Paramount Pictures liked “Out of Range,” a two-book mystery series by CBS’ “Without a Trace” creator Hank Steinberg, so much that it gobbled up the screen rights for a price in the high six figures.
Except neither book has been written yet – not even in manuscript form. The deal was made on the basis of a book proposal from the first-time author (pictured).
From “Gone With the Wind” to the “Bourne” series, it’s not unusual for Hollywood to bring a bestseller to the big screen – often paying a hefty fee along the way.
Now they’re paying a lot more – and pushing the films through faster – in the hopes of capitalizing on the Next Big Thing.
Some other recent examples:
>> In June, Warner Bros. and "Green Lantern" producer Donald De Line won a bidding war for the rights to Ernie Cline's still-unpublished debut novel "Ready Player One," with Cline hired to write the first three drafts of the screenplay. Cline got in the mid-six figures for what is called a cross between “Tron” and "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”
Also read: Big Payments to 5 Authors.
>> ”Matched,” rumored to be the next “Twilight,” recently picked up by Walt Disney Pictures, with a book by first-timer Allie Condie that will be released later this month. From the Amazon page: “Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate ...”
>> “Here Lies Bridget,” about a high-school girl who is killed in a car crash and must confront people she’d wronged to keep from going to hell. Set for publication by Harlequin in January, it’s not just a debut novel, but a debut by a 21-year-old, Paige Harbison. It was bought by Galgos Entertainment, which is producing a Halle Berry-starrer based on a novel by her mother, Beth Harbison.
>> Shonda Rhimes (creator/producer of “Grey’s Anatomy”) bought the film rights to “Bitch Is the New Black” early in the publishing process. A caustic memoir about growing up black by a writer for the New York Times, Helena Andrews (at right), the book doesn't hit stores till June.
>> “I Am Number Four,” about an extraordinary teen who masks his secret identity to elude a deadly enemy. Even before it was published, the book -- first of a six-part series by the infamous James Frey writing as Pittacus Lore -- made its way through the studio, courtesy of Michael Bay.
DreamWorks not only took a good look; it made a quick decision.
“When Michael Bay calls and says he is excited about something, everyone takes it seriously immediately,” says Mark Sourian, the studio’s co-president of production. “It was certainly a big franchise adventure, and given his (Bay’s) pedigree, it was a natural fit.
