Mike Fleming

Jason BatemanEXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures has acquired Family Therapy, a comic pitch that will be written by Jay Reiss about a dysfunctional but loving family that hires a therapist to fix their problems on the eve of an impending wedding. The studio bought the pitch for Aggregate Films. That U-based shingle, run by Jason Bateman and Jim Garavente, just teamed with Stuber Productions to produce the Universal hit Identity Thief, in which Bateman starred with Melissa McCarthy. Reiss scripted A Complete History Of My Sexual Failures for Universal, so he’s no stranger to scripting dysfunction. He also scripted the Hugh Laurie comedy The Oranges, as well as the Tony-winning musical The Twenty Fifth Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. He also is scripting League Of Princes for Fox Animation.

Universal-based Aggregate is producing Bateman’s directorial debut Bad Words, and Game Night (with Davis Entertainment) for New Line. The producers also got a green light from NBC on the DJ Nash pilot Family Guide. Reiss is repped by CAA and Mosaic.