of the Shah of Iran during the 1970s.
Side Note: Firstsight has optioned the film rights to this James Buchan novel in association with Los Angeles producers Shiva Rose and Yalda Tehranian. Charles Sturridge is set to direct. No screenwriter is attached as yet.
Tenkiller
Genre: Drama
Author: Elmore Leonard
Buyer: Paramount
Producer: Arnold Rifkin, Michael Siegel
Logline: Ex-rodeo star leaves home to become a Hollywood stuntman. When he returns home, he finds that his family ranch has been taken over by some unsavory characters.
Side Note: To be developed by Cheyenne Enterprises, which is owned by Bruce Willis and Arnold Rifkin. Willis will star. No screenwriter attached yet.
Brighton Rock
Genre: Drama
Writer: Don MacPherson
Author: Graham Greene
Buyer: Intermedia Films
Producer: Terrence Mallick, Grant Hill
Logline: Set in the English seaside town of Brighton, a small-time gang leader murders a rival, sending him on a downward spiral of self-destruction.
Side Note: Novel was written by Grahame Greene. Producer Mallick will not direct. Project has been in development since last year but kept under wraps as per Mallick's desire. The novel was originally made into a pic in 1947 which starred Richard Attenborough. It is set for a summer 2002 shoot n the U.K. Asif Kapadia, who wrote and directed "The Warrior" will direct this feature which will be shot in the U.K.
The Eighth Step
Genre: Drama
Writer: Thompson Evans
Buyer: Winchester Films/Wind Dancer Films
Producer: Melissa Goddard, Hadeel Reda
Logline: A former TV star, who is now a recovering addict, sets out to make amends to all the people he's wronged in his life, especially his son.
Side Note: Based on an original idea by Melissa Goddard (a former exec at Wind Dancer) that she developed into a story with Thompson Evans who will write the screenplay.
No Hassle No Haggle
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Michelle Chavoor
Buyer: Ember Entertainment
Logline: This story is about how a son comes to terms with the untimely death of his father, a car dealer who worked hard to put his kids through Ivy League schools, and learns to change his life and his relationship and memory of his father in the process.
Side Note: Option for this and two other projects from screenwriter Michelle Chavoor.
Post Human
Genre: Sci-fi/Action
Writer: Scott Swan, Drew McWeeney
Buyer: Revolution Studios
Purchase Price: Low-six figures/mid-six
Logline: The military researches ways to create metabolically enhanced soldiers.
Side Note: This is the first deal for Scott Swan and Drew McWeeney, known as the writer "Moriarity" on Ain't It Cool News website.
Rudy
Genre: Thriller
Writer: Michelle Chavoor
Buyer: Ember Entertainment
Logline: Set during WW2, story is based on a true story about a man who escaped Hitler's regime, leaving behind members of his family who could not escape.
Side Note: Based on a true story. Option for this and two other projects by screenwriter Michelle Chavoor.
Snooze
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Michelle Chavoor
Buyer: Ember Entertainment
Logline: Story is about a thirtysomething who has aspirations of making it in the world of interior design while at the same time struggling with the pressures of becoming a mother and and holding down a long-term relationship.
Side Note: Option for this and two other projects from screenwriter Michelle Chavoor.
11:14
Genre: Drama
Writer: Greg Marcks
Buyer: MDP Worldwide, Firm Films
Producer: Beau Flynn, John Morrisey
Logline: Story recounts a set of seemingly unrelated incidents in reverse chronology, all converging in an auto accident that occurs one night at 11:14 pm.
Side Note: Pic has been given the greenlight from MDP Worldwide. It will begin shooting in L.A. this month. Greg Marcks wrote the screenplay and will direct. His spec was orginally sold to Firm Films. Hilary Swank, Colin Hanks, Rachael Leigh Cook, Henry Thomas and Clark Gregg will star. Hilary Swank will exec produce along with Firm Films' Trip Vinson and exec producers Damon, Sammy Lee and David Rubin.
Clockwork
Genre: Fantasy/Adventure
Author: Philip Pullman
Buyer: Universal
Producer: Ilene Staple
Logline: Revolves around three stories that come together into a complex fairy tale on the nature of fate and destiny with fantastical elements.
Side Note: Book was first published in England in 1966. Children's TV producer, Ilene Staple found it and took it to Universal.
The Governor's Wife
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Pablo Zachai
Buyer: Touchstone
Purchase Price: Low-six figures/mid-six
Producer: David Hoberman
Logline: The wife of the Idaho governor dreams of becoming the first lady of the United States and stops at nothing, including manipulating her husband's political career, to achieve her goal.
Side Note: Spec by first time screenwriter. David Hoberman to produce. Todd Lieberman to Executive Produce.
Hindsight
Genre: Romantic thriller
Writer: Alexander Torres
Buyer: Alcon Ent.
Producer: Broderick Johnson, Andrew Kosove
Logline: Involves time travel and cryogenics.
Side Note: Robert Cho will exec produce.
Scarecrow
Genre: Psychological horror
Writer: Todd Farmer
Buyer: Revolution Studios, Blue Star Pics.
Producer: William Sherak, Jason Shuman
Logline: Farmer and his family come across a scarecrow that scares more than just crows.
Side Note: Based on an idea developed at Blue Star by company toppers William Sherak and Jason Shuman along with Revolution's John Hegeman.
Slab Rat
Genre: Dark Comedy
Writer: Scott McGehee, David Siegel, Beth McGroarty
Author: Ted Heller
Buyer: Anonymous Content, UA
Logline: With help from an unstable co-worker, an associate editor at a popular magazine tries to get out of his career slump by plotting to kill a senior editor they both despise.
Side Note: Written by the son of Joseph Heller, Ted Heller. Anonymous Content has a first-look deal with USA Films. David Siegel and Scott McGehee, and Beth McGroarty will adapt. McGehee and Siegel will also direct. Anonymous producers Steve Golin and Alix Madigan will co-produce with UA.
Cheer Up
Genre: Action/Comedy
Writer: John J. McLaughlin
Buyer: Bel Air Ent.
Producer: Steven Reuther
Logline: Group of dysfunctional cheerleaders from Eastern Connecticut College witness a murder after a cheerleading competition. A veteran FBI agent assigned to the case must learn to coexist with the girls while avoiding the gunmen who want to knock them off before the group can testify.
Side Note: This was a pre-emptive bid. John J. McLaughlin wrote the script from a story by him and Scott Lobdell. This was first set up as a spec sale on 9/24/01. Stephen Herek is negotiating to direct. Tommy Lee Jones to star. Barra Grant has rewritten the script by John McLaughlin.
The Sexpert
Genre: Romantic comedy
Writer: Andrea Davis
Buyer: Columbia Pics.
Producer: Lauren Lloyd
Logline: Same vein as "The First Wives Club." Story follows the tactics modern women are using to avoid becoming members of that club -- with a secret twist.
Side Note: Producer Lauren Lloyd has a first-look deal at Columbia. Davis is a former development executive who left development to pursue a writing career and joined the Walt Disney's writing program.
The Tutor
Genre: Suspense
Author: Peter Abrahams
Buyer: Pheonix Pics., Chartoff Prods.
Producer: Mike Medavoy, Robert Chartoff, Lynn Hendee
Logline: A is tutor hired by a wealthy family to improve a troubled kid's SAT scores, but soon after the teacher begins to take over in all areas of the household.
Side Note: Will be based on the novel by Abrahams. Mike Medavoy, Robert Chartoff and Lynn Hendee to produce
Untitled High School Project
Genre: Comedy
Writer: David Simon
Buyer: DreamWorks
Producer: Ellis Bunim, Jonathan Murray, Robert Kosberg
Side Note: Assignment for David Wain to direct. Pic will be based on David Simon's "Stolen High School Security Tapes."
Abyssinia
Genre: Romantic drama
Writer: Joe Batteer, John Rice
Author: Bartle Bull
Buyer: Intermedia, Pacifica
Logline: During World War II, a safari guide is forced to usher his ex-girlfriend and her husband to Egypt after they witness the destruction of a Red Cross camp amid the Italina army's preparations to invade Abyssinia.
Side Note: Roger Donaldson has come aboard to develop and possibly direct. Based on the Bartle Bull novel " A Café On The Nile."
Fear Itself
Genre: Drama
Writer: Stuart Blumberg
Buyer: Miramax
Producer: Stuart Blumberg, Hawk Koch, Edward Norton
Logline: Story is about a married couple confronted by a random act of violence. They flee from New York to rural Maine, but discover that they cannot outrun the threat of violence.
Side Note: John Polson will direct this loose remake of Sam Peckinpah's "Straw Dogs" made in 1971.
The Greatest Player Who Never Lived
Genre: Drama
Writer: Alexi Hawley
Author: J. Michael Vernon
Buyer: Miramax
Logline: Set around the world of golf, a boy takes a summer intern position at a law office and uncovers correspondence from the famous Bobby Jones, who was once a partner at the firm, and a man named Beau Stedman. Stedman was on the verge of golf greatness in the 30's, but disappeared amidst a murder charge. This summer intern decides to uncover the truth about this man.
Side Note: To be adapted from J. Michael Vernon's novel.
Nightbird
Genre: Sci-Fi/Adventure
Writer: Alexi Hawley
Buyer: MGM
Producer: Arnold Rifkin, Bruce Willis, Stan Lee
Logline: Story of a wealthy female philanthropist who by night is Nightbird, a superhero with mystical powers.
Side Note: To be based on a character by Stan Lee. To be produced by Bruce Willis and Arnold Rifkin's Cheyenne banner and Stan Lee's new company, POW! Entertainment. Project set up in April 2002. Alexi Hawley has come aboard to adapt the comic book.
The Program
Genre: Thriller
Writer: Alexi Hawley
Author: Stephen White
Buyer: Intermedia
Producer: Edward Feldman
Logline: A New Orleans District Attorney is forced to join the witness protection program with her daughter after her husband is killed. But when she realizes that a man she put on death row is innocent, she must risk everything to save him.
Side Note: To based on the book by Stephen White. The book was optioned by Edward Feldman of The Edward S. Feldman Company. The Feldman Company is currently developing the project. Edward Feldman will produce. Winship Cook will co-produce.
The Killing Floor
Genre: Thriller
Writer: Jay Beattie
Buyer: Millennium Films
Producer: David Koplan, Darby Parker
Logline: A young man is drawn into an FBI investigation to track down his brother, a suspect in a serial murder case, before he can kill again.
Side Note: Spec script. David Koplan and Darby Parker to produce.
Untitled De Rosa Romance
Genre: Romance
Writer: Bob De Rosa
Buyer: Revolution Studios
Logline: Visual-effects-driven love story set in New York.
Side Note: Based on an original idea by Revolution executives.
Centerfold
Genre: Romantic comedy
Writer: Laurice Elehwany, Rick Kopp
Buyer: Mandalay
Logline: College senior submits his girlfriend's photo to a calendar contest. Plan goes awry when a national men's mag gets hold of the photo and offers the girlfriend a life of wealth and fame as a centerfold pinup.
Side Note: Assignment for Joel Zwick who directed "My Big Fat Greek Wedding." Milestone Films is partnered on the project with Mandalay.
Kool Herc's Breakbeat
Genere: Comedy/Drama
Writer: Paul Hirsch
Buyer: Maverick Pics.
Purchase Price: Low-six figures
Logline: Story of two DJs searching for an elusive but prized hip-hop record entitled "Kool Herc's Breakbeat." In real life, Herc was the first DJ to buy two copies of the same record in order to lengthen a 15-second "break," or rhythmic instrumental segment. By mixing back and forth between the two copies of the identical records, DJ Kool Herc was able to indefinitely extend the "break." In so doing, he introduced the turntable as a musical instrument in and of itself, and gave rise to the hip-hop DJ.
Side Note: Madonna and Guy Oseary's Maverick to produce. Weaver's Energy Entertainment to Executive Produce. This deal is the 12th sale for the year & half old Energy Entertainment, a management and production company. Energy maintains a first-look deal with Original Film.
Lost Boys
Genre: Supernatural thriller
Writer: Brian Carr
Buyer: Mostow/Lieberman Prods.
Producer: Hal Lieberman, Jonathan Mostow
Logline: Afrer being accused of taking part in the disappearance of some neighborhood children, the new residents of a house set out to solve the mystery. In doing so, they come across the supernatural character of their new house.
Side Note: Based on a story by Orson Scott Card. Brian Carr will adapt.
Meat In The Freezer
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Clay Tarver
Buyer: 20th Century Fox
Purchase Price: High-six figures/near seven
Logline: Story is about two deer hunting guides and an albino buck, a trophy of a lifetime, that everybody is trying to nab during a two-week season.
Side Note: Mike Judge wlil direct this live-action feature which was based on a concept he came up with screenwriter Clay Tarver and Steve Zahn. Steve Zahn to star.
Shooting Blanks
Genre: Drama
Writer: Bob De Rosa
Buyer: Jim Gorman, Maureen Gorman
Producer: Jim Gorman, Maureen Gorman
Logline: Ensemble crime caper script with multiple story lines in the vein of "Pulp Fiction."
Side Note: Jim and Maureen Gorman are NY-based indie film producers.
Untitled Zoo Pitch
Genre: Comedy/Family
Writer: Gregg McBride
Producer: Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, Jonathan Treisman
Buyer: Escape Artists
Logline: Described as "Home Alone" set in a zoo.
Side Note: Jason Blumenthal and Todd Black from Escape Artists will produce along with Flatiron Films' Jonathan Treisman. McBride's manager, Lauren Lloyd will exec produce along with Escape Artists' Steve Tisch and David Alper.
Bloodhead
Genre: Thriller
Writer: Adrienne Copolla
Buyer: PlasterCity Prods./Digi-Flicks Int'l
Producer: Alain Silver
Logline: Set in a remote desert town, two racist - one white, one black - learn they are brothers when they inherit a trailer park that houses a strange cult.
Side Note: Christopher Copolla is directing this digitally shot pic. It will star Shirley Jones, Lynda Carter, Frank Gorshin and Bernie Kopell. Budget will be under $5 mil. Elyse Meredith and Wayne Kurzeja will executive produce.
The Cookout
Genre: Urban
Buyer: Lions Gate Films
Producer: Queen Latifah, Shakim Compere
Side Note: Pitch was based on an idea by Queen Latifah and her producing partner Shakim Compere. They will produce for Lions Gate through their company Flavor Unit Entertainment.
Dirty Girls Club
Genre: Drama/Comedy
Author: Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez
Buyer: Columbia Pics
Producer: Laura Ziskin, Benny Medina
Logline: Six Latina's who were friends from college, reunite after ten years and then every six months after that.
Side Note: Adaptation of the unpublished novel by Valdes-Rodriguez. Screenwriter Cynthia Cidre is in talks to adapt. Jennifer Lopez will star. Laura Ziskin will produce along with Benny Medina.
Get Me Roman Farraday
Genre: Animation
Writer: Joe Piscatella, Craig Williams
Buyer: DreamWorks
Purchase Price: Six-figures
Producer: John Jacobs, John Lash
Log Line: Being kept under wraps.
Side Note: Several studios bid on this comedy pitch. John Jacobs of First Entertainment will produce the project together with John Lash.
Son Of The Mask
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Lance Khazei
Buyer: New Line
Logline: An aspiring cartoonist who is not ready for fatherhood but finds himself raising a baby endowed with the powers of the mask of Loki.
Side Note: Larry Guterman who directed "Cats & Dogs" will direct this second installment of the franchise although neither Jim Carrey nor Cameron Diaz will return. No producers are attached as yet and and a start date has not been set.
Mimic Sentinel
Genre: Sci fi/Horror
Writer: J.T. Petty
Buyer: Dimension Films
Logline: A 24-year-old man, confined to a bubble apartment room due to his severe asthma, learns that the Judas Breed monster roaches that terrorized society are back with a vengeance and preying on the inhabitants of his apartment complex.
Side Note: J.T. Petty ("Soft For Digging") will write and direct this low-budget feature for Dimension. Sequel to the original "Mimic."
Antonius
Genre: Animation
Writer: Tom Firestone, Martin Meunier
Buyer: Walt Disney Company
Logline: Centers on a leopard in ancient Egypt who becomes a freedom fighter.
Side Note: Pitch. Discovered from a posting the writers had on www.scriptshark.com.
Scorched Earth
Genre: Thriller/Mystery
Writer: Doug Wright,
Author: David L. Robbins
Buyer: Warner Bros.
Producer: Will Smith, James Lassiter, Jorge Saralegui
Logline: Interracial couple give birth to a child who dies soon thereafter. The child is then buried in an all-white churchyard cemetary and then the casket is disinterred and buried behind a black Baptist church. That night, the white church is burned to the ground and when the dead child's black father is seen at the fire site, he is blamed as the arsonist.
Side Note: To be adapted from David L. Robbins' novel. Overbrook Ent. is co-owned by Will Smith. Doug Wright will adapt the novel for mid-six figures / low-seven.
The Three Pigs
Genre: Children
Writer: Ron Friedman, Steve Bencich
Author: David Wiesner
Buyer: Walt Disney Co.
Logline: Retelling of the classic story that features the Pigs who take their book apart to confuse and keep the wolf away, build a paper airplane and fly off on a fairy tale adventure of their own. On their journey, they meet up with the cat and the fiddle and a dragon, cutting across many different levels of culture.
Side Note: To be adapted from this best-selling children's book by David Weisner. Deal is part of a six-month overall writing deal with the studio's feature animation division.
American Pie 3
Genre: Teen comedy
Writer: Adam Herz
Buyer: Warner Bros.
Producer: Chris Weitz, Paul Weitz, Chris Moore, Warren Zide, Craig Perry, Adam Herz
Log Line: Second sequel to the teen-sex comedy.
Side Note: Jesse Dylan is negotiating to direct. Jason Biggs, Alyson Hannigan, Seann William Scott and Eugene Levy have signed to reprise their roles. To begin production in January for an August 2003 release.
Barbershop 2
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Don D. Scott
Buyer: MGM, State Street Pictures
Producer: George Tillman, Bob Teitel
Logline: Centers on a barbershop on Chicago's South Side.
Side Note: Sequel to "Barbershop," an ensemble story that takes place during the course of one day at a barbershop on Chicago's South Side. Tim Story will return to direct this sequel.
The Lizzie McGuire Movie
Genre: Teen comedy
Writer: Susan Jensen
Buyer: Walt Disney Pics.
Producer: Stan Rogow
Logline: Story will follow the lead character Lizzie as she graduates from middle school and takes a trip to Rome. Her alter ego will be done in animation.
Side Note: Based on the Disney Channel TV show. Jim Fall will direct and Hilary Duff will star in this $15 mil. production. Shooting begins Oct. 14.
Mile Zero
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Writer: Holly Brix
Buyer: Phoenix Pics.
Logline: Story is about a young woman's efforts to clear her father's name in a string of gruesome murders at a remote Alaskan oil facility. In doing so, she gets a job at the station, hoping to prove that the place is haunted.
Side Note: Spec script. Benderspink to executive produce.
One Eyed Jacks and Suicide Kings
Genre: Drama
Writer: Colin Patrick Lynch
Buyer: Linda Fiorentino
Producer: Linda Fiorentino, David Collins, Michael Williams
Logline: Six boyhood friends in their 20's confront their futures when they get together for a weekly poker game
Side Note: Actress Linda Fiorentino will make her directing and producing debut on this low budget feature that is based on a play by Colin Patrick Lynch.
Untitled Price Thriller
Genre: Thriller
Writer: Richard Price
Buyer: Paramount
Producer: Scott Rudin
Logline: Thriller set in a modern urban setting.
Side Note: Richard price has been hired to write a script that will star Jodie Foster and be directed by Jonathan Demme.
The Booster
Genre: Drama
Writer: Sheldon Turner
Author: Eugene Izzi
Buyer: Intermedia Films
Producer: Louis DiGiaimo, Mark Johnson
Logline: Two legendary thieves reunite during a winter storm to rob the 91st floor of the Sears Tower -- from the outside.
Side Note: Adaptation of Eugene Izzi's novel. Sheldon Turner will adapt. John McTiernan is negotiating to direct.
Don't Send Help
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Al Franken, Geoff Rodkey
Buyer: Deep River Prods.
Purchase Price: High-six figures/low-seven
Producer: David Friendly, Marc Turtletaub, David Higgins
Logline: Relationship between several supermodels and one geeky guy.
Side Note: Pitch. David Friendly and Marc Turtletaub to produce. David Higgins will executive produce.
The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things
Genre: Drama
Writer: Asia Argento
Author: J.T. Leroy
Buyer: Muse Prods.
Producer: Chris Hanley
Logline: Semi-autobiographical story about a hellish odyssey of drug abuse, prostitution and foster homes.
Side Note: To be adapted from story collection by J.T. Leroy. Chris Hangley to produce. Asia Argento to direct and star in.
John Hamburg Project
Genre: Romantic comedy
Writer: John Hamburg
Buyer: Universal/Jersey Films
Producer: Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg, Stacey Sher
Logline: An anal-retentive risk-averse man analyzes risk for a living but his life is turned upside down when he gets involved in a risky romance.
Side Note: Hamburg set to direct. Danny DeVito, Michael Shamberg and Stacey Sher will produce. Ben Stiller is in negotiations to star.
Twelve
Genre: Drama
Author: Nick McDonell
Buyer: Radar Pictures
Producer: Ted Field
Logline: Chronicle of drug and decadence among the kids in the privileged class of the Upper East Side of Manhattan.
Side Note: Radar picked up the rights to novel which is entering its sixth printing, and has sold close to 60,000 copies to date. McDonell is eighteen years old.
Area 51
Genre: Sci-fi/Action
Buyer: Stan Winston Prods.
Logline: Three characters on individual and cooperative missions, attempt to unlock the extraterrestrial mystery behind the secret military base in the Nevada desert.
Side Note: Purchase was made from Midway Games which is relaunching the game on PlayStation 2, Xbox and GameCube in 2004. No screenwriter is attached yet.
Camp
Genre: Comedy/Musical
Writer: Todd Graff
Buyer: IFC Prods/Jersey Films/Killer Films
Producer: Christine Vachon, Pamela Koffler, Katie Roumel, Danny DeVito, Stacey Sher, Michael Shamberg, Todd Graff
Logline: Set in a summer camp for young performers and centers around a guy named Bert Hanley, a burnt-out, once-successful Broadway songwriter who has reached a career low.
Side Note: Todd Graff will make his directing debut. The film will feature production numbers to songs by Stephen Sondheim, the Rolling Stones and Victoria Williams.
Crazy Taxi
Genre: Action/Comedy
Buyer: Mindfire Entertainment
Logline: The video game is about a Russian cab drivers in New York who must deliver customers from location A to location B as fast as possible by any means necessary. Cabs careen through crowded streets and sidewalks, rush through subway tunnels and jump onto rooftops to make better time.
Side Note: Based on Sega's arcade game. Material was originally optioned by Goodman/Rose Productions in July 2001, but the option ran out. Described as a combination of "The Fast and the Furious" car crashes mixed with the drama of "Taxicab Confessions" and the comedy of "Rat Race." It is expected to go into production as early as first-quarter 2003.
First Snow
Genre: Drama
Writer: Mark Fergus, Hawk Ostby
Buyer: Senator International
Producer: Linne Radmin, Robyn Meisinger
Logline: Similar to "Memento" in its quirkiness.
Side Note: Fegus will make his directorial debut on this film, set for an October start. Linne Radmin and Robyn Meisinger of the Radmin Company will produce.
King Kamehameha
Genre: Biography
Writer: Greg Poirier
Buyer: Columbia Pics.
Producer: Jon Shestack
Logline: Bio of Kamehameha, who conquered the tribal-ruled seven Hawaiian islands in the 1700s and made himself king
Side Note: Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson will star. Project was a preemptive buy. Original Films partners, Marty Adelstein and Neal Moritz might also be involved in some type of producing capacity. Rob Cohen ("The Fast and the Furious" ) is in early talks to direct.
Mage
Genre: Sci-fi
Writer: John Rogers
Author: Matt Wagner
Buyer: Spyglass Ent.
Producer: Andrew Cosby, Roger Birnbaum, Gary Barber, Ross Ritchie
Logline: Set in a modern metropolis, the story follows a normal guy who becomes a reluctant hero in the battle between Good and Evil.
Side Note: Adapted from the comic book "Mage" created by Matt Wagner. Zack Synder to direct. Roger Birnbaum to produce witl Gary Barber, Ross Ritchie, and Andrew Cosby. Jon Glickman will executive produce.
Meridian
Genre: Sci-fi/Adventure
Writer: Larry Whitaker
Buyer: Cornerstone Animation
Logline: Story is about a teenage princess named Sephie who must battle evil plots against the throne after her father is killed.
Side Note: Film rights of this 26 series comic book were purchased from Cross Generation Comics. Larry Whitaker will co-write the script with plans to direct the project, which is expected to go into production next year.
The Outer Limits
Genre: Sci-fi/Fantasy
Writer: Gerald DiPego, Zachary DiPego, Justin DiPego
Buyer: MGM
Producer: Mark Victor, Michael Grais, Pen Densham, Mark Stern, Guy McElwaine, John Watson
Logline: Science fiction, horror, and fantasy tales & fables.
Side Note: To be based on the 19060's anthology series. This is part of a two-picture deal Victor & Grais Prods. signed with MGM. It will be a co-production with Trilogy Ent. Rupert Wainwright to direct.
Scaramouche
Genre: Romance
Writer: Richard Kurti, Bev Doyle
Author: Rafael Sabatini
Buyer: Warner Bros.
Producer: David Heyman
Logline: Set in the early days of the French Revolution and features the exploits of one Andre-Louis Moreau, also known as Scaramouche.
Side Note: Terry Gilliam is negotiating to direct. Adaptation of the 1921 novel by Rafael Sabatini. Even though the novel has been brought to the screen many times, this is not a remake and will stem from the original source material.
Wave
Genre: Drama
Writer: David Rothmiller
Buyer: Magic Lantern Entertainment
Producer: Jewel Kilcher, Lenedra Carroll
Logline: Chronicles the chaos surrounding the reunion of a mother and her estranged son in a small island community off the west coast of Canada.
Side Note: This is the first purchase by Magic Lantern Ent. the company which is owned by singer Jewel and her manager/mom Lenedra Carroll. They will serve as exec producers on the project. The company plans on doing more projects with new talent.
Way Of The Rat
Genre: Action/Adventure
Writer: Russell, Chuck
Buyer: Castle Rock
Side Note: Writer/Director Chuck Russell has teamed with Writer/Director Frank Darabont to bring this comic book to the big screen. Russell will write and direct. Pic will be produced by Darabont's company, Dark Woods Prods. Branded Entertainment's Michael Uslan ("Batman & Robin") is serving as executive producer.
In Her Shoes
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Susannah Grant
Author: Jennifer Weiner
Buyer: Fox 2000
Producer: Ridley Scott, Tony Scott
Logline: Story is about about sibling rivalry in which a sexy, irresponsible party girl moves in with her sister, an ambitious attorney.
Side Note: The book was submitted to several companies by BenderSpink before Fox and Scott Free Prods. took it off the market. Scott Free Productions will produce. Fox 2000 picked up the rights to the novel in June 2002.
The Breathtaker
Genre: Thriller/Action
Writer: Sheldon Turner
Author: Alice Blanchard
Buyer: John Wells Prods.
Producer: John Wells
Logline: Story is about a serial killer who strikes during tornadoes and kills his victims in the eye of the storms.
Side Note: To be adapted from Alice Blanchard's novel. John Wells Productions to produce. Novel will be published in October. Sheldon Turner will adapt for low-mid-six figures.
Columbia Gold
Genre: Drama
Writer: Tom Pabst
Author: Fredric Dannen
Buyer: Universal
Producer: Matthew Greenfield, Sydney Pollack, Anthony Minghella
Logline: Story is about a laundering ring that is under investigation by the FBI, centering on a sympathetic woman who joins the investigation only to get in deeper than she had anticipated -- in both the crime ring and a love triangle.
Side Note: Pitch. To be based on Dannen's New Yorker magazine article. Miguel Arteta is attached to develop and direct. Sydney Pollack and Anthony Minghella's Mirage Enterprises to produce.
Coma
Genre: Drama
Writer: Mike Giardi
Buyer: Media Ventures Pictures
Producer: Robert Green
Logline: A woman who fakes a coma in an effort to make her husband's life miserable and steal his money.
Side Note: Hans Zimmer and Jay Rifkin will produce along with Robert Green.
Embers
Genre: Drama
Writer: Jean-Claude Carriere
Author: Sandor Marai
Buyer: Robert Haggiag
Producer: Robert Haggiag
Logline: Two old men, once best friends, who meet again after a 41-year break in their relationship.
Side Note: To be adapted from Sandor Marai's Hungarian novel. Milos Forman to direct. Robert Haggiag to produce.
The Game Of Their Lives
Genre: True Story
Writer: Anthony Pizzo
Author: Geoffrey Douglas
Buyer: Crusader Entertainment
Logline: Story of the U.S. olympic soccer team that in a stunning upset, defeated England in the 1950 World Cup. Since the tournament was not regarded very highly in the U.S. the team was hastily put together comprised of amateur and semiprofessional players, composed chiefly of working-class immigrants.
Side Note: Director David Anspaugh and writer Angelo Pizzo are teaming up to bring this book to the screen. Shooting will begin early next year.
Million $$$ Baby
Genre: Drama
Writer: Paul Haggis
Author: FX Toole
Buyer: The Ruddy Morgan Organization
Logline: Story is about a young woman looking to fight her way out of poverty in the ring and of the veteran trainer who takes her on against his better judgment.
Side Note: To be adapted from the novella from the best-selling collection of boxing stories "Rope Burns: Stories From the Corner" by F.X. Toole. The project is being produced in association with Morgan Freeman's Revelations Entertainment The author, whose real name is Jerry Boyd was a boxing trainer for 20 years.
Vampirella
Genre: Horror action
Writer: Jim Warren, Forrest Ackerman, Frank Frazetta, Trina Robbins
Buyer: Mindfire Ent.
Producer: Mark Altman, Dan Bates, Mark Gottwald
Logline: Story of Vampirella, the sexy heroine who gets involved in a range of supernatural adventures even as she must continue to sustain herself off the blood of the living.
Side Note: This $20 mil - $25 mil production will get underway early next year. Film and TV rights of this comic book first published in 1969 were purchased from Harris Publications. No screenwriter is attached.
Chasing The Dime
Genre: Crime drama
Writer: Jon Bokenkamp
Author: Michael Connelly
Buyer: MGM
Producer: Mark Canton
Logline: A young scientist receives mysterious phone calls and suspects the woman who had the number before him is missing. He becomes obsessed with finding and saving her even though they have never met.
Side Note: To be adapted from Michael Connelly's novel which was optioned in February 2002. Mark Canton to produce.
The Curious Incident Of The Dog In The Night-Time
Genre: Coming of Age
Writer: Steve Kloves
Author: Mark Haddon
Buyer: Warner Bros.
Producer: Brad Pitt, Brad Grey, David Heyman
Logline: 15-year old autistic boy tries to replicate the methods of his literary idol Sherlock Holmes and discover who killed his neighbor's dog with a garden tool.
Side Note: Negotiations are taking place for the rights to this novel. It would be the first deal for the new company that was formed by Brad Pitt and Brad Grey at WB. Steve Kloves("Wonder Boys") is in early talks to adapt and direct.
Flint
Genre: Thriller
Writer: Michael Cooney
Author: Paul Eddy
Buyer: Columbia Pics.
Purchase Price: Low-six figures/high-six
Producer: Catherine Zeta-Jones, Doug Wick, Lucy Fisher, Lyndon Jones
Logline: British intelligence agent, Grace Flint is savagely beaten and disfigured while infiltrating a money laundering scheme. Reconstructive surgery saves her face but leaves her with a new identity. She is then able to go after the bad guys once again.
Side Note: To be adapted from Paul Eddy's best-seller. Red Wagon Entertainment's' Doug Wick and Lucy Fisher to produce along with Catherine Zeta Jones and Lyndon Jones. Zeta Jones to also star in. Originally set up in March 2000. On October 2, 2000 screenwriter Marc Moss was hired to pen a screenplay adaptation.
The Nanny Diaries
Genre: Comedy/Drama
Writer: Jenny Bicks
Author: Emma McLaughlin, Nicola Kraus
Buyer: Miramax
Purchase Price: $500k
Producer: Richard Gladstein
Logline: Centers on a college student who takes a job as a nanny for a five-year-old whose parents are prominent and wealthy New Yorkers. She finds herself in the household from hell, dealing with their marital problems, her classes and a new romance.
Side Note: Book was written by first-timers Nicola Kraus and Emma McLaughlin. Jenny Bicks will adapt the book for the screen.
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