The NFL really liked working with Kevin Costner. After cooperating with Summit Entertainment on the “Draft Day,” a film about the league’s annual draft, it has partnered with a couple of Hollywood companies to identify the next big football movie.
The Black List, Franklin Leonard‘s popular screenwriting lab, will conduct a global search for great scripts, and recommend a list of 10 writers whose submissions are top-flight. The Black List annually compiles a list of Hollywood’s favorite unproduced screenplays, a list on which the “Draft Day” script appeared.
The Company, Charlie Ebersol and Mike Lanigan’s company, will then reviews those script with the NFL and select two screenwriters to write a script with the NFL as a general theme.
Also read: Why Sports Movies Like ‘Million Dollar Arm,’ ‘Draft Day’ Have Become Their Own Underdog Stories
The goal, as with most Black List initiatives, is to uncover new writers. People cannot submit to the contest if they have made more than $500,000 from screenwriting fees.
“This collaboration with the NFL and The Black List will truly give writers looking for their big break a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tell the next great NFL story,” Charlie Ebersol, founder and CEO of The Company, said in a statement. “Through this endeavor, we are proud to give someone the chance to make their dreams come true, just as working with the NFL continues to be a dream for us.”
Ebersol and Lanigan develop and produce unscripted shows for television, including its CNBC show “The Profit.” This latest deal comports well with its growing ambitions on the feature side.
See video: Sports Reporter Eats His Newspaper After Losing NFL Draft Bet
The NFL’s decision to participate in the making of “Draft Day” was rare for the brand-conscious media behemoth, but it appears that executives there like the promotion it lent to its annual confab — even if the movie disappointed at the box office.
“We are excited to work with some of the best in entertainment to bring to life new stories that give our fans more ways to connect to the game they love,” Tracy Perlman, the NFL’s Vice President of Entertainment Marketing and Promotions, said in a statement. “Our relationship with The Company has grown exponentially over the years and we are looking forward to working with the innovative team from The Black List.”