Generally, the big studios deal in pitches; before writers and producers go through the process of scripting an adaptation, they will offer an idea, hoping the studios will bite. Pitches, because they are only ideas, are relatively cheap. However, Deadline is reporting on a possibly paradigm shifting deal that Warner Brothers has made for an adaptation of the Japanese novel All You Need Is Kill.
The spec was penned by Dante Harper and is based on the novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Warner Brothers execs Jon Berg and Greg Silverman closed the deal on the script late Friday night for $3 million dollars, a huge price tag for such a deal. Part of the deal was a speedy production; they hope to start shooting within a year.
The story is set in the future and is about a warrior who is continually killed and comes back to life, suffering the same fate every day.
It is possible that this represents a change in strategy. Writers might be better off to finely tune a solid adaptation and put it on the market, rather than going through the pitch process. Only time will tell.
Any screenwriters want to weigh in on this?