STX Entertainment has optioned The New Neighbors, a spec written by Leslie Headland and David Schickler. The psychological drama follows a couple who move into an affluent area and uncover dirty secrets within. Headland is also attached to direct. Amblin acquired John Swetnam’s action/thriller spec Ruthless in an auction. The script follows a retired assassin who sets out on one final job after she’s diagnosed with terminal brain cancer. Brad Peyton to direct. Black Bear Pictures acquired The Impossible War, a drama spec written by Robert Specland, based on the true story of Jonas Salk and Albert Sabin’s search for the polio cure. Sony picked up Teddy Tenenbaum and Minsun Park’s supernatural thriller spec /Reddoor, which follows a journalist as he reviews a new app game that kills its players. Finally, Amazon Studios and RatPac Entertainment are teaming for Melissa London Hilfers’s script Unfit, based on Adam Cohen’s nonfiction book Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics, and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck. Dakota Johnson is attached to star.
Other script sales include:
– J.P. Delaney to adapt his upcoming novel The Perfect Wife for Imagine Entertainment.
– Daniel Pearle to adapt his play A Kid Like Jake for That’s Wonderful Productions and Double Nickel Entertainment. Silas Howard to direct, Jim Parsons and Claire Danes to star.
– Charlize Theron and Seth Rogen to produce and star in Dan Sterling’s Black List script Flarsky.
– Joe Carnahan to write the X-Men spinoff X-Force, based on the Marvel comic book series created by Rob Liefeld.
– Universal Pictures has tapped Dan Mazeau to write their Van Helsing reboot.
– Hossein Amini to adapt Stephen Walker’s nonfiction book Shockwave: Countdown to Hiroshima for Universal and Working Title. Cary Fukunaga to possibly direct.