Butler's Script Sale of the Week...
December 17th, 2001
A pretty busy week - the pre-Christmas rush, perhaps. Of the many scripts and pitches acquired there were a few stand-outs: Universal's acquisition of the rights to CYBORG, the novel that TV's THE SIX MILLION DOLLAR MAN was based on; USA Films' purchase of the George Reeve's (TV's first Superman) bio TRUTH, JUSTICE, AND THE AMERICAN WAY ; Emilio Estevez's take on the assassination of BOBBY Kennedy; Fox's purchase of Mike Judge's futuristic comedy UHMERICA; Doug McGrath's take on the life of Truman CAPOTE.
My pick this week is the deal that Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney have struck with Warner Bros. to develop the upcoming CIA memoir SEE NO EVIL: THE TRUE STORY OF A FOOT SOLDIER IN THE CIA'S COUNTER TERRORISM WAR by Robert Baer.
On board to adapt the book is Soderbergh's TRAFFIC (2000) collaborator Steven Gaghan, who penned the screenplay for that Oscar winning flick. No word on whether or not Clooney will star, but with a high-profile (and timely) project like this, I'd say it's a safe bet that he will.
This combination of director, scribe, and star should be a winner. We know Soderbergh and Clooney work well together (OUT OF SIGHT, 1998; OCEAN'S 11, 2001) and we know Soderbergh and Gaghan work well together (TRAFFIC, 2000). It's a credit to Soderbergh that so many talented people want to work with him repeatedly.
SEE NO EVIL won't be published until late January 2002, but it seems to be a project of the same ilk as TRAFFIC - a sweeping socio-political drama. Gaghan's an obvious choice for screenwriter and it'll be nice to see if Clooney can carry this heavy subject matter (I'm betting he can, especially with Soderbergh's guidance). Soderbergh, as clearly the most versatile director today - jumping from light drama/comedy (ERIN BROCKOVICH, 2000) to searing socio-political drama (TRAFFIC, 2000) to popcorn flick (OCEAN'S 11, 2001) and back again - should bring to this project the mastery he brings to all his work.
Let's just hope Soderbergh and Co., in these ultra-patriotic times, don't flinch at what may be material that condemns America's past foreign policy and intelligence operations. My guess, and hope, is that it will be as relentlessly honest as TRAFFIC.
One to watch, indeed.
-- Edward Butler
My pick this week is the deal that Steven Soderbergh and George Clooney have struck with Warner Bros. to develop the upcoming CIA memoir SEE NO EVIL: THE TRUE STORY OF A FOOT SOLDIER IN THE CIA'S COUNTER TERRORISM WAR by Robert Baer.
On board to adapt the book is Soderbergh's TRAFFIC (2000) collaborator Steven Gaghan, who penned the screenplay for that Oscar winning flick. No word on whether or not Clooney will star, but with a high-profile (and timely) project like this, I'd say it's a safe bet that he will.
This combination of director, scribe, and star should be a winner. We know Soderbergh and Clooney work well together (OUT OF SIGHT, 1998; OCEAN'S 11, 2001) and we know Soderbergh and Gaghan work well together (TRAFFIC, 2000). It's a credit to Soderbergh that so many talented people want to work with him repeatedly.
SEE NO EVIL won't be published until late January 2002, but it seems to be a project of the same ilk as TRAFFIC - a sweeping socio-political drama. Gaghan's an obvious choice for screenwriter and it'll be nice to see if Clooney can carry this heavy subject matter (I'm betting he can, especially with Soderbergh's guidance). Soderbergh, as clearly the most versatile director today - jumping from light drama/comedy (ERIN BROCKOVICH, 2000) to searing socio-political drama (TRAFFIC, 2000) to popcorn flick (OCEAN'S 11, 2001) and back again - should bring to this project the mastery he brings to all his work.
Let's just hope Soderbergh and Co., in these ultra-patriotic times, don't flinch at what may be material that condemns America's past foreign policy and intelligence operations. My guess, and hope, is that it will be as relentlessly honest as TRAFFIC.
One to watch, indeed.
-- Edward Butler
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