Spec Script Deal: “The Romantic”

Paramount Pictures acquires romantic comedy spec script “The Romantic” written by Deborah Kaplan and Harry Elfont. Via Deadline:

The film tells the story of bestselling romance author Francine London, who has a secret: she’s actually a six-foot-four mountain of a man named Ed Schwenke. When Ed’s identity comes under scrutiny, he hires a wildcard of a woman to pose as Francine at a romance fiction convention, while evading a cynical female journalist, who hates romance even more than she hates liars.

In discussions to star: Dave Bautista. Perfect casting.

This is the 2nd spec script deal for Kaplan and Elfont in the last month. The other deal was Guys With No Friends which sold to — who else? — Paramount.

The writers are repped by Verve and Entertainment 360.

By my count, this is the 7th spec script deal in 2025.

There were 10 spec script deals year-to-date in 2024.