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Script Pipeline

Jun 13
0

May 2018 Script Sales

By | Script Sales

Tom O’Connor’s Cold War spy spec Ironbark has found a home with FilmNation Entertainment. The true story follows Greville Wynne, a British businessman, as he helps the CIA end the Cuban Missile Crisis and avert disaster. Benedict Cumberbatch is set to executive produce and star. Another historical spec landed at Gran Via Productions. This one: Alex Cramer’s Rawhide Down. The screenplay follows the immediate aftermath of John Hinkley’s assassination attempt on Ronald Reagan in real time. Paramount Pictures picked up Cory Goodman’s horror spec The Oberline Incident. The plot is being kept under wraps, but it’s been described as high-concept with a female lead. Sam Raimi’s Ghost House Pictures has picked up Crawl, written by Alexandre Aja, Shawn Rasmussen, and Michael Rasmussen. The story follows a young woman trapped in a flooding house with fierce predators during a Category 5 hurricane. Aja will also direct. Other script sales: – Dueling…

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Jun 13
0

Pride – Screenplay

By | Essential Reading - Screenplays and Pilots

We’re deep in June, which is officially Pride Month, so why not catch up on a recent LGBT flick that may have flown under your radar? Pride, written by Stephen Beresford and directed by Matthew Warchus, didn’t receive much attention here in the States despite receiving almost universally positive reviews, and that’s a shame because this movie has it all—comedy, romance, drama, tragedy, and even history. Yes, Pride is based on a true story, a seemingly unlikely one at that. Set in the early ‘80s, the film follows gay activists from London as they raise awareness for striking coal miners in South Wales. The group (the aptly named Lesbians and Gays Support the Miners) reasoned that, since both the miners and the LGBT community faced oppression from the British government and police forces, they could form an alliance of sorts. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, so to…

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Apr 11
0

March 2018 Script Sales

By | Script Sales

         Last month in spec sales, David Koepp sold his feature supernatural thriller You Should Have Left to Blumhouse Productions. The script, which Koepp will also direct, follows a screenwriter and his family for a week in a house they’ve rented, but mysterious things happen as he tries to finish the script for a horror movie sequel. The H Collective and Busted Shark Productions have teamed to produce Aaron W. Sala’s horror script The Beast. After a woman is stranded alone on an island, she has to face her worst fears. Meanwhile, Warner Bros. picked up Madison Turner’s untitled WWII spec about the 761st Regiment, an all black regiment that paved the way for military desegregation. Michael B. Jordan will produce. Millennium Films and Electric Pictures have picked up Adam Alleca’s Michael Zero, a sci-fi action that follows a man who has to hunt down his own…

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Apr 11
0

The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel – Pilot

By | Essential Reading - Screenplays and Pilots

Perhaps the most difficult part of creating a hit show is not only finding a unique story that could sustain (hopefully) multiple seasons of television but also anchoring the series on a protagonist audiences will continue watching. The best television shows (and oftentimes the most successful ones) strike a balance between those two criteria. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel hits both on the head. Created by Amy Sherman-Palladino of Gilmore Girls fame, the series follows a Jewish housewife, the eponymous Miriam Maisel (or Midge as everyone calls her), as her life falls apart and she begins a career as a stand-up comedian in the late 1950s. The pilot opens on her wedding as she gives her own toast. Midge effortlessly brings down the room as she recounts how she met her husband—and also offends half the mostly-Jewish attendees when she reveals the eggrolls contain shellfish. Three years later, Midge supports her…

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Mar 09
7

Get Out and Call Me by Your Name – Screenplays

By | Essential Reading - Screenplays and Pilots

   The Oscars took place over this past weekend, and Get Out and Call Me by Your Name walked away with the screenwriting prizes, for Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay respectively. Although the scripts couldn’t be more different—the first, a horror movie with a deeply disturbing commentary on racism in America, and the second, a heartfelt tale of first love and first heartbreak—both provide valuable lessons for any writer. Written and directed by Jordan Peele, Get Out follows a young black man on a weekend trip to meet his girlfriend’s parents. Although the script begins as a humorous satire in the vein of Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner, things quickly escalate, and the parents’ true motives are slowly revealed in a plot reminiscent of The Stepford Wives. Peele expertly blends horror and social commentary—it’s a movie with something to say, and the message makes the horror more horrifying…

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Mar 09
7

February 2018 Script Sales

By | Script Sales

Michael De Luca Productions picked up two sci-fi specs this month: Infinitum by Marc Guggenheim, which is described as a sci-fi love story similar to Memento, and Varietal by Adam Bloom, which is a psychological sci-fi thriller centered on a married couple. Infinitum landed at Sony while Varietal went to Universal. Legendary Pictures has teamed with LeBron James’ SpringHill Entertainment for Taylor Materne’s sports drama spec Hustle. The story follows a basketball scout who travels to China and brings back a Chinese streetball phenomenon. Annapurna Pictures and Will Ferrell and Adam McKay’s Gloria Sanchez Productions have picked up Booksmart, a teen comedy written by Katie Silberman. Booksmart follows two friends on the eve of graduation who set out on a night of fun after realizing they spent their entire high school years focused on their educations. Olivia Wilde is set to direct. Finally, Studio 8 and Scoop Productions picked up…

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Mar 02
0

Script Pipeline Connects Writers with the Film and TV Industry – Learn More

By | Slider

Script Pipeline actively searches the world for emerging film and TV writers who possess a unique voice and a desire to launch a career in the entertainment industry. Since 1999, over 200 writers have signed with managers and agents, had their scripts optioned, and saw their work produced as a result of intensive, long-term assistance from Pipeline execs. Recent script sales include Snow White and the Huntsman by Evan Daugherty, Stuber by Tripper Clancy, The Incident at Sparrow Creek Lumber by Henry Dunham, as well as numerous other screenplays, pilots, and pitches, totaling over $6 million in spec sales from Pipeline writers and $1 billion in revenue from films written by Pipeline alums. Learn more about Script Pipeline here. Submit to a Script Pipeline competition Submit for notes and potential industry exposure View recent success stories

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Feb 01
0

13th Great Movie Idea Contest Results

By | Great Movie Idea Contest Finalists

Grand Prize Winner Mommy Is Missing by Matt MacDonald Born with a fiery passion for storytelling and high-SPF sunblock, writer/director Matt MacDonald grew up in the sweltering desert heat of Phoenix, Arizona. Scourged by the sun’s villainous UV rays, Matt opted at an early age to embrace air conditioning — devouring books, video games, and large quantities of sugared cereal. An accomplished voice-over actor and nationally published author, Matt received his MFA in Film & Television Production from the prestigious USC School of Cinematic Arts. His work has screened at more than 40 film festivals worldwide (including the Palm Springs International ShortFest and San Diego Comic-Con), been highlighted multiple times as a Vimeo Staff Pick, and featured by the likes of Mashable, Kotaku, io9, Bloody Disgusting, Rolling Stone, and HBO’s Project Greenlight. Matt’s dad frequently tells him to “keep up the good work.” As a writer, director, and editor, Matt has…

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Feb 01
0

11th Great TV Show Idea Contest Results

By | Great TV Show Idea Contest Finalists

Grand Prize Winner Pro Losers by Dan Perlman Dan Perlman is a stand-up comedian and writer from New York City. Dan performs stand-up every night at some of the top clubs andalternative rooms in the city, recently headlining Caroline’s on Broadway. Dan created and wrote an animated series, That’s My Bus!, which received a pilot order from FOX after winning 1st place at the Montreal Just For Laughs Festival. Dan has appeared on TruTV, MTV2, and as a cast member on MTV’s Vidiots. As a writer-filmmaker, he has had four projects featured in the New York Television Festival, most recently the award-winning comedy series, Flatbush Misdemeanors, in which he co-stars and co-writes/directs. On radio, Dan was a writer for SiriusXM’s Bennington and Comedy Contributor for Neil deGrasse Tyson’s StarTalk Radio. Dan wrote for the 2017 WGA Awards, hosted by Lewis Black, and the 2018 WGA Awards, hosted by Amber Ruffin. As a stand-up, Dan’s festival credits include New York…

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Jan 20
0

Los Angeles Times Interviews Script Pipeline’s CEO Chad Clough in 2018

By | Press, Slider

In the January 19th, 2018 edition of the LA Times, Chad Clough, Script Pipeline Executive and CEO of Pipeline Media Group, was quoted on the state of the spec market: “Right now, the industry wants original voices. . . . There’s still a need for an excellent script.” Writer Chris Erskine, gleaning interviews from Clough, screenwriter Nicholas Kazan (Reversal of Fortune), and producer Elizabeth Cantillon, commented on the decline of the spec script and how a resurgence may be forthcoming: “Clough, of Script Pipeline, says the spec market could be—like old vinyl or vintage guitars—a thing of the past and the future. He cites an increasing voracious marketplace, as evidenced by Netflix’s pledge to produce 80 new original movies in 2018. So could the corpse soon rise from the dead, for a surprise Hollywood ending, even a fresh life?” Read the full LA Times article Submit to a Script Pipeline Writing…

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Jan 10
11

December 2017 Script Sales

By | Script Sales

Closing out 2017, Hollywood slowed down in December on account of the holiday season. Warner Bros. and Safehouse Pictures picked up Leo Sardarian’s sci-fi/action spec The Expansion Project. The script follows a rookie female marine who ends up stranded on a planet. San Andreas‘s Brad Peyton is attached to direct. Guillermo del Toro’s Del Toro Productions is teaming with Fox Searchlight and Phantom Four Films to produce the supernatural horror/thriller Antlers. Written by Nick Antosca and Henry Chaisson, the spec follows a young teacher who discovers a deadly supernatural secret connected to the father of one of her students. Hostiles director Scott Cooper is currently in talks. Rickey Castleberry and Zimran Jacob’s college comedy Swag has found a home with Estevan/Sheen Productions. Kevin Pollack to direct. Other script sales: – Rashida Jones to adapt the graphic novel Goldie Vance for Twentieth Century Fox. Jones will also direct. – Mairghread Scott to write the animated feature Marvel Rising: Secret Warriors for Marvel Entertainment. – Guillermo del Toro will write and direct…

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Jan 10
10

SMILF – Pilot

By | Essential Reading - Screenplays and Pilots

For the better part of a decade, the half-hour dramedy has been a staple of premium cable. Led by shows like Sex and the City and Weeds, many of these series combine biting humor, sympathetic yet edgy female leads, and serious themes. Often, this combination can be a delicate balancing act, and even the best dramedies can occasionally fall too far on the comedy–drama continuum and cause tonal whiplash. It takes truly talented writers, directors, and actors to keep this balance intact. That’s part of the reason why SMILF is so impressive. Created by and starring Frankie Shaw (who also directed the pilot), SMILF follows Shaw’s Bridgett Bird, a 20-something single mother in Boston. The title stands for “Single Mother I’d Like to…” (you can probably complete the rest), but don’t let that stop you—the title betrays what is ultimately a realistic portrayal of single motherhood with a tone that,…

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Jan 06
2

Script Pipeline Contest Writer Staffed on CBS Sitcom “Superior Donuts” in 2017-2018

By | Slider, Success Stories

Howard Jordan Jr., runner-up in the 2015 Script Pipeline TV Writing Competition with the comedy Family Be Like, was staffed on the CBS series Superior Donuts in 2017. His first solo-written episode, “Sofia’s Choice,” aired in February 2018. The show stars Judd Hirsch, Jermaine Fowler, Katy Sagal, and Maz Jobrani. Howard is represented by Madhouse Entertainment and Paradigm. Superior Donuts is his first writing opportunity on a network series. “When I relocated from NYC to LA to pursue sitcom writing, everyone I met in the industry said it wasn’t about entering competitions, it was about entering the right competition,” Howard said. “Script Pipeline was the turning point.” Read Howard’s latest Script Pipeline interview here. Submit to a Script Pipeline competition Submit for notes and potential industry exposure

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