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MOVIE IDEA Winner The Gospel According to Keith by Clark Kokich Runner-up Pembe by Rachael Uriarte TV IDEA Winner Four Dead Queens by Astrid Scholte Runner-up Doc Hawk by Robyn Symon

Director Scott Speer (Midnight Sun) is set to helm Script Pipeline finalist and Recommend writer Greg Wayne's dark romcom S21. Catapult and Needle's Eye producing. Speer has also directed I Still See You and Step Up Revolution. This will be Greg's first produced feature film. He previously won the Script Pipeline First Look Project with his comedy pilot Ad Game and has placed as a finalist and received a Recommend on numerous other screenplays and pilots, working closely with Script Pipeline development execs. From Greg: "Script Pipeline gives the best notes. Whenever I'm struggling with a project, their staff never fails to provide feedback that elevates the story. They take their commitment to Recommended writers, contest winners, and finalists incredibly seriously, and do an amazing job of getting those scripts out into the world."

The Devil in Evelyn, winner of the 2016 First Look Project (Teleplay), was picked up for development by Mandalay Pictures in September 2017. Script Pipeline set up the writers, brothers Ben and Tyler Soper, with meetings after extensive circulation to Pipeline's industry network. "Script Pipeline's First Look Project was an awesome experience," Ben and Tyler said. "From our first phone call, they became our personal champions and proceeded to surprise us again and again with the extent of their support.  Thanks to them, we had meetings with a manager and production companies and are now developing our pilot with Mandalay Entertainment.  Entering this contest moved our careers forward in an unprecedented way and was the smartest thing we did all year!" A favorite of Script Pipeline judges, the horror/comedy expertly weaves genres and manages to overcome the hurdle of grounding relatable themes in an entirely unreal context. "Probably one of the most…

In February and March 2017, Bohemia Group Originals optioned three Script Pipeline Screenwriting and TV Writing Competition finalist scripts: Bradley Stryker's action/thriller The Dragon Run, Diana Wright's comedy pilot Franchise, and Nadeemi Siddiqui's romcom Slut. All three placed in the 2016 competitions. "We are thrilled to be working with the whole team at Script Pipeline," said Bohemia CEO Susan Ferris. "They have quickly proven to be an extremely valuable resource for solid material and incredible writers. While these two projects could not be more different from one another, they meet the standard of quality, entertainment value, and unique voice that we at BGO are looking for." The option agreements come on the heels of Script Pipeline ramping up industry network expansion in 2016. Bohemia was one of several new contacts made by Senior Executive Matt Joseph Misetich "After speaking with Bohemia, we felt their gameplan toward production matched up very well to the type of…

Craig Weeden, discovered through the Script Pipeline Screenwriting Competition, and Jimmy Palmiotti (Jonah Hex, Ultimate Spider-man) optioned Painkiller Jane to Solipsist Films, and after several years in development, Academy Award Nominee Jessica Chastain (Zero Dark Thirty) signed on board to play Jane in November 2016. In 2017, a new writing team was brought on board prior to the script going into production. Weeden, also a former Pipeline "Recommend" writer, placed in the top 20 of the 2011 Screenwriting Competition with the crime/drama Lost Stones. He's currently in development on other feature and television projects.

Matthew J. O'Neill's sports drama series was picked up by NBC in October 2016, with LeBron James' SpringHill Entertainment producing. From The Hollywood Reporter: the series centers on "a brilliant doctor who specializes in treating the world’s greatest sports stars. Only when the doctor undergoes a health crisis, it forces him to rethink his approach to medicine with the help of a gifted sports psychologist." Renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews, who O'Neill first approached with the project, will serve as an executive consultant. This is O'Neill's first TV script sale. He previously sold Bait and Switch, a Script Pipeline "Recommend," to Universal in 2011. Mark Wahlberg is attached to produce.

Script Pipeline TV Writing Contest Runner-up Laura Bensick (The Mother) signed with UTA in September 2016, less than a month after contest results were announced. From Script Pipeline's Director of Development, Matt Joseph Misetich: "It's beyond rare to find such a compelling drama, and Laura's character work in The Mother is impressive. Can absolutely see this as the next award-worthy limited series, and the type of project a talented actress would shine in--a deeply immersive, socially conscious crime/mystery." The Mother drew interest from major producers after Script Pipeline's 2016 writer/industry event. Laura is also repped by Tom Drumm at ThinkTank Management.

Fox purchased the comedy Stuber from Script Pipeline contest winner Tripper Clancy in April 2016 for mid-six figures. The screenplay is based on an idea developed by Tripper and manager Jake Wagner (Benderspink). Jonathan Goldstein (Spider-Man: Homecoming) and John Francis Daley (Bones) worked with Tripper on the script. The story revolves around a night in the life of an Uber driver aptly named Stu. "We live in a time where IP, sequels, and reboots rule the business, so it’s easy to be cynical," said Tripper. "But fortunately for all of us plugging away on our laptops, studios and financiers are always looking for original material. Stuber is many things for me—a love letter to LA, an homage to my favorite action comedies growing up—but on a fundamental level, it’s the kind of movie I’d be pumped to go see on a Friday night at the theater. The fact that a major studio sees it the same way is…

Tripper Clancy's coming-of-age comedy Henry the Second, winner of the 2010 Script Pipeline Screenwriting Competition, is headed toward production. 21 Laps (The Spectacular Now) and producer Shawn Levy join 3311 Productions (Table 19) at the helm. "I think for any screenwriter, the dream is to write a script in a vacuum and watch it go all the way into production," Tripper said. "With Henry the Second, it’s been a long journey that all started with winning the Script Pipeline competition. It took the script a little while to find a home, but no one ever gave up hope. That’s probably the best thing about a feature script: as long as the people involved care about it, it’s never dead." Tripper's script will be the second Script Pipeline contest winner produced in the last several years, joining Evan Daugherty's Shrapnel, which was made into the action/thriller Killing Season starring Robert De Niro and John Travolta. Other recent Script Pipeline contest…

A few weeks after Script Pipeline sent the 2015 finalist/winner loglines industry-wide, Screenwriting Competition winner Henry Dunham was picked up by Madhouse Entertainment (Prisoners). Agency powerhouse UTA followed soon after. "While I'm a little surprised he found representation so quick, I'm not at all surprised it happened," said Script Pipeline Senior Executive Matt Misetich. "It was inevitable. And it goes beyond writing ability--he's one of the most grounded, humble writers I've met all year. That attitude will take him far in what will of course be a continual process of collaboration. For two tremendous companies like Madhouse and UTA to jump on board is extraordinary. No doubt this will be the first step in a long writing career." Read Henry's Script Pipeline interview.

Grand Prize winner of the 2011 Script Pipeline Screenwriting Competition, Tyler Burton Smith has been tabbed to co-write the Warner Bros. horror Five Nights at Freddy's, based on the uber-popular app/PC game of the same name where animatronic characters come to life--to kill people, of course. Tyler will be teaming with director Gil Kenan (Monster House, City of Ember, Poltergeist). Roy Lee (The Lego Movie), David Katzenberg (Gremlins, It), and Seth Grahame-Smith (The Lego Batman Movie) producing. After his animated comedy feature Henchmen was selected as a top-4 winner in the competition, Tyler found management and was hired on various writing assignments, including the action video games Quantum Break, Sleeping Dogs, and Prototype 2. He's repped by Chris Goble (Grandview) and WME. Read Tyler's Script Pipeline interview.

Chasing Ghosts, written by former Script Pipeline contest winner Josh Chesler, was released on April 21st, 2015. The film stars Tim Meadows (SNL), Toby Nichols, Robin Lively, and Frances Conroy. "The team at Script Pipeline has been and continues to be immensely supportive of my writing career," said Josh. "They genuinely made me feel like I’m part of a writing community committed to helping everyone get one step closer to living their dreams." Josh was a finalist in the Script Pipeline Screenwriting Competition and winner of the Great Movie Idea Contest with co-writer Paul Connor. Chasing Ghosts is available on DVD and VOD. View Josh's Script Pipeline interview.

Grand Prize Winner Cheap Paint (Drama) by M. Esther Sherman, Boston University Born beneath the California sun and raised alongside the rivers and lakes of Oregon, M. Esther Sherman found her way to screenwriting via behavioral science and yard work. A young, untrained wannabe, Esther connected with Jan Skrentny, a retired screenwriter, who traded her mentorship for yard care and a friendship developed that soon morphed into writing scripts together. Jan was instrumental in teaching Esther craft and helping her gain admittance to Boston University’s film program. At Boston University, Esther attended her first writing course and found mentorship in John Bernstein who challenged her to “be better” and find her voice. With her MFA nearly behind her, Esther looks forward to using her dark and twisted soul to craft enticing female leads and disturbing settings for thrillers and episodic dramas. Finalists Jackson Crowder (Dramedy) by John Otteni, Central Washington University The Man at…

Temple, written by Script Pipeline "Recommend" writer Matt Savelloni, will be produced by WWE Studios and Kiss legend Gene Simmons under their new Erebus Pictures banner, which plans to finance and produce horror films. Simmons will also star in the horror/thriller. Temple centers on a team of operatives trapped inside a military compound after its AI is disabled, leading to "strange phenomena" as they unlock the mystery of the previous team's disappearance. Matt, who signed with a Script Pipeline partner (manager Andrew Kersey), has another action feature in development, Exile to Babylon.

MGM and Warner Bros. hired Script Pipeline writer Evan Daugherty in February 2015 to pen the new Tomb Raider film. Graham King (The Departed, Argo) producing. Instead of a sequel to the 2001 Angelina Jolie version, the new plot will feature a younger Lara Croft on her first adventure. Evan found representation with manager/producer Jake Wagner after winning the 2008 Script Pipeline Screenwriting Competition. Adaptations are nothing new for Daugherty: his resume includes recent feature releases Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and Divergent, in addition to in-development TV series projects Esmeralda (ABC), Midnight Mass (NBC), The Foundation (Fox), and Five Ghosts (SyFy).