Elston Gunn's WEEKLY SCRIPT REPORT (Major Sales, Events, and other News!)
August 4th, 2000
(Hey everybody, Chris here, Elston Gunn has agreed to do a weekly SCRIPT REPORT for SU. You'll find his reports are a thorough and informative review of the past week of script sales, and news!)
- Buddy Johnson and Phil Beauman (2 of SCARY MOVIE's 6 writers) sold their script TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT CLUELESS ROADTRIPS WHEN I CAN'T HARDLY WAIT TO BE KISSED to Columbia Pictures. It spoofs the teen genre much like SCARY MOVIE ribbed horror movies.
- Columbia picked up an untitled sci fi pitch by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary based on the idea that "perfection is always an illusion and that you never really know what's inside someone." Laura Ziskin Prods. will produce.
- Mark Steillen and Bennett Yellin sold their comedy script REAL MEN to Phoenix Pictures for the Farrelly Bros. to executive produce. It's about a New Yorker who goes to the swamps of Florida to pick up his fiance's father for their wedding.
- Alan Sereboff will adapt Mario Puzo's last novel OMERTA for Miramax Films as part of a three-pic deal. The second of which may be a sequel. Sereboff is also writing ADRENALIN for Christina Ricci to star as a half-human/half cyborg programmed to destroy the U.S.
- Gene Laufenberg (fFilm's "Sunday's Game" short) will write THOU SHALT NOT for the Bubble Factory about a guy whose life will be saved by God if he doesn't break any of the Ten Commandments for a week.
- Frank Darabont will do a script polish on MINORITY REPORT for Steven Spielberg.
- Peter Lenkov has written TOM about a White House communications director who gets caught with his girlfriend in an incriminating situation in the Oval Office. Bill Dear will direct for the Bubble Factory.
- Ken Kwapis will direct THAT CURSE THING written by first-timers Nina Giovannitti and Jeannie Elias about a woman who is the victim of an Italian curse--the Mal'occhio--which prevents her from falling in love.
- Roee Wiczyk has written UNTITLED COMMERCIAL YOUTH-ORIENTED ACTION FILM, which was sold to Konrad Pictures, and is described as a teen TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE.
- Producers Michel Shane and Tony Romano (upcoming CATCH ME IF YOU CAN) will move DOG EAT DOG by Edward Bunker (STRAIGHT TIME, ANIMAL FACTORY) based on his own autobiographical novel. Steve Anderson (SOUTH CENTRAL) will direct a co-adapt. It's about three young and committed criminals who decide to target the group least likely to call the cops: other crooks. Production
begins in November.
- Lawrence Kasdan will write, direct and produce an untitled large-scale police movie for Revolution Studios. The project is about an elite special response team of big city cops trained to deal with the most heinous criminals and delicate situations. Casting should begin this fall.
- Scribe Jim Uhls (FIGHT CLUB) is in talks to adapt Elmore Leonard's upcoming novel PAGAN BABIES about a Rwandan missionary who fled the U.S. to avoid prison after police discovered his cigarette smuggling scam.
- Bobby Smith Jr. (JASON'S LYRIC) willl write a musical drama as a potential starring vehicle for Usher Raymond at Dimension Films, and he'll adapt the autobiography PIMP for Fine Line Features, Quincy Jones Entertainment and Ice Cube's Cubevision. Cube will star.
- Brent Boyd has written LOVE SIMPLE, bought by Paramount Pictures, about a young research scientist who has a strange disease he must cure before he loses his girlfriend. The deeper he falls in love, the lower his IQ drops.
- Mike Rich (FINDING FORRESTER) will script DRAGON FIRE, a modern-day chase movie with tanksfor Revolution Entertainment based on an idea by Revolution partner Todd Garner.
- Casey Silver's Gone Fishing shingle picked up GAME BOY, a pitch centered around an action hero who discovers that he's actually the star of a computer game. John Mattson (FREE WILLY 2, upcoming FOOD) will script.
- Miramax (beating out DreamWorks) purchased the rights to Lucinda Rosenfeld's first novel WHAT SHE SAW about a suburban New Jersey teen's romantic rites of passage.
- Jersey Films has optioned the film rights to ``The Bugaloos,'' the 1970s Saturday morning television show created by Sid and Marty Krofft. Kerry Brown and Russell Scott will write the screenplay.
- The new Company Films, formed by producers Barrie Osborne and Stephen Hamel, are developing a list of projects including: a film based on the Norwegian novel HUNGER by Nobel Laureate Knut Hamsun about a writer's unwillingness to temper his art even for his need to eat; an untitled Greek epic, the story of a king who wishes to become a god who comes across a god who wishes to be mortal with Keanu Reeves possibly playing the god; AXIS MUNDI by Rudy Wurlitzer (LITTLE BUDDHA)-- a love story between a New York woman and a young Inuit man who search for an explorer lost searching for the fountain of youth; Adam Coleman Howard scripted the dark comedy HIT BOY a dark comedy about a rich preppy boy framed for murder.
- Michael Petroni (QUEEN OF THE DAMNED) will pen an original supernatural thriller for Revolution Studios about a female who wakes one day to find her husband is missing. Julia Roberts may star.
- Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson have written THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS about a New York dysfunctional family of geniuses. The Walt Disney Co. has greenlit the project. Barry Mendel and Scott Rudin will producer with Anderson who will also direct. Wilson will have a key role in the pic.
- Chris Morgan (S.W.A.T., SIEGE MASTER, DARKNESS, THE RALLY) will rewrite CELLULAR for producer Dean Devlin, who is also directing. The original script was written by Larry Cohen (PHONE BOOTH).
- Phoenix Pictures bought the action-comedy-romance spec LOWROADERS, set in the world of professional bounty hunting, from writers Martin and Marjorie Sweeney.
I'm pretty excited about some of the news above. I can't stop thinking about what THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS will be like. Anderson/Wilson have made two solid films in my book and if they keep getting better, then the next one should blow us away. I guess it's my pick of the week. (Though I'm intrigued by Lawrence Kasdan's new one as well).
-- Elston Gunn
(Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Variety)
- Buddy Johnson and Phil Beauman (2 of SCARY MOVIE's 6 writers) sold their script TEN THINGS I HATE ABOUT CLUELESS ROADTRIPS WHEN I CAN'T HARDLY WAIT TO BE KISSED to Columbia Pictures. It spoofs the teen genre much like SCARY MOVIE ribbed horror movies.
- Columbia picked up an untitled sci fi pitch by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary based on the idea that "perfection is always an illusion and that you never really know what's inside someone." Laura Ziskin Prods. will produce.
- Mark Steillen and Bennett Yellin sold their comedy script REAL MEN to Phoenix Pictures for the Farrelly Bros. to executive produce. It's about a New Yorker who goes to the swamps of Florida to pick up his fiance's father for their wedding.
- Alan Sereboff will adapt Mario Puzo's last novel OMERTA for Miramax Films as part of a three-pic deal. The second of which may be a sequel. Sereboff is also writing ADRENALIN for Christina Ricci to star as a half-human/half cyborg programmed to destroy the U.S.
- Gene Laufenberg (fFilm's "Sunday's Game" short) will write THOU SHALT NOT for the Bubble Factory about a guy whose life will be saved by God if he doesn't break any of the Ten Commandments for a week.
- Frank Darabont will do a script polish on MINORITY REPORT for Steven Spielberg.
- Peter Lenkov has written TOM about a White House communications director who gets caught with his girlfriend in an incriminating situation in the Oval Office. Bill Dear will direct for the Bubble Factory.
- Ken Kwapis will direct THAT CURSE THING written by first-timers Nina Giovannitti and Jeannie Elias about a woman who is the victim of an Italian curse--the Mal'occhio--which prevents her from falling in love.
- Roee Wiczyk has written UNTITLED COMMERCIAL YOUTH-ORIENTED ACTION FILM, which was sold to Konrad Pictures, and is described as a teen TREASURE OF THE SIERRA MADRE.
- Producers Michel Shane and Tony Romano (upcoming CATCH ME IF YOU CAN) will move DOG EAT DOG by Edward Bunker (STRAIGHT TIME, ANIMAL FACTORY) based on his own autobiographical novel. Steve Anderson (SOUTH CENTRAL) will direct a co-adapt. It's about three young and committed criminals who decide to target the group least likely to call the cops: other crooks. Production
begins in November.
- Lawrence Kasdan will write, direct and produce an untitled large-scale police movie for Revolution Studios. The project is about an elite special response team of big city cops trained to deal with the most heinous criminals and delicate situations. Casting should begin this fall.
- Scribe Jim Uhls (FIGHT CLUB) is in talks to adapt Elmore Leonard's upcoming novel PAGAN BABIES about a Rwandan missionary who fled the U.S. to avoid prison after police discovered his cigarette smuggling scam.
- Bobby Smith Jr. (JASON'S LYRIC) willl write a musical drama as a potential starring vehicle for Usher Raymond at Dimension Films, and he'll adapt the autobiography PIMP for Fine Line Features, Quincy Jones Entertainment and Ice Cube's Cubevision. Cube will star.
- Brent Boyd has written LOVE SIMPLE, bought by Paramount Pictures, about a young research scientist who has a strange disease he must cure before he loses his girlfriend. The deeper he falls in love, the lower his IQ drops.
- Mike Rich (FINDING FORRESTER) will script DRAGON FIRE, a modern-day chase movie with tanksfor Revolution Entertainment based on an idea by Revolution partner Todd Garner.
- Casey Silver's Gone Fishing shingle picked up GAME BOY, a pitch centered around an action hero who discovers that he's actually the star of a computer game. John Mattson (FREE WILLY 2, upcoming FOOD) will script.
- Miramax (beating out DreamWorks) purchased the rights to Lucinda Rosenfeld's first novel WHAT SHE SAW about a suburban New Jersey teen's romantic rites of passage.
- Jersey Films has optioned the film rights to ``The Bugaloos,'' the 1970s Saturday morning television show created by Sid and Marty Krofft. Kerry Brown and Russell Scott will write the screenplay.
- The new Company Films, formed by producers Barrie Osborne and Stephen Hamel, are developing a list of projects including: a film based on the Norwegian novel HUNGER by Nobel Laureate Knut Hamsun about a writer's unwillingness to temper his art even for his need to eat; an untitled Greek epic, the story of a king who wishes to become a god who comes across a god who wishes to be mortal with Keanu Reeves possibly playing the god; AXIS MUNDI by Rudy Wurlitzer (LITTLE BUDDHA)-- a love story between a New York woman and a young Inuit man who search for an explorer lost searching for the fountain of youth; Adam Coleman Howard scripted the dark comedy HIT BOY a dark comedy about a rich preppy boy framed for murder.
- Michael Petroni (QUEEN OF THE DAMNED) will pen an original supernatural thriller for Revolution Studios about a female who wakes one day to find her husband is missing. Julia Roberts may star.
- Wes Anderson and Owen Wilson have written THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS about a New York dysfunctional family of geniuses. The Walt Disney Co. has greenlit the project. Barry Mendel and Scott Rudin will producer with Anderson who will also direct. Wilson will have a key role in the pic.
- Chris Morgan (S.W.A.T., SIEGE MASTER, DARKNESS, THE RALLY) will rewrite CELLULAR for producer Dean Devlin, who is also directing. The original script was written by Larry Cohen (PHONE BOOTH).
- Phoenix Pictures bought the action-comedy-romance spec LOWROADERS, set in the world of professional bounty hunting, from writers Martin and Marjorie Sweeney.
I'm pretty excited about some of the news above. I can't stop thinking about what THE ROYAL TENENBAUMS will be like. Anderson/Wilson have made two solid films in my book and if they keep getting better, then the next one should blow us away. I guess it's my pick of the week. (Though I'm intrigued by Lawrence Kasdan's new one as well).
-- Elston Gunn
(Sources: The Hollywood Reporter, Variety)
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