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EXCLUSIVE: Disney has just closed a seven-figure pitch deal for an untitled action comedy pitch by Scott Rosenberg. Several studios were bidding. John Jacobs is producing. They’re keeping the plot under wraps. Rosenberg’s most recent spec, Hauntrepeneur, sold to Paramount with Platinum Dunes producing, Russell Brand attached to star and Rob Letterman to direct. Rosenberg just did a production rewrite on the Michael Bay-directed Pain And Gain for Paramount, currently shooting with Mark Wahlberg and Dwayne Johnson. Rosenberg recently did a rewrite for Disney’s Life For Sale, which Andrew Panay is producing. WME brokered the deal.
Jacobs’ Smart Entertainment will produce, with Zac Unterman executive producer. Smart produced the Seth MacFarlane-directed comedy Ted for Universal and MRC.
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And this is why the industry is in so much trouble. Networks (cable and broadcast) are grossly over bidding and paying for projects and/or a pilot that may never make it past testing or 6 episodes. In the long run it’s the public that pays as the advertiser pays higher rates and then pass those costs thru to the consumer. Just like we need in the political arena, we need a ceiling on spending for projects.
Charles Bachrach
Must be one helluva pitch! I still wonder how studios pay 7 figures for pitches while it’s so hard to receive 7 figures for an awesome spec.
It helps if you’re white and male.
Fail.
How so?
I’ve been seeing more non-whites AND females – TV & Film – than ever before.
It always helps to be white and male – we live in America. However, this is NOT the post to bring in racism or sexism. Air your issues elsewhere, Elia. This guy sold a spec and did two rewrites for major studios. That’s only the work written about in this article… which means he is working his a** off twice as hard behind the scenes. I hope his pitch made the execs want to jump on top of their chairs. I hope he has a wife (or a husband) and kids who love the crap outta him and are so proud they can hardly breathe.
His friends are DAMN proud of him and we can confirm he does work his a** off and never a moment goes by that his mind not working to create, visualize and execute pure, original & electrifying entertainment.
“I’ve been seeing more non-whites AND females – TV & Film – than ever before.”
Oh really, H S? Well, that ain’t saying much, is it? Elia’s ABSOLUTELY right. People decry how crappy movies have gotten. How come nobody takes a good hard look at who is writing 99% of them? Hmmmm.
After “Rock of Ages” crashes into the same failed rocks as “Arthur” it is hard to believe that anyone is puchasing a vehicle for this aging mistake other than a bus ticket out of town. NOBODY wants to see this goof in anything. NOBODY.
He’s not going to be IN it.
But seeing as he’s written a couple of films that have made over $220+ million each…it seems like fair pay to me.
You beat me to it. Russell Brand is box office repellant. Note to Hollywood: audiences do not buy him, audiences reject him, audiences do not want to see him or his films, enough already!
I can’t stand the Brand. But, he’s not attached to the pitch, he’s attached to something else that Rosenberg wrote. Read the article.
It’s only seven figures if it gets made!
great title- not sure what its about. But if Brand is connected,why just throw the money in the garbage ?
7 figures for a PITCH?!……and the Studios won’t pay writers who are actually writing. Has anyone noticed the incredible screenplays gracing the summer movie lineup right now? Yeah, me neither. The business model in play here is ridiculous. A pyramid scheme at best. No wonder everyone is running to television.
Thought it was not a good pitch. Who runs Disney? Very very bad. Also good to hear John Jacobs has not died of old age.
And that’s why YOU write commentary on Nikki Finke, and he just sold a pitch for a million bucks.
So really, who’s the jackass?
But thanks for playing…
I did not say anyone was a jackass. Just that the package was not good.
Also the against is a mil – the upfront much smaller – again because it is a bad biz move.
Thank you for allowing me to play!!!
Russell Brand attached to star is the death knell for any feature script right now. They will have to get rid of him in order for Hauntrepeneur to get made. He’s going to be a cable TV star from now on. Bye Russell. You are too obnoxious for movie audiences.
heard this pitch. was not good. great to see that John Jacobs hasn’t died of old age though!!
You heard this pitch? You are a studio executive? John Jacobs is one of the nice guys in the business. He has TED coming out. and he just sold a million dollar pitch to Disney. What do you have, Um? Besides a propensity to lie about pitches you haven’t heard?
Morons, read the article! Russell Brand is NOT attached to the million dollar pitch that Disney bought. But to another script that Rosenberg sold to Paramount.
Was there ever a time when a diversity/female writer ever got a 7 figure sale for a pitch?!
Diablo Cody and Nancy Meyers are doing alright, and their movies are…meh, at best. But let’s call a spade a spade, the majority of female writers do not write garbage Hollywood schlock.
Well Diablo C. and Nancy M. DO have the big, 7-figure payday covered for women scribes. So, um, I am a bit curious about whether, as another poster here put it, a MINORITY writer has ever bagged such a big deal….. And from the sounds of crickets I suppose the only time a minority will score such a hefty deal in Los Angeles is if they play for the Dodgers, Laker, Clippers or Angels!
In the writing game, it does pay to be white and male and more often than not, yes, Jewish. That’s not prejudice speaking — just the cold hard demographic reality. I wonder why we don’t hear more asian, black, hispanic/Latino men and women snaring big deals from websites such as Deadline. It’s always some guy like Rosenberg or that Troy Duffy dude of “Boondocks Saints” infamy.
This said, Rosenberg does have mad writing chops. Anyone who can pen “Con Air” and then turn around and pull a “Beautiful Girls” out of his quiver not only has talent but an enviably wide range of it, folks. So congrats.
You guys have got TV locked up for the next decade. It’s more or less impossible to break in as a white male anymore. You’ll get yours, trust me.
Brosh McKenna sold Cinderalla to Disney back in May of 2010. Cinderalla. To. Disney.
Hard thing to admit, but maybe it’s a quality thing, not a race/gender thing. Food for thought.
Yes but she was very hot: Aline Brosh McKenna. There are some other female writers who have been paid that much. Women who are also hot actresses always get the huge money. Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Kristen Wiig, Melissa McCarthy, they would all get a million bucks for any idea they pitch. Most female writers are now showrunners on hit TV series. Television is a better place for women to rise up the ladder now.
Many. By at least five writers I know of.
There are enough legitimate problems in this business (some having to do with sexism and diversity) without ill-informed bluster from people too lazy to check the very website they’re posting on.
YES. And I’m sure there are many that read Deadline that will say, “do a little homework to learn whom they are/were.”
The reason it got so high was there was clearly bidding and the fact that the stuff this guy writes gets made. Bottom line, if you get stuff made you’re worth more. Doesn’t matter what the quality is–which is not a knock on this because I have not heard it. And, he only gets the seven figures if it does get made
It’s good news when studios pay a lot for anything. Your turn might be next.
Ah ha! Someone here gets it. Hate all you guys want. Me? I’m jealous. But that doesn’t make me want to shit on the guy, it makes me want to re-double my efforts. It is very good news for all of us when studios begin opening their pocketbooks for pitches, good, bad or otherwise. And, judging by the grammatically reprehensible structure of some of your comments, it’s a good thing they’re buying “bad” stuff – means you might just have a chance.
Agreed
Michael Bay, Russell Brand, Dwayne Johnson. Somehow, I don’t think we’re looking at “All About Eve” here. And I bet there are a tonne of strings attached to that ’7 figure’ deal. Didn’t Disney just fire its CEO for spending too much money on this sort of dreck?
I doubt it will ever compete with Scott’s best film ever: “The Jesus of Toast.” Ask him about it. Truly great.
It’s a million upfront. Two million if it gets made. My friend is an assistant at WME. The agent made the deal from the maternity ward after having just given birth or something. There were a few studios interested. Anyone have any idea what the heck it’s about, so we can all start working on ripping it off?
HeArd the pitch and loved it. Aging wheelchair biund Scientist invents a vaccine for immortality but is forced on the run, takes his own vaccine, and starts getting younger, experiencing everything he missed in life as he battles against time and powerful foes
Say what you will, Scott is one of the good guys in this business, and personally, I’m thrilled for him.
I suppose you and I have differing definitions of “good guy”.
Scott has saved, sans credit, more films than anyone knows about or would ever, for the sake of their egos, acknowledge. He has a particular style that appeals to people who make big films with big paydays. But those of us who’ve known him forever also know he has another “Things To Do In Denver When You’re Dead” in there waiting to get out.
CONGRATS TO SCOTT and to some morons out here, Stop criticizing and making slanderous statements against scott,Be happy that he’s doing well as he has worked hard for it.Focus on what you are doing rather than poking your nose into other peoples business.I AM TRULY HAPPY FOR HIM
Armaan Y Chopra
Correct. One mil against two. Adriana Alberghetti sold it. Scott hatched the idea over a year ago with Jon Jacobs. He waited to get his feet wet again in movies with a rewrite, a spec, and the production work on Pain and Gain. Now, he’s back. Not all the way, yet, as Scottie was regularly selling pitches, taking down $1.6 on assignments and doing $200,00 per week rewrites. But he will get there. High Fidelity rocked. As did Beautiful Girls. He’s a real dialogue genius.
Both Scott and John are super nice and hard working guys, so I am happy for them.
Congrats to Scott on the sales, although shouldn’t that actually be “Hauntrepreneur,” with an “r” in the middle?