Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Emma Stone is in negotiations to star in He’s Fuckin’ Perfect, a comedy spec script that Fox 2000 bought two weeks ago. The studio and Stone’s reps are going through the deal making gyrations, but signs are positive. A commitment by the hot young actress in town would be the latest development in a surreal month for the script’s 29-year old writer, Lauryn Kahn. After spending four years as Adam McKay’s assistant, she leaves the job tomorrow to write scripts full time. Exiting the $40,000 a year job seems less daunting after she landed $1 million against $1.5 million for He’s Fuckin’ Perfect, her very first feature screenplay.

The comedy focuses on a social media savvy girl who is pessimistic about love and vets her friends’ dates to find flaws. When that process leads her to uncover the perfect guy, she decides to use her internet research skills to turn herself into his perfect match. The film will be produced by Gary Sanchez’s McKay and Will Ferrell. The Gary Sanchez team helped her hone the script and gave her notes to help shape it.

The script wasn’t even supposed to be shopped. It was sent by Gary Sanchez directly to Stone, in hopes she would become attached. Then it leaked and got passed around the development community. Suddenly, Fox 2000 was among four studios making bids, and Gary Sanchez and Kahn’s WME reps had an auction. Fox 2000′s Elizabeth Gabler and Rodney Ferrell were most aggressive, but the sellers wanted to wait a day so that two other studios could get in the mix. When Fox 2000 upped the ante–a seven-figure offer with a 90-minute expiration–they took the deal. Kahn had gotten some seasoning at Gary Sanchez, writing, performing and directing numerous shorts for their Funny Or Die website. Kahn also just made an untitled NBC pilot deal for a Gary Sanchez.

Stone wrapped The Amazing Spider-Man and is shooting Gangster Squad with her Zombieland director Ruben Fleischer. She doesn’t have her next movie, so it is possible this film could find its way into production very quickly (there will surely be a title change). I’ve covered this business long enough to recall the heyday of the big spec script deals of the 1990s, when struggling writers became wealthy overnight, like Jeff Maguire, whose electricity was getting turned off when he scored a huge spec payday for In the Line of Fire. Studios don’t pay those big bucks much anymore, and it has been a long while since I’ve heard a rags to riches writer story this good. 

He’s Fuckin’ Perfect becomes another priority project for Gary Sanchez, whose Hansel and Gretel: Witch Hunters with Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton will be released March 2 by Paramount. They are about to start production on the Jay Roach-directed comedy Dogfight at Warner Bros with Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis. Their Spanish language comedy Casa De Mi Padre was just acquired by Pantelion Films, and writer/director Leslye Headland just wrapped the Kirsten Dunst-Isla Fisher comedy Bachelorette.

WME reps both Stone and Kahn, and Stone is managed by Anonymous Content.