The newly-minted Verve Talent and Literary Agency closed a huge script deal with Lionsgate over the weekend that included big paydays for the screenwriter, Shawn Christensen, and hot teen star, Taylor Lautner. The Internet has been buzzing with chatter about the studio bidding for this project for nearly two weeks now. Nikki Finke’s deadline.com/ Hollywood launched a play-by-play of the auction, who’s in and who’s out, when it kicked off Friday night, February 10.

The screenplay, “Abduction” is a Bourne-style action drama with Taylor attached to play the teenage hero. Taylor has become really, really hot since his break-out role of Jacob in the “Twilight” flicks. The hunky 18-year-old actor is getting all sorts of big money offers. Finke says Taylor has agreed to play a Hasbro toy-inspired hero in “Stretch Armstrong” and another superhero “Max Steel” in a project backed by Mattel. Oh, and he’s committed to two more “Twilight” films as well.

No word yet on Taylor’s salary for ”Abduction,” but his price is now somewhere in the $7 million range. The screenwriter, Christensen, is reportedly getting paid nearly a million bucks for his script. That’s good to hear for a couple of reasons. Hey, without the writer all you have is a bunch of bland pages; no story, no nothing. So anytime an agency negotiates a deal that pays the screenwriter serious money is reason to applaud. Also, this spec sale could (hopefully) light a fire under the dormant spec script market.

This is not the first big script sale for Christensen who sold the sci-fi thriller, “Karma Coalition” for somewhere around a million bucks back in 2008. The musician-turned-screenwriter has several projects in the works.

 The “Abduction” deal establishes Verve as a serious lit agency in Hollywood. Not bad, for an agency that opened its doors for business last month. A few days after hanging out their shingle, Verve made a deal for a sequel to the hit crime drama, “Four Brothers” (2005) for clients and original screenwriters of the film, David Elliot and Paul Lovett.

Prolific writer/producer Aaron Sorkin is apparently trying to get some real-life experience for his new screenplay. According to Variety, Sorkin has set up a personal page on the popular Internet social network, Facebook.

Sorkin is working on a script about the evolution of Facebook, from its humble beginnings in 2004 as an idea by Harvard sophomore Mark Zuckerberg to more than 60 million members, a few years later.  Also, the script will show how the sudden wealth changed the lives of Zuckerberg and his pals who helped get Facebook off the ground.

Recently, Sorkin finished the screenplay for “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” which is based on the trials of some of the key players involved in the infamous anti-Vietnam War protests at the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago.

Some of Sorkin’s notable screenplays that became hit movies are “A Few Good Men” 1992,  “Malice” 1993,  and  ”The American President ” in 1995.

Sorkin has been involved in numerous TV series including the highly acclaimed political drama, “West Wing” from 1999-2006.  

Another superhero project is on the fast track to the Big Screen.

Recently, Adam Jay Epstein and Andrew Jacobson sold a pitch called, “The Transplants” to Walt Disney Pictures for mid-six against high-six figures.

The action-adventure comedy focuses on four superheroes. I know, the logline is lacking in details, but this very brief description of the story is all that is being reported.

Prolific actor/writer/producer/director Sam Raimi will produce. Raimi directed the extremely successful “Spider-Man” trilogy.

Script sold by dead screenwriter.

Philip Railsback’s dark comedy, “Barstow” has been picked up by Universal Pictures. “Barstow” is about three desperate characters and how one of them finds hope in Barstow, California.

Railsback is said to have lived in the small desert town while writing the screenplay. He died three years ago. Another one of his scripts is the basis for the upcoming film, “Flash of Genius” which is set for release this fall. Several of Railsback’s other screenplays are in development as well.

The screenwriter’s brother Steve Railsback will direct, “Barstow.” Keith Carradine and Scott Wilson have reportedly signed on for key roles.

More details at Done Deal.

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Oscar-winning screenwriter Diablo Cody has sealed another script deal with movie mogul, Steven Spielberg. Cody is the blogger, former ad agency typist, ex-stripper, and ex-phone sex worker who wrote the screenplay for the movie, “Juno.”

It was Cody’s first script. ”Juno” won the gold statuette for best original screenplay at the 80th Annual Academy Awards ceremony back in March. Since then Cody has been racking up the deals in Hollywood.

Today Variety described the new deal as an untitled comedy script for DreamWorks that is based on an original idea by the man himself, Spielberg. This will be the second time Cody and Spielberg will hook-up on a writing project. Cody wrote the pilot and is executive producing a Showtime series, “The United States of Tara,” which is also based on a Spielberg idea.

By the way, Cody’s real name is Brook Busey. Not a bad name, but it doesn’t grab you like Diablo Cody. Fine with me. If actors can change their names, so can screenwriters.

Big Hollywood Screenplay Money

Rogue Pictures reportedly shells out seven figures for writer Ehren Kruger’s script, “The Keep.” The screenplay is an adaptation of the Jennifer Egan novel of the same name.

The thriller is about a mysterious prisoner who seduces a local woman with his tale of a supernatural secret that can transform her life.

Kruger is in demand. He wrote “The Ring,” “The Ring Two,” and the recent sequel to the mega-hit “Transformers” among other movie scripts. See Variety.com