Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount Pictures just closed a mid- against high-six-figure deal to acquire the spec script Bastards by Justin Malen. It seems to be a case of good timing for the R-rated comedy, coming on the heels of the success of Bridesmaids and The Hangover Part II, and the promiscuous misbehavior by high-profile figures like Arnold Schwarzenegger, John Edwards and Congressman Anthony Weiner. Montecito is producing with H2F Management.

In the spec, two brothers are raised to believe their father died when they were young. They discover that’s a lie, and their mother confesses she was a wild child in the 70s who bedded many powerful people she met at Studio 54, including politicians, athletes and movie stars. The siblings venture out on a road trip to find their real father. Deal moved quick, taking 24 hours from when Malen’s reps at Verve and H2F Management brought the spec to market. Paramount moved while other studios were mobilizing. Malen last sold Prick to New Regency, and he is writing Trophy Husbands. The attorney was Jeff Frankel.