2021 Spec Script Deal List

Every year since I launched the blog in 2008, I do a week-long analysis of the recent year in terms of spec script deals. This week, we look back at 2021.

First, my usual caveat: Tracking spec script deals is not an exact science. To make the blog’s list, there almost always has to be some sort of article in the press verifying a deal, but even then that can get dicey because the term “spec script” is itself rather amorphous in meaning.

In the broadest terms, it applies to any deal made for a script written “speculatively,” that is for no fees, just the writer’s own sweat equity with the hope of making a sale. Seems simple enough, but there is a lot of gray area:

• Some deals get announced that are in effect handshake, no money arrangements.
• Some deals are by professional writers with a preexisting relationship with a production group or studio, so that a tacit agreement was in place for the project from the get-go, even if nothing official until the script comes in.
• Some deals are scripts that have been circulating for many months, even years in the process of being packaged, then finally get announced when the project receives a green light.
• Some deals are option arrangements for as little as $5–10K, not what we typically associate with spec script sales (i.e., six figures).

There is no way to determine by any objective standard the precise number of spec script deals in any given year. However, since I have been using the same sources of information and standards in tracking deals, it is possible to track trends as well as have at least some idea of what projects got set up in a twelve-month period.

Each day this week, I will provide analysis of the 2021 spec script deals:

Tuesday: Genres

Wednesday: Studios, Production Companies, and Financiers

Thursday: Agents and Managers

Friday: Top Sales

Saturday: First Timers

Here is the entire list of 34 spec script deals from 2021 including links to my blog posts covering each acquisition:

1.Title: The Hound Logline: After being bitten by a mysterious stray dog, a timid dog-groomer is forced to wrestle with dark, new desires as her body goes through unexpected changes. Writer: Lisa Duva Genre: Horror Comedy Agency: CAA Buyer: Searchlight Pictures Date: 1/13/2021. Notes: Zoey Deutch will produce. Deutch is also attached to star. The script was on the 2019 Purple List (NYU).

2. Title: Untitled David Guggenheim Project Logline: A big action concept with franchise potential, a supernatural element, and a big lead role for an actress. Writer: David Guggenheim Genre: Action Agency: Verve Management: Lit Entertainment Group Buyer: Sony Pictures Entertainment Date: 1/14/2021. Notes: High-six figure deal.

3. Title: Delilah Logline: Described as “in the vein of Gone Girl” with a “strong female lead.” Writers: Harrison Query, Tommy Wallach Genre: Thriller Agency: Verve Management: Ground Control Buyer: Screen Gems Date: 1/15/2021. Notes: Preemptive sale.

4. Title: Void Logline: A group of space crew members who begin to turn up dead while attempting to escape from a distant moon where their memories are erased by a magnetic burst every eight hours. Writer: Chris Borrelli Genre: Science Fiction Thriller Agency: Verve Management: All Day Everyday Buyer: Netflix Date: 2/5/2021. Notes: This is Borrelli’s 8th spec script deal.

5. Title: Wine & Crime Logline: A group of baby boomer female friends and true crime enthusiasts bond over their shared love of Sancerre and serial killers when suddenly they find themselves thrust into the middle of their own true crime investigation. Writers: Cassie Daniels, Mark Bartosic, and Beth Behrs Genre: Comedy Agency: CAA Management: Anonymous Content / Stride Management Buyer: Lionsgate Date: 2/16/2021. Notes: Behrs is best known for her starring roles on CBS’s long-running series 2 Broke Girls and, currently, The Neighborhood.

6. Title: Parallel Logline: A man and woman who traffic in high-end crimes in parallel universes suddenly meet, a development that threatens their boss. Determined to outrun their fates, they fight across these different realities to find one where they can both survive and be together. Writer: Ben Ripley Genre: Science Fiction Agency: Gersh Management: Brillstein Entertainment Buyer: Netflix Date: 2/26/2021.

7. Title: Dark West Logline: A vampire revenge thriller set on the highways of Texas that follows two car thieves who accidentally T-bone a pair of vampires in the middle of the night. Writer: Richard Kadrey Genre: Vampire Thriller Agency: Paradigm Buyer: Winterlight Pictures Date: 3/4/2021. Notes: It is an option deal. Kiah Roache-Turner has been brought on to adapt the screenplay with the potential to direct the movie.

8. Title: Lift Logline: A female master thief and her ex-boyfriend who works for the FBI team up to steal $100 million in gold bullion being transported on a 777 passenger flight from London to Zurich. Writer: Daniel Kunka Genre: Action Agency: Verve Management: Lit Entertainment Group Buyer: Netflix Date: 3/18/2021. Notes: Preemptive purchase.

9. Title: Every House is Haunted Logline: An insurance investigator tries to debunk claims that a couple’s death was caused by a haunted house, but his doubts are challenged by a psychic and the mysterious occurrences he witnesses with his own eyes. Writers: Jason Pagan, Andrew Deutschman Genre: Horror Drama Agency: WME Management: Underground Management Buyer: Netflix Date: 3/31/2021.

10. Title: Untitled Family Adventure-Comedy Logline: Described as a four-quadrant family adventure-comedy and a love letter to pop culture and fandom. Writers: Alex Ankeles, Morgan Jurgenson Genre: Family Adventure-Comedy Management: Jonathan Hung (Jurgenson), Kaplan/Perrone (Ankeles), Buyer: Universal Pictures Date: 4/6/2021.

11. Title: Meebo and Me Logline: A divorced dad goes through great lengths to get his son the hot new toy, an adorable robot. But when the other toy robots rise up against their owners, the dad and his defective robot set out to save his son and the world while building a profound friendship along the way. Writer: Matt Lieberman Genre: Family Adventure Comedy Agency: CAA Management: Lit Entertainment Group Buyer: Warner Bros. Date: 4/7/2021. Notes: Competitive bidding scenario.

12. Title: No One Will Save You Logline: N/A Writer: Brian Duffield Genre: Drama Agency: UTA Management: Circle of Confusion Buyer: 20th Century Studios Date: 4/19/2021. Notes: Duffield will direct. Kaitlyn Dever is attached to star. Deal is described as having sold in a “competitive auction.”

13. Title: Sharp Logline: A group of six knife-wielding assassins who, after a globally-synchronized hit goes wrong, are forced to work together to save themselves and discover who betrayed them. Writers: José Padilha, Nicolette Noble Genre: Action, Agency: CAA Management: Management 360 Buyer: Netflix Date: 5/1/2021. Notes: Package is a reported seven-figure deal.

14. Title: Stay Frosty Logline: After miraculously surviving a bullet to the head, a man has to figure out who wants him dead and why. He needs to stop the assassin while still making it back home in time to spend Christmas with his son. Writer: Tyler Marceca Genre: Action Agency: Verve Management: Industry Entertainment Buyer: Warner Bros. Date: 5/7/2021. Notes: Warner Bros won a wild spec auction and will pay north of $1 million against low-seven figures.

15. Title: Valor Logline: A marauding warrior from a popular video game dies in a freak accident. He is reincarnated in our world and discovers the god he’s always worshipped turns out to be a 13-year-old Asian kid from New Jersey adjusting to life with a single parent. Writers: Jeff Chan, Andrew Rhymer Genre: Action Adventure Agency: Verve Management: Anonymous Content Buyer: Amazon Studios Date: 5/12/2021. Notes: Described as a “competitive situation,” the deal is for a reported high-six figures.

16. Title: The Delivered Logline: A U.S. Marshal who risks everything to save his convict brother from execution. Writer: Harrison Query Genre: Drama Thriller Agency: Verve Management: Ground Control Buyer: Sculptor Media Date: 6/8/2021.

17. Title: The Tradition Logline: A romantic comedy that celebrates the cultural differences between Mexican and American wedding traditions. Writers: Nico Godinez Miller, Grant Mellon Genre: Romantic Comedy Agency: N/A Management: N/A Buyer: Netflix Date: 6/22/2021.

18. Title: The Debriefing Logline: A cat-and-mouse psychological espionage thriller that centers on a top-level CIA intelligence operative who must debrief an asylum-seeking GRU computer tech to verify the veracity of his story before the critical information he possess expires. Writer: Ken Nolan Genre: Psychological Spy Thriller Agency: CAA Management: Kaplan/Perrone Buyers: Jackson Pictures, Stampede Ventures Date: 6/29/2021. Notes: The script is an adaptation of a novel.

19. Title: Relay Logline: Kept under wraps. Big science fiction tentpole project. Writer: MacMillan Hedges Genre: Science Fiction Agency: Gersh Management: Management 360. Buyer: Original Film Date: 6/29/2021. Notes: Acquired in a “competitive situation.”

20. Title: The Vampire Asset Logline: A reluctant vampire is recruited by the CIA to hunt down his former lover, the woman who turned him into an immortal killer, before she unleashes a global catastrophe. Writer: Jonathan Stokes Genre: Action Management: Management SGC Buyer: Code Entertainment Date: 7/12/2021. Notes: Reportedly mid-six figure deal.

21. Title: Black Choke: Logline: bank robbery gone wrong. Writer: Doug Simon Genre: Neo-Noir Action Thriller Agency: Verve Management: Writ Large Buyer: HBO Max Date: 7/22/2021.

22. Title: Time Zone Logline: A covert squad of first responders equipped with technology that allows them to manipulate time. Writers: Bill Marsilii, Terry Rossio Genre: Science Fiction Action Thriller Agency: WME Management: Activist Artists Management Buyer: Amazon Studios Date: 8/4/2021.

23. Title: The Bee Keeper Logline: A lightning-paced thriller deeply steeped in the mythology of bee-keeping. Writer: Kurt Wimmer Genre: Action Thriller Agency: Verve Buyer: Miramax Date: 8/27/2021. Notes: A reported seven-figure deal. Jason Statham attached to star.

24. Title: The Dryline Logline: A kidnapping and ransom negotiator is tasked with finding a nine-year-old boy who went missing on an Indian Reservation in South Dakota. After finding the boy, she must fight to keep them both alive when they come under attack by the very people who hired her — corrupt FBI agents and cold-blooded police officials who want the boy dead because of what he knows. Writer: David Rothley Genre: Action Thriller Agency: WME Management: Bellevue Productions Buyer: Sony Pictures Entertainment Date: 8/30/2021. Notes: First-timer. Preemptive purchase.

25: Title: 48 Hours in Vegas Logline: Inspired by the crazy story of how NBA star Dennis Rodman went on a madcap adventure with his skittish assistant GM in the middle of the 1998 NBA Finals. The film will detail a budding friendship that neither one of them ever thought was possible but will end up solving both of their problems. Writer: Jordan VanDina Genre: Drama Comedy Agency: UTA Management: 3 Arts Entertainment Buyer: Lionsgate Date: 8/31/2021. Notes: Phil Lord and Chris Miller are attached as producers.

26. Title: The Paladin Logline: A broken-down, last-of-his-kind warrior mage undertakes a final quest to protect a child who has the power to save or destroy our world. Writer: Umair Aleem Genre: Action Agency: Verve Management: Lit Entertainment Group Buyer: Stampede Ventures Date: 9/28/2021.

27. Title: Hellish Nell Logline: Helen Duncan, a famous Scottish medium who eventually became the last woman ever legally tried for witchcraft in 1933 in London. Writer: Chris Basler Genre: Historical Drama Management: Grandview Buyer: Studiocanal and The Picture Company Date: 10/6/2021. Notes: Preemptive pickup. Basler was a participant in the 2018 Black List feature writers lab.

28. Title: Darby Harper Wants You To Know Logline: The story follows Darby Harper, who after suffering a near-death experience as a child, is granted the ability to see ghosts. Writers: Wenonah Wilms, Becca Green Genre: Teen Comedy Drama Agency: UTA Management: MXN Buyer: 20th Century Studios Date: 10/24/2021. Notes: This is an option deal that actually happened two years ago, just announced now once the production was locked.

29. Title: Foreign and Familiar Logline: A rebellious first-generation Indian-American teen embarrasses her traditional Indian family, resulting in her parents sending her to high school in India to learn more about her culture. Writer: Leah Kunnath Genre: Comedy Management: Aperture Entertainment Production Company: Monarch Media. Date: 10/25/2021. Notes: This is an option deal. Leah Kunnath received an MFA in Screenwriter from DePaul University (2019). She is now repped the management company she interned at as part of the University’s L.A. Quarter program.

30. Title: No Way in Hell Logline: A Marine Corps vet’s quest to help the Iraqi interpreter who saved his life in combat flee ISIS and find safety for his family, after official channels fail him. Writers: Chase Millsap, Charley Dane Genre: Action Thriller Management: Mazo Partners Production Companies: One Community, Gunpowder & Sky Date: 10/29/2021. Notes: This is an option deal.

31. Title: Wayland Logline: Has shades of A Simple Plan and Knives Out. Writer: Simon Kinberg Genre: Drama Thriller Agency: CAA Buyer: Lionsgate Date: 11/2/2021. Notes: Progress to production commitment.

32. Title: Ultra Logline: Protagonist is an ultramarathon runner involved in a deadly race. Writer: Colin Bannon Genre: Thriller Agency: Verve Management: Sugar23 Buyer: TriStar Date: 11/18/2021. Notes: Preemptive purchase.

33. Title: Lady Krylon Logline: A New York-set romance that sees the lives of a prodigal graffiti artist and an upper east side socialite collide. As the former’s fame rises, his newfound love tries to protect him from the perils of success. Writer: Brandon Constantine Genre: Drama Thriller Agency: Paradigm Management: Housefire Management Production Company: Stampede Ventures Date: 12/8/2021. Notes: Option deal.

34. Title: Phantom Logline: Pic will be an adaptation of the 1910 Gaston Leroux novel Phantom of the Opera, set in contemporary New Orleans. Writer: John Fusco Genre: Drama Mystery Romance Agency: UTA Management: The Syndicate Buyer: Universal Pictures Date: 12/10/2021.

If I got any information wrong or missed a deal, please email me.

Spec Script Deals By Year (1991–2021)

1991: 28
1992: 40
1993: 89
1994: 101
1995: 173
1996: 155
1997: 141
1998: 110
1999: 83
2000: 92
2001: 101
2002: 114
2003: 90
2004: 75
2005: 58
2006: 60
2007: 64
2008: 87
2009: 67
2010: 55
2011: 110
2012: 99
2013: 100
2014: 62
2015: 55
2016: 75
2017: 62
2018: 41
2019: 32
2020: 26
2021: 34

While you’re here, why not click on RESPONSE to give your general impression of the year in spec script deals, maybe noting which loglines interest you the most.

Previous annual analyses:

2008 Spec Script Deals Analysis
2009 Spec Script Deals Analysis
2010 Spec Script Deals Analysis
2011 Spec Script Deals Analysis
2012 Spec Script Deals Analysis
2013 Spec Script Deals Analysis
2014 Spec Script Deals Analysis
2015 Spec Script Deals Analysis
2016 Spec Script Deals Analysis
2017 Spec Script Deals Analysis
2018 Spec Script Deals Analysis
2019 Spec Script Deals Analysis
2020 Spec Script Deals Analysis [available at the end of the week]

Tomorrow: A breakdown and analysis of spec script deals in 2021 by genre.