File this under the “Why Not?” category: Avatar part two, three, and four, all in development with James Cameron and a handful of co-writers. Early box office estimates are approximately $7 gillion. Also getting the sequel special, The Bourne Identity 5. Some dramas and period scripts were in the mix as well, including The Esperanza Fire, from Legendary Pictures, based on the true story, as well as the Ron Howard project In the Heart of the Sea, a survival tale about a stranded whaling ship in the 1800s. And on a lighter note, a fully animated Scooby-Doo film is in the works. Other script sales include: – Vertigo taking the wheel on Stephen King’s epic story The Stand. – The Twilight Zone movie seems to be on the right track, at long last. – Comedian Amy Schumer bringing her talents to the big screen, both writing and acting, in an…

Amongst a spattering of sci-fi thrillers, a few popular titles emerge, including Gran Turismo and a follow-up to the tremendously successful The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, a remake of the Swedish adaptation The Girl Who Played with Fire. Bust out an 80s keyboard and polish up your “Axel F” skills: Beverly Hills cop Axel Foley (aka Eddie Murphy) will return in a fourth installment of the franchise. And Tom Hanks is top dog in another Dan Brown thriller, Inferno. Ron Howard will direct. Other script sales include: – A biopic on the life of quarterback Kurt Warner (whose true story might be a lot more incredible than most think. . . ) – It’s about time: Artemis Fowl, coming soon. Robert De Niro to executive produce the Disney pic. – Fox taking the wheel on a big-screen rendition of the now-classic comic series X-Force. – Winner of stand-out title…

Leonardo DiCaprio and Jamie Foxx team up for the crime/drama Mean Business on North Ganson Street, marking the second time the two A-list actors join forces. Speaking of reteaming: Harry and Lloyd (aka Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels) will match wits again in Dumb and Dumber To. Lionsgate dealing with White Girl Problems–what’s not to like about that title? And Ditto on the comedy Sports Chick, co-written by Jason Reitman, and the Benderspink project A Guy’s Guide to Being a Man’s Man. Universal and Vinson Films will also produce a live-action remake of the Japanses anime film Vexille. Other script sales include: – Classic throwback alert: an adaptation of the children’s classic Encyclopedia Brown. Warner Bros. and Vertigo Entertainment producing. – Susan Cooper, written by Paul Feig (Bridesmaids), an action comedy putting a female in the James Bond role. – Reboot: Tomb Raider. – An adaptation of the Choose Your…

Someone opened the Drama floodgates: a greater-than-average number of specs were dramas or variations thereof, including Legacy of Secrecy, which explores the mafia’s role in the JFK assassination. Jason Blum producing the thriller Visions and Reawakening. Benderspink and Universal producing the fantasy Red Queen, with Benderspink also on board to produce a film based on Medieval Times, optioning the rights to the well-known dinner show. Also a handful of sequels to popular franchises, including Red, Blade Runner, Men in Black, Joe Dirt, Mission Impossible, and Bad Santa. Other script sales include: – Francis Ford Coppola is doing an Italian-American period drama. That’s all we need to know. – Billy Crystal to (finally) direct the 1940s baseball project Man on Spikes. – The world needs more Michael Shannon, and he’s set to star in an as-of-yet untitled action/sci-fi thriller. – John Travolta tabbed for a biopic of John Gotti Jr.

Everything got a little more serious in April, with a slate of sci-fi, action, thriller, and adventure dominating the mix, rather than an influx of comedies. With the minor exceptions of Dodgeball 2 and a new, modernized take on the classic 80s film Weird Science. A prequel to Stephen King’s The Shining is also in the works, The Overlook Hotel. And get battle-ready: Gears of War, based on the bestselling video game franchise, and Battle Los Angeles 2, a burgeoning franchise itself, are in development. Other script sales include: – Good grief, it’s about time: Blue Sky will helm a CG Charlie Brown film. – 20th Century Fox taking the lead on an adaptation of Guys and Dolls. – The real question is: why wouldn’t John McClane go to Tokyo in Die Hardest? – Vertigo Entertainment and Warner Bros. to produce Dungeons and Dragons, sure to shed the “geek” stigma…

Maybe dramas are on the comeback after all. A handful of drama/___ specs sold in March, including the sci-fi/drama All Our Yesterdays, the family/drama Milton’s Secret, to star Peter Fonda, and the drama/romance The Engagement, with Reese Witherspoon producing. Will Ferrell and Adam McKay to produce the comedy Crazy U, based on the book. The duo is also producing the dramedy Welcome to Me–Kristen Wiig to potentially star. And Ron Howard’s Imagine is teaming up with Universal on another Will Smith sci-fi/action, a remake of the lesser-known film Colossus: The Forbin Project. Other script sales include: – Jason Sudeikis + Charlie Day = Night on the Hudson. With two comic geniuses, does the plot matter? – Disney on board to remake the 1977 classic Pete’s Dragon. – Because teen fantasy adaptations usually turn out pretty well: Daughter of Smoke and Bone in development. Joe Roth (Snow White and the Huntsman)…