You won't guess what the most expensive spec script in movie history was

[Guestx]

Look at that box office money!! Worth every single penny imo!! Shit, underpaid actually.

Yeah, it's interesting that the writer of a screenplay that goes on to make hundreds of millions of dollars will only see a small fraction of those profits.

There is one exception though:

Michael Crichton was paid $1.5 million plus a percentage of the film's gross for Jurassic Park.

 

[Buddy Revell]

This is some Done Deal Pro level posting here, my firend
Not inside baseball, but close.

Off the top of my head, i remember 'Snow White and the Huntsman' and Armored' were big more recent pec sales. Only the former really paid big dividends.

At a glance of the ones you posted, i can see what you probaly alreadfy know: There isnt a direct correlation between the quality of the concept and the sale. (Talladega Nights is basically just for the North American market. Panic Room is not franchiseable.)

So much depends on market factors that are mostly random, like what movie was recently a big hit that everyone in HW is now looking to emulate. Trends. WHO the writer is, are they HOT, and there overall track record also factors in.

Panic Room is a bit of a headscrather. That film should have been made for 10 million bucks, basically a Jason Blum movie...
but David Fincher somehow ended up being attached and the budget skyrocketed because Fincher shoots the shit out of his movies and burns through money like nothin" And while Jodie Foster was awesome, she's not a huge star. It did verywell financially, but could've been a lot more profitable.

 

[Fedorgasm]

It's so sad the way writers get the shaft.

I mean, the most a writer's ever made off spec is 5 million? Yet you have actors getting paid 35 million for one movie. Directors are getting 20 million plus a percentage of gross.

The writer has much more to do with a movie being good than an actor does. Without the writer you have nothing. They have to create an interesting plot, well-developed characters, snappy dialogue, and pull it all out of thin air.

It makes especially little sense when you look at Television. In the Television world, the writer is king, the writer is the boss. But when it comes to films, the writer is an afterthought. He has to do what everyone else tells him to do or else he's fired and they'll bring in some hack to "fix" the script.

 

[The Diplomat]

I'd be more interested in what the highest priced spec script that never got made, is. I know of cases where writers got paid 6 figures for films that never got made, which in itself is pretty impressive as writers usually get paid a % of the films budget on top of the purchase price.

Not sure about most expensive spec script never produced, but here is a site with some spec scripts never produced.

https://screencraft.org/2017/07/30/spec-scripts-that-sold-for-millions-but-were-never-made/


Most sold for $1-2 million, but there was a script called Bad Dog, written by Dale Launer (writer of My Cousin Vinny) that sold for $3 million dollars in 1997.

DreamWorks — in a deal handled personally by co-founders Jeffrey Katzenberg and Steven Spielberg — has perked up the dry spec market with a guaranteed $3 million preemptive purchase of Dale Launer’s horror spec “Bad Dog.”

The price is one of the highest for a spec in recent years. It falls short of Shane Black’s $4 million for “The Long Kiss Goodnight,” but it equals the $3 million M. Night Shyamalan earned recently from Disney for “The Sixth Sense.”

The sale also was significant for “My Cousin Vinny” scripter Launer as his first agent-brokered deal, with Jim Lefkowitz of CAA. Launer usually reps himself in the negotiations. The scribe couldn’t be reached for comment about why he made the switch to a percentery. Launer also is attached to produce the pic, described as a werewolf-comic-horror-thriller.

DreamWorks nabbed the spec Friday with Katzenberg and Spielberg handling negotiations. DreamWorks production topper Walter Parkes was in a screening and new prexy of production Robert Cooper was out of town. So, responding to a time-sensitive offer from CAA, Spielberg and Katzenberg jumped into the fray with Launer and CAA.

Launer’s other feature credits include “Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” and “Ruthless People.”

http://variety.com/1997/film/news/pet-sounds-3-mil-dog-1200324813/

 

[Turtlejuice]

Not sure about most expensive spec script never produced, but here is a site with some spec scripts never produced.

https://screencraft.org/2017/07/30/spec-scripts-that-sold-for-millions-but-were-never-made/


Most sold for $1-2 million, but there was a script called Bad Dog, written by Dale Launer (writer of My Cousin Vinny) that sold for $3 million dollars in 1997.




http://variety.com/1997/film/news/pet-sounds-3-mil-dog-1200324813/

Thanks for the link. Nuclear Family was one I was thinking of. Apparently it sold for a more than I remembered.

I just find it nuts that so much money is spent on films that never get made.

 

[Guestx]

This is some Done Deal Pro level posting here, my firend
Not inside baseball, but close.

At a glance of the ones you posted, i can see what you probaly alreadfy know: There isnt a direct correlation between the quality of the concept and the sale. (Talladega Nights is basically just for the North American market. Panic Room is not franchiseable.)

So much depends on market factors that are mostly random, like what movie was recently a big hit that everyone in HW is now looking to emulate. Trends. WHO the writer is, are they HOT, and there overall track record also factors in.

Panic Room is a bit of a headscrather. That film should have been made for 10 million bucks, basically a Jason Blum movie...
but David Fincher somehow ended up being attached and the budget skyrocketed because Fincher shoots the shit out of his movies and burns through money like nothin" And while Jodie Foster was awesome, she's not a huge star. It did verywell financially, but could've been a lot more profitable.

One thing that's interesting is that spec script sales have nosedived in recent years. I read earlier that in 1995, 173 spec scripts were sold. In 2010, that number was down to just 55.

 

[Guestx]

It's so sad the way writers get the shaft.

I mean, the most a writer's ever made off spec is 5 million? Yet you have actors getting paid 35 million for one movie. Directors are getting 20 million plus a percentage of gross.

The writer has much more to do with a movie being good than an actor does. Without the writer you have nothing. They have to create an interesting plot, well-developed characters, snappy dialogue, and pull it all out of thin air.

It makes especially little sense when you look at Television. In the Television world, the writer is king, the writer is the boss. But when it comes to films, the writer is an afterthought. He has to do what everyone else tells him to do or else he's fired and they'll bring in some hack to "fix" the script.

Exactly this. It's very strange.

The story is the FUNDAMENTAL aspect of any film. It's the nucleus, the heart, the foundation. Without it, there is no movie. And yet, like you say, writers get very little respect.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

It wasn't mind blowing, but it was really fun. And I like almost anything with time travel.

Would you say that A Sound of Thunder is the greatest film ever made?



..because it is.

 

[CerebralKnievel]

Exactly this. It's very strange.

The story is the FUNDAMENTAL aspect of any film. It's the nucleus, the heart, the foundation. Without it, there is no movie. And yet, like you say, writers get very little respect.

Meh. A Brett Ratner can butcher any script, and a James Cameron can build a film from anything.

I remember reading the script for LA Confidential. It was basically just dialogue. Very minimal. The director obviously drew up the majority of the final product from their own creativity.

 

[ookii]

I enjoyed Talledegah Nights very much but the writer must have had a good negotiator to land that much for the script.

 

[Guestx]

Meh. A Brett Ratner can butcher any script, and a James Cameron can build a film from anything.

I remember reading the script for LA Confidential. It was basically just dialogue. Very minimal. The director obviously drew up the majority of the final product from their own creativity.

Well in those cases the directors are just taking on the role of screenwriter. They are themselves becoming the writer.

But there are also a lot of stories of scripts that were initially brilliant but were "developed" by the studio into something mediocre and unremarkable.

Also, since you mention him in this context, I have to say that I think Brett Ratner gets shit on a little unfairly a lot of the time. Rush Hour, The Family Man and Red Dragon were all quite good. Probably a better go-to guy when talking about hacks would be McG (but even he had Charlie's Angels).

 

[Buddy Revell]

One thing that's interesting is that spec script sales have nosedived in recent years. I read earlier that in 1995, 173 spec scripts were sold. In 2010, that number was down to just 55.

Yeah. From what i gather two of the probable reasons behind that drop are that:
A. The studios are making less movies than they used to.
B. The studios are making more movies based on IP's (Comicbooks, Novels, Toys, Magazine Articles, Video games, Sequals, and even Emoji... ) than ever before.

So spec scripts now days seem to be viewed by many in the industry as writing samples, calling cards for writers to get jobs on TV and Film.

 

[Guestx]

Yeah. From what i gather two of the probable reasons behind that drop are that:
A. The studios are making less movies than they used to.
B. The studios are making more movies based on IP's (Comicbooks, Novels, Toys, Magazine Articles, Video games, Sequals, and even Emoji... ) than ever before.

So spec scripts now days seem to be viewed by many in the industry as writing samples, calling cards for writers to get jobs on TV and Film.

That's stupid.

Moviegoers are practically begging for new, original stories but the studios are too terrified to invest in them.

I remember when Inception came out, a big deal was made of the fact that it was wholly original and not based on an existing book, comic, movie, etc. And I remember thinking, "Damn, is that where we're at now? Original shit is so rare that we get really excited when something like this comes along?"

 

[CerebralKnievel]

Well in those cases the directors are just taking on the role of screenwriter. They are themselves becoming the writer.

But there are also a lot of stories of scripts that were initially brilliant but were "developed" by the studio into something mediocre and unremarkable.

Also, since you mention him in this context, I have to say that I think Brett Ratner gets shit on a little unfairly a lot of the time. Rush Hour, The Family Man and Red Dragon were all quite good. Probably a better go-to guy when talking about hacks would be McG (but even he had Charlie's Angels).

McG is definitely a pile of excrement. His name alone warrants a death by mob lynching.

I'l never forgive Ratner for tanking the X-Men series.

 

[JudoThrowFiasco]

Usually its a "versus" deal. They get paid x for a studio buying and y if the movie gets made. I would be blown away if those were straight payouts regardless of the movie being made.

 

[Buddy Revell]

That's stupid.

Moviegoers are practically begging for new, original stories but the studios are too terrified to invest in them.

I remember when Inception came out, a big deal was made of the fact that it was wholly original and not based on an existing book, comic, movie, etc. And I remember thinking, "Damn, is that where we're at now? Original shit is so rare that we get really excited when something like this comes along?"

I think the movie going, or not going, public shares some blame in that but i agree with the general gist of your comment. There's definetly a lack of good high concept, visually engaging stuff. We need some of these Marvel and DC directors to ask off the CBM merry-go-round and make some big budget original stuff. I say this because it's generally the directors that have made the studio lots of bread that get to make lavish passion projects. Like Nolan at WB.

McG is definitely a pile of excrement. His name alone warrants a death by mob lynching.

So you've seen The Babysitter have you? The script was pretty good, but totally felt like a schlocky B movie. When Netflix bought it i kinda hoped they'd bring in a filmmaker to elevate the material. That obviously didn't happen lol.

 

[Guestx]

So you've seen The Babysitter have you? The script was pretty good, but totally felt like a schlocky B movie. When Netflix bought it i kinda hoped they'd bring in a filmmaker to elevate the material. That obviously didn't happen lol.

Have you seen it?

I have not, but I did notice that it was Fresh on RT.

 

[Chesten_Hesten]

https://www.wescreenplay.com/blog/post/the-most-expensive-screenplays-ever-sold

@Cubo de Sangre

 

[Buddy Revell]

Have you seen it?

I have not, but I did notice that it was Fresh on RT.

Yea iv'e seen it. It's okay. Felt like more of a comedy-horror movie than horror-comedy. Very gory in parts, and some fairly funny bits...
All filmed in McG's music video style (it has a very "Stacy's Mom", "Pretty Fly (for a white guy)" aesthetic. It's kinda fun, but too campy and slick to be the least but scary.

 

[Guestx]

Yea iv'e seen it. It's okay. Felt like more of a comedy-horror movie than horror-comedy. Very gory in parts, and some fairly funny bits...
All filmed in McG's music video style (it has a very "Stacy's Mom", "Pretty Fly (for a white guy)" aesthetic. It's kinda fun, but too campy and slick to be the least but scary.

That's similar to what I've heard about the movie I'm about to walk out the door to go see, Happy Death Day.