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EXCLUSIVE: Fox has picked up for development 2 projects from Friends alumni: Brian Buckner’s How the Other Half Hamptons, which is produced by Brett Ratner, and R. Lee Fleming Jr.’s Anthem, produced by Topher Grace. Both are from 20th Century Fox TV. Hamptons, which 20th TV co-produces with Ratner’s RatTV, is part of the hot trend of book adaptations this buying season. It is based Jasmin Rosemberg’s novel, which in turn was inspired by Rosenberg’s New York Post column about her Hamptons share-house experience. In the vein of Animal House, Hamptons revolves around friends Jamie, Rachel and Allison who don’t have the old-school Hamptons money but still want to enjoy the trappings of the Hamptons lifestyle and find the men of their dreams, so they pile into a shared house together. Buckner, who works on HBO’s True Blood, is writing the script and is executive producing with Ratner. This is Ratner’s second sale this development season. He is also executive producing writer Sascha Penn’s drama Unknown at Fox. Ratner and Buckner are with CAA.
Anthem is a half-hour based on an original idea and focuses on four guys from suburban Indiana who get a second chance at their dream when they reunite the cover band they had as teenagers but find themselves juggling small town fame with their domestic responsibilities. Fleming Jr. is writing and executive producing with Grace and Gordon Kaywin. Grace and Kaywin’s Sargent Hall sold the project through its first deal with the Fox network and will co-produce with 20th TV. In addition to Anthem, Grace and Kaywin are developing a comedy at Warner Bros. TV with writer Bill Kunstler. Grace and Kaywin are with WME and BEP, Fleming Jr. with UTA.
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Ratner – best producer in the business. Director? Not so much.
Thank you.
A show about rich people in the Hamptons. Yeah, just what a nation in recession with double digit unemployment wants to see. Right up there with that show about outsourcing American jobs to Asia. Who greenlights this crap?
people with gobs of money.
Judging by the summary, it’s not about rich people per se. It’s about 3 gold digging women who seem to be prepared to do anything to ensnare a rich guy — short of actually working for their own money.
But yeah, I’ve no idea who wants to watch a show about neither rich people (Running Wilde), nor people who are prepared to prostitute themselves to become rich at someone else’s expense. Nor indeed, a (badly-written) show about Indians benefiting from American misery.
The ratings for Outsourced and Running Wilde suggest people do not want to watch them — but it could be that they are just crap shows.
Brett ratner is quickly becoming a force as a producer in film and television. And I’m in the group that thinks he’s a good filmmaker too.
A group otherwise known as “his PR people”.
Well he’s definitely “a force” – he gets projects made, which by definition puts him at the top. But nobody thinks he’s “good”. And he doesn’t really have to be – the audience for the kinds of product he makes doesn’t really demand quality.
I’m just not seeing the Topher Grace idea. But when it comes to comedy, Fox seems to have no idea whatsoever.
The same one’s that don’t realize this overused concept has been done again and again(so original) and who also think Topher Grace means something…who is Topher Grace???…a left-over from that “70′s” show.No disrespect…but where is the talent.
Will someone please explain to me the fascination of late with adapting books that no one’s ever heard of? Why do these have more credibility than just coming up with an original idea. I can understand if it’s a bestseller so you know people have responded to it or it has a breathtakingly original idea, but why does a little known book with an unremarkable premise trump an original idea? Are TV execs that uncertain of a good idea when they hear one? If so, aren’t they in the wrong business?
Adaptations have been a staple of the business–more so films than tv–because there is a foundation from which to start. There are characters and usually a story already laid out That’s not to say that this strategy is better or worse than working from original ideas, but having a book/magazine article/true story etc gives everyone in a fear based, risk averse environment a security blanket. If the book happens to be a bestseller, that can often work against the film version, since people come to it with opinions about how they see the characters, etc. so in a way, a book that isn’t well known is safer because it has the advantage of not starting from a blank slate,without the aforementioned preconceived notions.
Whatever keeps Ratner away from the X-Men films is fine by me.
Ratner is cool. His film execs are cool too. Too bad his tv exec is a moron and this show won’t get to air.
let me guess- the tv guy’s a moron because he passed on your project.
Brett Ratner symbolizes everything that’s wrong and cruel with Hollywood these days. Fox and Ratner can just kiss both sides of my ass!
Brett Ratner is a bloated buffoon who has been leavibg a trail of expensive failures in his path for the last six years.
X-Men 3 made money but was utterly creatively bankrupt and permanently alienated Brett from the fanboy crowd.
Rush Hour 3 was a massive blow to New Line and arguably the movie that forced that minimajor’s closure.
Prison Break stopped being a viable, profitable show very early into its second season but was a drag on Fox for snother two years before being put out of its misery.
His upcoming movie Horrible Bosses is a lame-ass Hangover wannabe.
And his pilot Breakout Kings last year was an overbudget disaster that took Fox about 15 seconds to pass on–Brett everyone at tge network just laughed at how desperately you shopped it to HBO before settling on a bargain basement deal with A&E.
Umm before you shit on people you should get your facts straight. Breakout Kings – Gavin Hood directed that, Matt Olmstead wrote it and that is not at all how it played out. You may be INterested but you’re not very observant.
I am only familiar with Brett Ratner via his X-Men 3 mess. After Bryan Singer, it was like going from filet mignon to 3-day old ramen noodles but smothered in EXPLOSION SAUCE ™ so they must still be good…
I don’t get why anyone who is truly successful would feel the need to spout off a ticker tape of failings..in saying this, I have always admired BR ability to get productions underway. Hopefully he finds his niche.
Hey Gary,
Actually, she (aka the tv exec) didn’t pass on my project. She’s a moron because she can’t get anything to series and Brett doesn’t even know her name.
Let me guess Gary – you’re her assistant or husband? Not that they’re different!
Chaos is on CBS starting in February.
In a break from all the Ratner-bashing, it’s wonderful to see a good guy like Lee Flemming succeed. A true gentleman and a talented writer. Congrats, Lee!
For what it’s worth: that’s a summary of the book. Not the show.
And one other thing: how is it that every single person who posts on this website is the smartest person in the world? I mean, what are the odds that something like this could be true?
I’ve said it before, and it still holds true, these projects could both be great or both suck (or one could be great and one could suck; or either could be varying degrees of greatness and suckiness). It’s all in the execution. Good luck to these fellows as they chase their dreams.
GO, MARTHA! GO, MARTHA!
What did moviegoers back in the 1930s depression go to see? Poverty dramas? Hell no.. They went to see flicks about rich dilletantes singing cole porter tunes .
So this is what dorks talk about? You all need to get laid.
Stop talking out of your asses about Brett’s TV head, she’s more connected than anyone of these comnent trolls. Christ get your facts straight, you totally don’t know her or how respected she is.