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EXCLUSIVE: Steve Carell is attached to star in and produce Conviction, a heist film that was bought as a spec script two years ago by Warner Bros and Silver Pictures. The script by Jonathan Herman, which made the Black List, follows a mastermind bank robber who serves five years in prison following a botched heist who is forced by an FBI agent to entrap his protege as the upstart pulls off a multimillion-dollar job. The original script had a Heat tone, but it stalled. It is being turned into an action comedy with a tone similar to 48 Hours and Ocean’s Eleven, with Carell at its center. Joel Silver, who has had success with this kind of thing with 48 Hours and Lethal Weapon, will produce the film with Carell and Silver Pictures head Andrew Rona. Silver Pictures’ Alex Heineman will be executive producer with Vance DeGeneres and Charlie Hartsock, who run Carell’s Warner Bros-based Carousel banner. They will set a writer to redraft the project. Carell’s repped by WME and Media Four.
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there is always room for an intelligent comedy.. i just hope they dont turn it into a slapstic/schtic/schmultzy p.c. movie..sounds very interesting..
So in other words, they want to completely ruin a perfectly good script to appease a comedic actor.
By the way, the tone of the original was definitely not like HEAT.
To look at this like Lennon & Garant, the writers sold the car. The buyers can program the radio any way they want.
Wasn’t there already a film called CONVICTION with that swanky dude, oh I mean gal, who fired her manager and CAA team and likes to sing “Happy Birthday, Mister President” to torturing rulers and then blame everyone else about her poor singing voice, I mean choices?
Wait, so the script made the Black List, but it needs to be rewritten?
This is what is wrong with Hollywood.
Absolutely. There are an abundance of original, quality scripts out there but Hollywood doesn’t appreciate the writer’s work. Nothing is more annoying than producers who consider themselves “artists.” Writers=Artists. Directors=Artists. DP=Artists. Producers=Business men who have no eye for art. I take that back, there are few that have an eye for art.
Screenwriters, if you care about your piece, NEVER sell the rights to it.
Heat-like script turned into a comedy… is that like turning a cheeseburger into a spicy tuna roll?
Best dumb quote of the year: “Screenwriters, if you care about your piece, NEVER sell the rights to it.”
Fantastic plan. Don’t sell it, because someone might actually make a movie out of it… You might actually make a living at writing, and actually come to understand the process by which movies are made and then released to general audiences.
… I will never understand people who moan about Hollywood as if it’s one guy, Joe Hollywood, making all these “stupid” choices.
If you want to make films with big stars that play around the world, you will want to grow up and learn that there are rules to the game —
IF YOU HATE HOLLYWOOD, WHY ARE YOU READING DEADLINE HOLLYWOOD?
“Screenwriters, if you care about your piece, NEVER sell the rights to it.”
That’s right, everyone, keep your scripts in a box in the attic forever. Sounds like great advice there.
Look, for most writers, the goal is to sell material. Unfortunately, that means giving up the rights to the buyer for a (presumably) satisfactory sum. Ultimately, everything’s a gamble. Even if a movie’s made, it still might be directed badly, or the cast might be lackluster.
As a writer, you take a chance. That’s all you can do. You take a chance and just hope you’re getting in bed with the right people.
Unfair. Yes, some producers are total schlockmeisters who have a bottom-line mentality, but there are others who LOVE artists and go way out on a limb for them and help them get amazing movies made.
I must agree. As a writer, I understand what you mean. I can honestly say I’d rather have a piece sit in my attic than have it mangled into a movie that does not represent what I wrote.
Maybe screenwriters can look into writing novels instead. Although, editors have the power to morph your piece, it won’t be to the degree of a production company who have complete ownership of your script.
Yeah…never sell the rights NEVER get PAID.
Good advice. MORON.
I agree. Herman is a serious talent. That script, along with Rites of Men, was the real deal. Conviction worked because of the tone – making it a slap-tick buddy cop/comedy – ala, The Other Guys, Cop Out, is going to ruin it.
Well, I guess it is to be expected. Hollywood just can’t let a great script be great – and shoot it as is. They gotta fuck with it and attach the wrong people. So what is Carell is wanting to do a buddy comedy. Choose one of the gazillion others. Why this? It’s not meant to be a comedy!!!!
Herman must be pissed.
Good script, why fuck with it? Oh, cause you got no juice, Joel. Well, next.
REALLY? Just another thing that Silver, no matter how hard they try, will never, ever make.
How about coming up with a new script and not messing with the Black List script? The writer needs money? He is getting rewritten. Steve Carroll needs another project to attach himself to? He is a one note comedy actor whose schtick is already tired. Joel needs another movie? It’s over Joel, go remodel and sell homes now.
Hopefully the re-write works…. I agree with everyone else on here though, it’s a shame that a good script is being torn apart.
Why not wait for a good drama actor to take it?
Appeasing “stars” is what is ruining Hollywood, especially since no one goes to a movie because Steve Carrell is in it.
Smart play: take Heat, add producers of flops and studio “creative” execs (what do they create again?), and turn into Ocean’s 11– a movie that, without a gazillion stars, is trite, incoherent crap.
The Silver Pictures’ guys make the worst creative choices. No clue at all.
Amazing, for once I’m actually going to say something positive about this decision: Let’s not forget about that gritty cop tale originally written for Stallone to star in that ended up being rewritten as an action-comedy for Eddie Murphy to star in — BEVERLY HILLS COP, one of the best, highest-grossing films of the 80s.
Yes, you’re absolutely right. I hope they make it for 30m and it makes 600.
Doesn’t the success of a movie like “The Town” prove that people would rather see movies like “Heat” than movies like what they’re describing this as? Don’t get me wrong, I like Steve Carrell. BUT I really would rather pay my $15 to go see “something like Heat.” Sorry, bro.
“They really got to you.”
“Nope. I got to them. I’m still the same old Michael Scott. New and improved!”