In a high six-figure upfront deal, Warner Bros and De Line Pictures won a heated auction for screen rights to Ready Player One, the debut novel by Fanboys screenwriter Ernie Cline. The movie auction occurred hours a day after the book scored a mid six-figure publishing deal from Random House for North American rights. Cline will write the script.
Donald De Line will produce with Dan Farah, who orchestrated the screen sale along with Foundry Literary. De Line worked the negotiations from New Orleans, where he is shooting Green Lantern with Ryan Reynolds and director Martin Campbell. The book had Paramount and Fox chasing it hard, as well as producers that included Twilight’s Temple Hill Entertainment. Buyers sparked to the opportunity to use technology to create a virtual world, and they liked the relatable protagonist. Cline has already made seven-figures for his first book, and if the film gets made, his movie deal alone will be worth seven-figures.
The book focuses on teen Wade Watts, who escapes his bleak surroundings by logging into Oasis, a globally networked utopia where users lead idyllic lives. The game’s eccentric founder dies and offers his billion dollar fortune as the grand prize in an elaborate treasure hunt. Watts competes against rival game players and corporate foes who’ll do anything, in the Oasis world and in the real world to reach the treasure first. Paradigm and Farah Films & Management and attorney Matt Galsor rep Cline. International book rights are now being auctioned.
‘Fanboys’ Scripter Makes Fat Book Deal
At least it kept them all off the streets for a few days.
The dead founder cameo should be by Keanu Reeves. Seriously, the meta would be off the charts and I’d be rolling in the aisle. It would be complete Awesome Sauce.
Re Get to work on it Dan: yes!!! – absolutely awesome sauce. De Line & Co – are you listening/reading/paying attention, etc?
Dude:
Don’t hate the monkey, love the organ-grinder! Farah’s a douche but lots of us have had one more more representatives who are douches — the story here is ERNIE! Whether you love or hate “Fanboy” or “Thundercade” or this new thing, you gotta GIVE IT UP for a guy who’s paid his dues. (Poetry slams? Dude, are you kidding — that shit is WORK!)
Good for you, Ernie (and ‘haters': there really is enough cash to go around).
So it’s a remake of Summer Wars?
Farah rocks.
You have got to be kidding me? This is what scores 6 figures nowadays?
Things where players are transported into virtual worlds rarely work, but the writer of Fanboys has cracked it to the tune of back to back six figure deals? How many derivative shots of the kid hooked up to the gaming system does that buy Warners? Somebody get Brett Leonard, he’d be perfect for this.
so, I guess ‘Snowcrash’ is never gonna get made?
Probably a good thing. Snowcrash is a great book, but it’s one of those where you can’t see how it would be turned into a satisfying movie. They would either dumb it down and make it incomprehensible, or keep it just as it is and be incomprehensible. Not that the book is incomprehensible, it’s just that so much of it is complicated/internal/conversational – things that don’t play well on the big screen. 3/4 of the movie would be people explaining just what is going on – I think a Snowcrash movie would slot in with Matrix 2 & 3 where there would be action sequences to follow but otherwise you’d have no idea what was really happening. Why are they going there? What are they trying to do? Perhaps you disagree.
This will be in movie theatres soon. With Dan Farah behind it, you can be sure this rock will be pushed up the hill fast and efficiently. He’s got great people skills and knows how to produce. If you haven’t seen Armored- it’s incredible. DeLine is on a hot streak as well with Fool’s Gold, Body of Lies, and now Green Lantern. And if Cline had any fingerprints on Fanboys- you know he has a voice. That was was masterful.
I’m sorry, but did I just read a post in which someone thought ARMORED was “incredible”? And DeLine’s hot streak includes the flop FOOL’S GOLD and the underperforming BODY OF LIES?
while i wouldn’t have picked those two projects to highlight – i would point to I Love You, Man and De Line’s huge slate of films that are in development and waiting for production – DDL has a great eye and an even greater work ethic – this is sure to be a hit.
If by “people skills” you mean overpromise and underdeliver, then yes.
Kyle from Party Down Catering is going to be in ‘Snowcrash’. Didn’t you guys hear?
Anyway–
Ernie’s a good guy, but gaming movies don’t work. They just don’t. There’s a few reasons, but mainly it’s the removal from the ‘world’. We know we’re watching a movie, but now we’re watching a movie watching a game? In my opinion, it takes us out of the film. I never feel like there’s a threat.
Also, there’s the tech aspect. Video game tech is sometimes so far ahead of what we can imagine, that by the time the movie gets made…it already feels dated. Maybe Ernie has more than meets the eye here. I don’t know. Haven’t read anything yet. But I kinda shrug at gamer flicks.
Now, ‘Matrix’ isn’t a gaming film. The W Brothers found a way in that works, with some real-world threats. ‘Tron 2′ might make some money. If it does, it WILL be a coup for gaming films. But remember, the original ‘Tron’ wasn’t a hit. It’s a movie that’s fondly remembered, but not really a hit.
Kudos to EC though for pulling this heist. He wrote some original material and sold it for bank. It’s a hopeful sign that there is a pulse in the spec market (make no mistake, this is basically a big spec sale). I won’t see this flick, but if it’s good – people will go.
PS–
‘Fanboys’ is a terrible, terrible film. But Ernie was heavily rewritten on that project prior to production. He actually is a better writer than that.
TRON! didnt work?