January 2002 Script Sales

JANUARY 2002 SCRIPT SALES

(Pages are updated throughout the month, with the most recent at the top of the list)

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Havoc
Genre: Drama
Writer: Stephen Gaghan
Buyer: MDP Worldwide
Producer: John Morrissey, Jack Murphy
Logline: Similar to the storytelling in "Traffic," "Havoc" is an intricate drama about a gang of wealthy L.A. teens met with the real-life gangster lifestyle they have long tried to follow when they encounter a drug-dealing Latino gang.
Side Note: This script is based on Jessica Kaplan's screenplay "Powers That Be" which sold a few years back when Jessica was a high school student at Crossroads School in Santa Monica. Lars Bjorck will co-produce.

A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genious
Genre: Memoir
Author: Dave Eggers
Buyer: New Line
Purchase Price: $2 mil / $3 mil
Producer: Scott Rudin, Dave Eggers
Logline: Memoir of author's life after the death of his parents. At 22, he was forced to raise his 8 year-old brother and come up with innovative ways to do this.
Side Note: Book was written by Dave Eggers who has the right to co-write the treatment or approve it if it is written by someone else. He also has the right to approve the screenwriter, director and the screenwriter. He will also have the right to approve the screenplay if it varies from the treatment that he gave the go ahead to. The author will donate much of his money to cancer related charities.

Matt Helm Book Series
Genre: Action
Author: Donald Hamilton
Buyer: DreamWorks
Purchase Price: Near seven figurees
Producer: Jennifer Todd, Suzanne Todd
Logline: Elements from many of the books will be incorporated into this feature about Matt Helm, debonair spy.
Side Note: All 27 novels in the series have been optioned. DreamWorks is hoping this will be a franchise. Robert Luketic ("Legally Blonde") will direct. Barry Rosen and Danny Simon will exec produce through their Wetworks production company.

Nappliy Ever After
Genre: Drama
Author: Trisha Thomas
Buyer: Universal/Mark Platt Prods.
Producer: Mark Platt, Vincent Cirrincione, Angela DeJoseph, Halle Berry
Logline: A beautiful woman (Halle Berry) is tired of waiting for her boyfriend to marry her. They break up and her resolve is tested after he falls for another woman.
Side Note: To star Halle Berry. A writer is being sought to adapt.

Surviving Christmas
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Harry Elfont, Deborah Kaplan, Josh Sternin, Josh Ventimilia
Buyer: DreamWorks
Producer: Betty Thomas, Jenno Topping
Logline: A man is faced with spending the Christmas holiday by himself. In order to avoid loneliness on this special day, he goes back to his childhood home and persuades the family that now lives there to take him in.
Side Note: DreamWorks is negotiating with Sony to buy this project that will star Ben Affleck. Harry Elfont and Deborah Kaplan scripted the original draft, with a rewrite by Josh Sternin and Jeff Ventimilia. Betty Thomas and Jenno Toppings' Tall Tree Prods. will produce for DreamWorks.

The Boston Stranglers
Genre: Thriller
Writer: Sid Quashie
Buyer: Paramount
Producer: Jesse Beaton, Gale Anne Hurd
Logline: What if the Boston Strangler killings were committed by multiple killers rather than just the convicted killer, Albert DeSalvo?
Side Note: Adaptation assignment of the book of the same name. Carl Franklin is attached to direct. Paramount hopes to have a script by the summer. Kevin Brown will exec produce.

The Mission
Genre: Action
Writer: Christopher McQuarrie
Buyer: Intermedia
Purchase Price: High-six figures
Producer: Lou Pitt, Robert Newmyer, Thomas Leong, Chris Acosta
Logline: Five elite bodyguards form a tight bond while protecting a key mob leader after an attempted assassination.
Side Note: Negotiations are still taking place on this deal to remake a 1999 Hong Kong film. Christopher McQuarrie ("The Usual Suspects") will write the script. Outlaw Films will produce for Intermedia.

Next Door
Genre: Horror
Writer: Jack Wade Wall
Buyer: New Line/D-No
Producer: Darlene Caamano
Logline: A seriel killer returns to a small town to wreak havoc.
Side Note: Noah Rosen will exec produce. D-No which manages the writer will produce for New Line.

The Up and Comer
Genre: Black Comedy
Buyer: USA Films/Furthur Films
Agency: Endeavor
Logline: The life of a very successful New York attorney is turned upside down when a penniless prep-school buddy blows into town and proceeds to blackmail him.
Side Note: Adaptation of the novel of the same name by John Polson (who will direct) and Howard Roughan. Furthur Films, owned by Michael Douglas is based at USA Films. Fred Fuchs will exec produce.

(Updated Information)
Ghost Soldiers
Genre: Drama / Military
Writer: Josh Friedman
Author: Hampton Sides
Buyer: DreamWorks/Universal
Purchase Price: Six figures
Producer: Marc Platt
Logline: Based on a true story of a daring rescue by an elite force of US Rangers of 500 American POW's held in a Japanese POW camp in the Philippines during WWII.
UPDATE: Steven Spielberg will direct and Tom Cruise will star. Project was originally sold to Universal on 1/19/01. C/W Prods. (Tom Cruise's co.) will develop the project for Universal and DreamWorks. A draft has been completed by Josh Friedman.

(Updated Information)
Howard Hughes Project
Genre: Biography
Writer: John Logan
Buyer: Forward Pass
Producer: Sandy Climan, Michael Mann
Logline: This bio-pic will focus on the formative Hughes years, when he was a dashing aviator and movie mogul. It will end in the early 1950s.
Side Note: Martin Scorsese will direct. Leornardo DiCaprio will star. A script has been written by John Logan which was developed by Leonardo DiCaprio and director Michael Mann. Mann dropped out of the project as director but will produce under his Forward Pass production banner. Financing is being sought.

Illusion
Genre: Action / Thriller
Writer: William Brent Bell, Matthew Peterman
Buyer: Walt Disney Pics.
Purchase Price: Low-six figures
Producer: Jonathan Frakes, Lisa Olin
Logline: An illusionist falsely accused of a crime uses his magic tricks to clear his name.
Side Note: This was a preemptive purchase by Disney. Jonathan Frakes will direct and produce through his Goepp Circle Films production banner.

My Romance
Genre: Romantic comedy
Writer: Jim Mattson, B.E. Brauner
Buyer: Davis Entertainment/Twentieth Century Fox 2000
Purchase Price: Mid-six figures
Logline: An ordinary woman is mistaken for a billionaire’s mistress. The man then hires her to masquerade as his mistress to protect the other woman’s identity from the media.
Side Note: Jennifer Love Hewitt has been signed to star and will co-produce through her LoveSpell Prods. Robert King will rewrite the Jim Mattson-B.E. Brauner script. Project was originally set up on 5/21/1998.

The Corrections
Genre: Drama
Writer: David Hare
Author: Jonathan Franzen
Buyer: Scott Rudin Prods.
Producer: Scott Rudin
Logline: Story is about a three generations of a deeply dysfunctional Midwestern family who convene for a final Christmas celebration. Some of the family members include: a patriarch with Parkinson's disease, his bisexual daughter, a chef in a trendy Philadelphia restaurant and his prodigal son and an academic fired for having an affair with a student.
Side Note: David Hare has been hired to adapt the book which was originally sold on 8/02/01. It will be directed by Stephen Daldry. Production might begin this winter.

The Pleasure Of Your Company
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Michael Ian Black
Buyer: Magellan Filmed Entertainment
Producer: Mike Gabrawy, Michael Garrity, Marc Fusco
Logline: Story is about a confused young man who marries a complete stranger after he accidentally kills his girlfriend in a surprise marriage proposal.
Side Note: Written by actor Michael Ian Black who will also direct. Black's manager will exec produce.

Secret Sanction
Genre: Drama / Action
Writer: Joe Batteer, John Rice
Author: Brian Haig
Buyer: Intermedia Films/Saturn Films
Producer: Nicolas Cage, Norm Golightly
Logline: Story is about the complexities and moral grays of war, seen through the eyes of a military prosecutor.
Side Note: To star and be produced by Nicolas Cage's company, Saturn Films. Author is the son of Alexander Haig, the former Secretary of State. This is a part of a seven-figure two picture deal that the screenwriters have signed with Intermedia and Pacifica.

The Sword In The Stone
Genre: Coming of Age
Writer: Jay Wolpert
Author: T.H. White
Buyer: Walt Disney Pics.
Logline: Story of King Arthur as a young boy. Through his relationship with the magician Merlin, Arthur begins to appreciate himself and with enhanced self-esteem prepares for his future life as king of England.
Side Note: This novel was published in 1958 as part of a quartet of novels under the title, "The Once And Future King." Movie will be live action along with CGI graphics. Jay Wolpert wrote the upcoming "The Count Of Monte Cristo."

Three Day Weekend
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Noah Laracy, Charlie Sullivan
Buyer: Catch 23 Entertainment
Producer: Matt Berenson, Alessandro Camon
Logline: A conservative sheriff in a small town must keep order even though the residents believe the world will end in three days.
Side Note: Both writers just sold "Fordlandia" to HBO based on a pitch and will write the script. It's about Henry Ford's failure to build a rubber plantation in the heart of the Amazon.

Pure Dead Magic
Genre: Children
Writer: Julian Fellowes
Author: Debi Gliori
Buyer: Universal
Producer: Courtney Pledger, Sarah Radclyffe
Logline: Story is about a Scottish family, the last clan in a long line of witches living in their bewitched family castle in Scotland. When their father is kidnapped by a half brother looking for an inheritance, his children must use witchcraft, computer technology and help from some magical pet beasts to save him.
Side Note: Julian Fellowes wrote "Gosford Park." The script will be based on the British children's book of the same name. It was published in September by Knopf.

Like A Bat Out Of Hell: Jeepers Creepers 2
Genre: Horror
Writer: Victor Salva
Buyer: UA/American Zoetrope
Producer: Tom Luce
Logline: A winged monster (Creeper) preys on a bus full of high school basketball players, cheerleaders and related characters
Side Note: "Jeepers Creepers" will be financed by MGM and Myriad Pictures. The director of "Jeepers Creepers," Victor Salva will write and direct.

Eustace Diamonds
Genre: Drama
Writer: Julian Fellowes
Author: Anthony Trollope
Producer: Bob Balaban, Ileen Meisel
Logline: A cunning, sharp, intelligent woman attempts to keep hold of a diamond necklace that doesn't belong to her.
Side Note: Adaptation of the novel which was purchased by Bob Balaban and Ileen Meisel. Julian Fellowes wrote "Gosford Park."

Peter Pan
Genre: Children
Writer: Michael Goldenberg
Author: James Barrie
Buyer: Revolution Studios/Columbia Pics./Walt Disney Co.
Logline: A new, live-action rendering of the classic James Barrie tale.
Side Note: This is still in negotiations.

Sweet Swinger
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Dana Olsen
Buyer: MGM
Producer: John Davis, Dylan Sellers
Logline: A professional golfer in debt to the mob for a lot of cash, masquerades as a woman and joins the ladies professional golf tour. He ends up winning the big tournament and falling in love with the leading player.
Side Note: Dana Olsen wrote the original draft which was picked up by Fox 2000 six years ago. Over the years, rewrites were down by Jack Cash and Jack Eps Jr. ("Top Gun") and David Diamond and David Weissman.

Dark Water
Genre: Horror / Fantasy
Buyer: Pandemonium
Purchase Price: Low-six figures / mid-six
Producer: Doug Davison, Roy Lee
Logline: Story is about an economically underprivileged woman's unpleasant custody battle for her daughter, which descends into a supernatural maelstrom.
Side Note: Remake of the Hideo Nakata's horror fantasy picture "Dark Water," which will debut in Japan this weekend. Vertigo Entertainment, which was formed last October will produce for Pandemonium.

Edge Of Darkness
Genre: Political thriller
Buyer: Catch 23 Entertainment
Producer: Michael Wearing
Logline: After witnessing the murder of his daughter, an obsessed cop and widower tries to catch those responsible.
Side Note: Martin Campbell will direct this feature remake of a BBC mini-series. Unlike the miniseries, the story will be modernized and set in the U.S. The project was developed at the U.K.- based development and production entity of Catch 23 Entertainment

The Giver
Genre: Drama / Futuristic
Author: Lois Lowry
Buyer: Walden Media
Producer: Orly Wiseman, Nicole Silver, Neil Koenigsberg
Logline: We're presented with a world where there is no pain, love, sickness, poverty etc. Basically, no humanity. A 12-year-old boy is chosen to be the community's Receiver of Memories. Under the guidance of a wise old man known as the Giver, he gradually learns the disturbing truth about his world. That its people have chosen to surrender their humanity to create a more stable society.
Side Note: Jeff Bridges will star and produce through his Asls Productions. RCN Entertainment is also producing for Walden Media. No screenwriter is attached.

Under The Tuscan Sun
Genre: Romantic comedy
Writer: Audrey Wells
Buyer: Miramax
Purchase Price: Low-six figures / mid-six
Producer: Tom Sternberg
Logline: Memoir of the author's experiences renovating an abandoned villa in Italy.
Side Note: Audrey Wells ("The Truth About Cats and Dogs." ) has come aboard to adapt the novel and direct. Deal was originally set up on 5/19/2000.

Fugue
Genre: Romantic thriller
Writer: Alon Kaplan
Buyer: Miramax
Logline: A gifted medical student disappears and then reappears eight years later with no memory of what happened to him during that time. While he investigates his missing years, he discovers that he possessed numerous identities.
Side Note: Eric Bross is attached to direct.

Head Of The State
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Chris Rock, Ali LeRoi
Buyer: DreamWorks SKG
Logline: Chris Rock will star as an Alderman from a Washington district who runs for President as a replacement for a deceased candidate.
Side Note: This will be Chris Rock's directing debut.

Jealousy
Genre: Drama
Writer: John Herzfeld
Buyer: Artisan Ent.
Producer: John Herzfeld, Eric Handler, Keith Addis, Nick Wechsler
Logline: Story of two couples. As their relationships fall apart they fall victim to their jealous feelings.
Side Note: Herzfeld wrote and directed "Fifteen Minutes." He will direct "Jealousy."

The Phoenix
Genre: Thriller
Writer: Henning Boetius
Buyer: Universal
Purchase Price: Six-figures
Producer: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall
Logline: A man who escapes the Hindenburg disaster, becomes fixated with detecting the cause of the crash.
Side Note: The author is the the son of the Hindenburg elevator operator who survived the crash. The book was just published by Doubleday.

Last Of The Amazons
Genre: Action/Adventure
Author: Steven Pressfield
Buyer: Twentieth Century Fox/Lightstorm Entertainment
Logline: The story is about female Amazon warriors who nearly overrun Greece. These warriors only seek out the company of males when they need to repopulate.
Side Note: The author Steve Pressfield might write the script. The book will be published by Doubleday in June. Lightstorm Ent. is owned by James Cameron.

Mr. and Mrs. Smith
Genre: Action / Thriller
Writer: Simon Kinberg
Buyer: Weed Road Pics./Summitt Ent.
Purchase Price: Low-six figures / mid-six
Producer: Akiva Goldsman, Patrick Wachsberger
Logline: This is a mix between "War of the Roses" and "True Lies," where a couple click while escaping a revolt in Colombia.
Additional Information: Pitch given by Simon Kinberg.
UPDATE: Summitt Entertainment is making a deal with New Regency to produce this project which was originally set up on 07/17/2000. Simon Kinberg was a student at Columbia University's graduate film program, which Hollywood pays lots of attention to. This was Kinberg's fourth deal in three years as a student.

Lizzie McGuire
Genre: Coming of Age
Buyer: Walt Disney Pics.
Producer: Stan Rogow
Logline: Film follows the comic antics of a 13-year-old girl as she tries to survive seventh grade.
Side Note: This is a feature film adaptation of a Disney Channel series. The film will star Hilary Duff, who stars in the series and will be released in 2003.

Major Movie Star
Genre: Comedy
Writer: April Blair
Buyer: Warner Bros.
Purchase Price: $300k / $600k
Logline: In order to show a producer that she can play a character in a military-themed picture, a naive pop singer enlists in the Army. It has been described as "Legally Blonde" in combat boots.

Across The Nightingale Floor
Genre: Historical drama
Author: Lian Hearn
Buyer: Universal/Kennedy Marshall Co.
Purchase Price: near $2 mil.
Producer: Kathleen Kennedy, Frank Marshall
Logline: Story is about the adventures of Takeo, a 16-year-old boy who loses his parents and is adopted by a powerful warlord. Along the way he also discovers he has mystical powers.
Side Note: First book in a trilogy of historic novels.

The Billionaire Fugitive
Writer: Ned Zeman, Daniel Bernstein
Author: Ned Zeman
Buyer: Revolutions Studios/Cheyenne Ent.
Purchase Price: Mid-six figures - seven
Producer: Arnold Rifkin, Bruce Willis
Logline: True story of a woman's decade long pursuit to pin the murder of her friend on Robert Dunst, the inheritor to a NY real estate empire.

The Grisbeys
Genre: Comedy / Family
Writer: John Hughes
Buyer: Revolution Studios
Producer: John Hughes
Logline: A very prosperous family loses all of its money and has to move to the other side of the tracks at Christmas.

Haunted Mansion
Genre: Family
Writer: David Berenbaum
Buyer: Walt Disney Pics.
Producer: Andrew Gunn
Logline: Story is about a father who has neglected his family encounters a ghost while on a job interview. The revelation spooks him into an overwhelming perception of the importance of his family.
Side Note: Inspired by Disney's Haunted Mansion theme park ride. The screenwriter is part of Disney's writers-in-residence program. Producer Andrew Gun is Disney-based.

The Shape Of Things
Genre: Black Comedy
Writer: Neil LaBute
Buyer: USA Films/Working Title Films
Producer: Gail Mutrux, Philip Steuer, Neil LaBute, Rachel Weisz
Logline: Account of a man who becomes the raw material of a student's high-concept art project.
Side Note: Gail Mutrux's company Pretty Pictures will produce with Working Title for USA. Play is currently on Broadway and is about to end its four month run. Neil Labute will adapt is own play and direct the feature. Working Title co-chairs Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner will executive produce.

Court and Spark
Genre: Historical drama
Writer: Alan Howard
Buyer: Twentieth Century Fox Searchlight
Producer: Marc Epstein
Logline: Story of Eleanor of Aquitaine, who in the 12th century became queen of both France and England, proving more than a match for both kings.
Side Note: Project will be developed with Nicole Kidman to star. Her manager, Marc Epstein will produce.

The Forger
Genre: Thriller
Writer: David Auburn
Author: Paul Watkins
Buyer: Miramax
Producer: Laura Ziskin
Logline: Story is about an American student who arrives in Paris in 1939 and is swept up in a plot to replace French masterpieces with forgeries before the Nazis confiscate them.
Side Note: Producer Laura Ziskin has a first-look deal with Sony.

The Jordeys
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Chris D'Arienzo
Producer: Scott Rudin, Ed Solomon
Logline: Story about the rise, fall and rise of two teenage movie stars.
Side Note: Purchased from Warner Bros.

We Die Alone
Genre: Drama / Military
Author: David Howarth
Buyer: Radar Pictures
Producer: Mitchell Peck
Logline: True story of an allied commando who infiltrated Nazi-occupied Norway, teaming with villagers from a remote enclave to thwart the Nazis.

Bridesmaids
Genre: Comedy
Writer: Liz Brixius
Buyer: Revolution Studios/Fortis Films
Producer: Sandra Bullock
Logline: Female pal comedy feature set at a wedding at Martha's Vineyard.
Side Note: It is being developed as a starring resource for Sandra Bullock. Fortis Films will produce for Revolution Studios.

Lieutenant Ramsey's War: From Horse Soldier to Guerrilla Commander
Genre: Biography
Author: Edwin Ramsey, Stephen Rivele
Buyer: New Line
Producer: Terence Chang, Chris Godsick
Logline: A true story of a U.S. Army lieutenant who refused to surrender after Japan took the Philippines in 1942. Instead, he joined the Filipino resistance and rose to command more than 40,000 guerrillas. The Japanese put the obscure American leader at the top of their death list, but Ramsey rejected the opportunity to escape and stood his ground until General Douglas MacArthur landed in 1945
Side Note: New Line picked up book from Columbia which optioned it in 1997. Peter Kosminsky attached to develop and direct A writer is now being sought after.

Teen Angst? Naah
Genre: Drama
Author: Ned Vizzini
Buyer: Miramax/Jane Startz Prods.
Producer: Jane Startz
Logline: An assortment of stories about the real pains of growing up and the trepidations of being a regular kid.
Side Note: The book was penned two years ago after the publisher saw one of the the author's essays in The New York Times. NY-based Jane Startz has a first-look deal with Miramax.

3 Miles Down
Genre: Action
Writer: Nicolas Falacci, Cheryl Heuton
Author: Clyde Burleson
Buyer: APG / Chicago Pacific
Logline: Story of a covert CIA/Navy operation called The Jennifer Project, which was designed to salvage a sunken Soviet nuclear powered sub. With the help of Howard Hughes, a large ship was constructed that had a three-mile-long, concealed salvage arm. The mission was a success, even though the sub was cracked in half during the operation.
Side Note: The book is titled "The Jennifer Project." Andrew Davis' company Chicago Pacific will produce and Davis will direct.

The Argonauts
Genre: Action / Adventure
Writer: Simon Kinberg, Stephen Somers
Buyer: DreamWorks SKG / Universal
Producer: John Baldecchi, Jason Hoffs, Stephen Sommers, Bob Ducsay
Logline: At the beginning of WWII, a group of treasure hunters discover the location of the sunken ship used by Jason and the Argonauts and believed to have held the mythical golden fleece. Soon after the discovery is made, the treasure hunters find themselves back in the land of Greek mythology, battling Cyclops and a minotaur.
Side Note: This was originally set up as a pitch at Dreamworks before Universal came aboard. Stephen Sommers ("The Mummy") will co-write and direct.

Deathwatch
Genre: Horror
Writer: Michael Weiss
Buyer: Warner Bros.
Purchase Price: Mid-six figures
Producer: Joel Silver
Logline: A group of teenagers come across a haunted website that predicts their future.
Side Note: Story developed by Jonathan Hung. Project will be produced for Warner Bros. by Joel Silvers' Silver Pictures / Dark Castle Ent. and MBST Ent. It will be fast-tracked for a Halloween 2003 release.

Untitled Harvard Heist
Genre: Thriller
Writer: Stephen Susco
Buyer: Escape Artists
Purchase Price: Low-six figures / high-six
Producer: Steve Tisch, Todd Black, Jason Blumenthal, David Alper
Logline: Two students at Harvard Law School get away with robbing the campus credit union only to get wrapped up in a tangled web of deceit involving a new college professor.
Side Note: Bob Kosberg and Kira Mason brought the project to Escape Artists and will serve in some type of producing capacity. Brian Morewitz and Chrissy Blumenthal will serve as co-producers.