Butler's Script Sale of the Week...
July 22nd, 2001
The slow summer of sales continued this week, but I have to admit, out of the 9 sales we logged at SU, I was intrigued by a good percentage of them.
Michael Stipe's Single Cell continued its purchasing of off-beat scripts with ALL FAMILIES ARE PSYCHOTIC (definitely the Title Of The Week). Miramax picked up the rights to CAD: CONFESSIONS OF A TOXIC BACHELOR, a semi autobiographical look at 80's sexism and greed. Intermedia grabbed GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING, which is based on legal documents from the 17th century and has the good fortune of director Mike Newell (DONNIE BRASCO, 1997) being attached to direct. And MEET THE PARENTS scribe Jim Herzfeld has sold another script - BIG TICKET , which is set to showcase the acting talents of Ice Cube and Johnny Knoxville.
My pick of the week is Escape Artists' acquisition of the thriller pitch, DIARY by scribe Eric Nicholas (RIVER RATS, 1995).
I've never seen RIVER RATS, which Nicholas wrote and directed, and I'd be wary of anything the producer of FREDDY GOT FINGERED (Lauren Lloyd) is involved in. I've picked DIARY solely because when I read the storyline I thought, "Damn! Why didn't I think of that!".
The premise of a woman being terrorized by a thief who has stolen her diary and with it the grave secrets that she would do anything to hide is the rarest of log lines - something that hasn't been done before (as far as I can tell). It also contains what all great stories need to succeed - conflict and dilemma. When I think of the dramatic possibilities of this idea, I wish I could start writing it.
Of course a great idea will not always spawn a great film. I'd be curious to see RIVER RATS just to know what Nicholas's style is like (if anyone has let us know). If I were producer Lloyd I wouldn't take my eyes off this baby. And I'd put all my efforts into working with the writer to get the script right before I'd even think about looking for names to star and direct.
This is the type of idea that, handled correctly, could be a success regardless of whose name is on the poster. On the other hand, if it's handled poorly, it could be the kind of crap that ends up lost in the wilderness of late night cable.
-- Edward Butler
Michael Stipe's Single Cell continued its purchasing of off-beat scripts with ALL FAMILIES ARE PSYCHOTIC (definitely the Title Of The Week). Miramax picked up the rights to CAD: CONFESSIONS OF A TOXIC BACHELOR, a semi autobiographical look at 80's sexism and greed. Intermedia grabbed GIRL WITH A PEARL EARRING, which is based on legal documents from the 17th century and has the good fortune of director Mike Newell (DONNIE BRASCO, 1997) being attached to direct. And MEET THE PARENTS scribe Jim Herzfeld has sold another script - BIG TICKET , which is set to showcase the acting talents of Ice Cube and Johnny Knoxville.
My pick of the week is Escape Artists' acquisition of the thriller pitch, DIARY by scribe Eric Nicholas (RIVER RATS, 1995).
I've never seen RIVER RATS, which Nicholas wrote and directed, and I'd be wary of anything the producer of FREDDY GOT FINGERED (Lauren Lloyd) is involved in. I've picked DIARY solely because when I read the storyline I thought, "Damn! Why didn't I think of that!".
The premise of a woman being terrorized by a thief who has stolen her diary and with it the grave secrets that she would do anything to hide is the rarest of log lines - something that hasn't been done before (as far as I can tell). It also contains what all great stories need to succeed - conflict and dilemma. When I think of the dramatic possibilities of this idea, I wish I could start writing it.
Of course a great idea will not always spawn a great film. I'd be curious to see RIVER RATS just to know what Nicholas's style is like (if anyone has let us know). If I were producer Lloyd I wouldn't take my eyes off this baby. And I'd put all my efforts into working with the writer to get the script right before I'd even think about looking for names to star and direct.
This is the type of idea that, handled correctly, could be a success regardless of whose name is on the poster. On the other hand, if it's handled poorly, it could be the kind of crap that ends up lost in the wilderness of late night cable.
-- Edward Butler
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