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Hollywood Deals: March 13, 2014

By Fronnie Lewis on Thursday, March 13, 2014

FilmNation has snatched up the hot spec script, “Aether,” and putting it on the fast track. Not much is being released about the screenplay, but FilmNation is crowing about the acquisition. “I’m astounded by the level of talent and inventiveness we’ve come across from such a young voice,” said FilmNation production president, Aaron Ryder, on Deadline. “We’re terribly excited to produce this film. We’re also anxious to learn how to pronounce its title!” The sci-fi- thriller is written by Brit,Krysty Wilson-Cairns. Screenwriter/author, Seth... Read More →

Tags: directors, films, screenplays, spec scripts, writers

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Script sales and deals

By Fronnie Lewis on Friday, November 15, 2013

“City that Sailed” — Screenwriter/director, Audrey Wells, has scored the job of writing an adventure film with Will Smith in the lead. Wells wrote the delightful rom-com, “The truth about cats & dogs” (1996), as well as “Under the Tuscan Sun” (2003), which she directed, too. Now Wells has been tapped to write, “City that Sailed,” about a young girl’s big wish to see her father, which prompts Manhattan to break away from New York and drift across the Atlantic. Will Smith, who has been interested in... Read More →

Tags: films, movies, screenplays, script deals

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Script sales and deals: Popular toys to get Hollywood treatment

By Fronnie Lewis on Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Toys are still hot properties in Tinseltown. The offsprings of some notorious monsters are about to get the glitter and glam treatment from the creators of the hit TV shows, “Gossip Girl” and “The O.C.” Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage have signed on to write and produce a Universal project based on the popular Mattel toyline, Monster High, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The toyline focuses on the teenaged children of the Wolfman, Dracula, and Frankenstein; and the trials and tribulations they face in high school. Introduced in 2010... Read More →

Tags: deals, Hollywood, screenplays, toys

A screenplay

Script sales and deals: Action screenplays sell for big money

By Fronnie Lewis on Friday, March 30, 2012

“White House Down” — Huge payday for hot screenwriter James Vanderbilt. In fact, the $3 million dollar script deal is being called the biggest so far this year. The action spec script is described as a cross between “Die Hard” and “Air Force One.” Apparently there was some heated bidding for the script with Sony Pictures finally closing a deal this week. Vanderbilt was the scribe on the reboot of “Amazing Spider-Man” and “Total Recall.” Also, he got the gig to pen the remake of “RoboCop.”... Read More →

Tags: Hollywood studios, producers, screenplays, screenwriters, script deals, television, writers

A screenplay

Script sales and deals

By Fronnie Lewis on Tuesday, January 3, 2012

“Jadoo” by writer/director, Amit Gupta, has a deal and is now on the really fast track. That’s a great start to the new year for one filmmaker. Done Deal Pro reports Gupta is repped by Abram Nalibotsky over at Gersh. Based on Gupta’s family experience, the story revolves around two feuding twin brother chefs who set up rival restaurants across from each other, leaving it up to a daughter, 20 years later, to try to bring them back together to cook her wedding feast. AIR productions greenlighted the comedy... Read More →

Tags: directors, Internet, movies, screenplays, script deals, websites, writers

A screenplay

Script deals and sales

By Fronnie Lewis on Thursday, November 10, 2011

Evan Spiliotopoulos to rewrite “Asteroids” for Universal Pictures— This busy screenwriter picks up another big assignment. Universal has hired Spiliotopoulos to rework “Asteroids” based on the 1970’s Atari video game. Original script by Matt Lopez. Spiliotopoulos is repped by UTA. More here on Variety. Chris Shafer and Paul Vicknair’ hired to write “The Girl Who Conned the Ivy League” — Shafer and Vicknair are two hot screenwriters on the fast track. This project is based on a Rolling Stone magazine article about the true story of a woman who... Read More →

Tags: Internet, movie deals, screenplays, screenwriters, scripts, websites, writers

Bridesmaids movie poster

Chick flicks hot at the box office

By Fronnie Lewis on Monday, May 16, 2011

Chick flicks are packing them in at movie theaters. Two in the last couple of weeks have beaten projections and grabbed a lot of attention away from the front runner, “Thor”. While the superhero actioner held onto first place over the weekend, the debut of the raunchy female comedy, “Bridesmaid” is the talk of Tinseltown. The comedy about a down-on-her luck woman whose experiences as a maid of honor are hilarious, painful, and finally life changing. “Saturday Night Live” cast member Kristen Wiig, co-wrote the screenplay with... Read More →

Tags: actresses, box office, films, movies, screenplays, screenwriters, writers

A screenplay

Hollywood spec script market still fired up

By Fronnie Lewis on Tuesday, May 3, 2011

At a time when the sale of spec scripts usually slows down — this year– those sales are still going strong. Scott Myers over on the screenwriting blog Go Into The Story is tracking 2011 spec script buys. Myers says the 29th sale was for a spec script written by the grandsons of the actor, Dick Van Dyke. Carey and Shane Van Dyke’s “The Watching Hour” is a horror screenplay. Spec script sales in Hollywood are way ahead of 2010. Last year, the 29th spec script did not get bought... Read More →

Tags: actors, Internet, screenplays, screenwriters, websites, writers

A screenplay

Hollywood spec script market heats up

By Fronnie Lewis on Saturday, March 12, 2011

The spec script market appears to be catching fire and that’s a good thing for all of Hollywood. More scripts that sell, more production, and more jobs. Last night, Sony Pictures came out the victor in a lively auction for the spec script, “Agent OX,” by Daniel Kunka, according to deadline.com Neal Moritz’s Original Pictures will produce “Agent OX.” Moritz is the prolific producer behind “The Green Hornet,” “I Am Legend,” and “Battle: Los Angeles” — opening this weekend. Several major studios and production companies were involved... Read More →

Tags: screenplays, screenwriters, spec scripts, writers

ShowBiz Bits: Charlie Sheen files $100 million lawsuit, book deal for Bill Cosby, and Hollywood script news

By Fronnie Lewis on Thursday, March 10, 2011

Another twist in the Charlie Sheen saga There are more strange twists in the real-life saga of troubled-outspoken actor, Charlie Sheen, than most TV shows. This morning, Sheen’s attorney filed a $100 million lawsuit against Warner Bros. and “Two and a Half Men” co-creator/executive producer, Chuck Lorre. The suit comes days after Warner Bros. fired Sheen from the highly rated TV sitcom. The Wrap has the termination letter, a copy of Sheen’s complaint, and more here. Book deal for actor/comedian/author, Bill Cosby Entertainer Bill... Read More →

Tags: actors, authors, books, comedians, lawsuits, movies, screenplays, screenwriters, scripts, television, writers

Photo: DGA website -- Tom Hooper received the DGA film directing award for 2011 from last year's winner, Kathryn Bigelow on January 30, 2011

ShowBiz bits: Awards and kudos in Hollywood

By Fronnie Lewis on Sunday, February 6, 2011

WGA 2011 awards Some of Hollywood’s top writing awards were given out last night by the Writers Guild of America. The best original screenplay went to Christopher Nolan for the smart sci-fi actioner, “Inception.” The ceremony was held simultaneously at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel in the Southland and at the AXA Equitable Center in New York City. Aaron Sorkin took home the best adapted screenplay trophy for the Facebook script, “The Social Network,” which is based on the book “The Accidental Billionaires” (2009) by Ben Mezrich. In accepting... Read More →

Tags: actors, actresses, awards, directors, Directors Guild of America, films, movies, Screen Actors Guild, screenplays, screenwriters, writers, Writers Guild of America

Movie poster for "The Chronicle of Narnia: The Voyae of the Dawn Treader"

Showbiz bits: Blogger/tweeter gets TV deal, Golden Globe nominations, Box Office update, & List of hot screenplays in Hollywood

By Fronnie Lewis on Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Blogger/tweeter gets TV project gig Blogger/tweeter and mother of three, Kelly Oxford, has been writing for years — but now it’s really paying off for her. Oxford’s witty tweets and interesting blog posts, got her a deal to write a sitcom series pilot called, “Mother of All Something.” Now CBS has picked up the project for development with actress Jessica Alba and Jhoni Marchinko, a former-writer for the TV series, “Will & Grace” attached. The CBS comedy, “$#*! My Dad Says,” is based on a Twitter feed. The Network... Read More →

Tags: actresses, bloggers, blogs, Internet, screenplays, scripts, Twitter, websites, writers

City Buzz

By Fronnie Lewis on Monday, May 31, 2010

A final exit for actors Dennis Hopper & Gary Coleman Photo: Mark Boster/ Los Angeles Times — A frail Dennis Hopper gets a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, March 26, 2010 A legendary Hollywood “Bad Boy” Veteran actor and co-star of the cult classic motorcycle/road film, “Easy Rider” (1969), Dennis Hopper, died last Saturday, May 29, at the age of 74, after a battle with prostate cancer. Hopper reportedly passed away at his home in Venice, California surrounded by family and friends. Hopper appeared in over 100 films. He lived... Read More →

Tags: accidents, actors, B-town, Burbank, Burbank City Attorney, Burbank City Council, Burbank news, Burbank Police Commission, City Buzz, directors, Disney, Grand View Memorial Park cemetery, Hollywood studios, lottery, Media City, Mega Millions, photographers, screenplays, screenwriters, writers

Burbank City Buzz

By Fronnie Lewis on Thursday, April 15, 2010

A run-off in the 43rd Assembly District race It’s Democrat Mike Gatto against the only Republican on the ballot, Sunder Ramani. I dropped by a couple of polling places in Burbank on Tuesday evening and was told by the poll workers that the turnout was way better than expected. A small sampling, but it turned out to be right on the mark. The Los Angeles County Registrar Recorder County Clerk’s office posted the following election results on its website. April 13, 2010 43rd Assembly Special Election Mike Gatto ... Read More →

Tags: B-town, Burbank news, City Buzz, Conan O'Brien, election, Media City, production companies, screenplays, screenwriters, television, writers

Hollywood buzz: A blogger gets a movie deal & spec script news

By Fronnie Lewis on Thursday, March 18, 2010

Hollywood is tapping a new source for movie ideas — blogs! I have heard of other projects based on websites, but this latest one, being developed for Oscar-winning actress Reese Witherspoon, sounds like a real winner. Over on the deadline.com/New York site, Mike Fleming is reporting that Columbia Pictures has made a deal with blogger/author Ree Drummond for a romantic comedy, “The Pioneer Woman.” Drummond is known as “The Pioneer Woman” who writes a popular blog with the same title, http://thepioneerwoman.com/ The website description says she’s “plowing through life in the country …one calf... Read More →

Tags: authors, blogs, books, Internet, movies, screenplays, script deals, websites, writers

WGA screen award nominees revealed

By Fronnie Lewis on Monday, January 11, 2010

Some very familiar names and some fresh talent on the Writers Guild of America’s list of nominees for outstanding achievement in writing for the screen. Here are the nominations released today. ORIGINAL SCREENPLAY (500) Days of Summer, Written by Scott Neustadter & Michael H. Weber; Fox Searchlight Avatar, Written by James Cameron; 20th Century Fox The Hangover, Written by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore; Warner Bros. The Hurt Locker, Written by Mark Boal; Summit Entertainment A Serious Man, Written by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen; Focus Features... Read More →

Tags: awards, documentaries, movies, screenplays, screenwriters, writers, Writers Guild of America

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