Mike Fleming

GK Films has acquired The Man’s Guide to Love, a pitch for a comedy that Mark Levin and Jennifer Flackett will write and direct. GK’s Graham King and Tim Headington will produce with Laurence Mark. The plot revolves around three brothers, living in LA, New York and London, who lean on each other to navigate romantic relationships.

The premise and title comes from themansguidetolove.com, a website launched by Levin and Flackett which features a steady dose of man-on-the-street interviews with guys who dispense advice on keys for a successful romantic relationship. Levin and Flackett have also just made a deal with Simon & Schuster to write a book using the same title, which they’ll deliver in the fall to be published under Jennifer Bergstrom’s Gallery Books imprint. They will be executive producers of the film.

Not bad for something that grew out of a title Levin thought up for a script he and Flackett were writing. They’re a married team whose  credits include Nim’s Island, Little Manhattan, and the script for Journey to the Center of the Earth. The title didn’t fit that particular project, but they liked it enough to try building a multi-platform brand.

“I looked to see if anyone had claimed it, found it was surprisingly available, and paid $10.69 for it,” Levin said. They launched last February, sending a team out to film 100 interviews a day. They’ve got 2000, shot on high quality equipment so they could be interspersed through the film. That technique has been used in films from When Harry Met Sally to Jerry Maguire. Laurence Mark, who produced the latter, sees this project as Four Weddings and a Funeral, with dudes. Since women are drawn to romantic comedies and drag their insensitive mates kicking and screaming, what’s the audience for a male POV romantic comedy?

“Right now, 58% of the site’s audience is female,” Flackett said. “Women are curious about what men say when they’re not around. The hope is women will want to go, and since it’s about men, guys can go and not feel like it’s hard labor.” They’re repped by WME and Gotham Group.