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This is a continuation thread, the old thread is [split]335776[/split]
Warners Makes 7-Figure Spec Deal For Japanese Novel 'All You Need Is Kill'
EXCLUSIVE: In a deal that might get writers and their reps to reconsider the value of writing on spec, Warner Bros paid low-seven figures against a purchase price near $3 million for a Dante Harper-scripted adaptation of All You Need Is Kill, a Japanese novel by Hiroshi Sakurazaka. Warners execs Jon Berg and production president Greg Silverman moved preemptively for the property and made a deal late Friday that has an aggressive progress to production clause that will likely get the film before the cameras within 12 months.
The book was published originally in Japan by Shueisha and its English language translation was published by VIZ Media. Jason Hoffs, the former DreamWorks exec who is head of production at VIZ Media, got the project to 3 Arts Erwin Stoff and Tom Lassally. They optioned the book last fall and involved the writer. Harper and his reps at CAA and Management 360 decided he should do it on spec, instead of pitching it. Pitching is the most common tactic in this sluggish material market, because writers and producers only go forward if studios bite. Because there is little more than an idea at that point, deals are usually low six-figures, unless there is an attachment by a big star or director. Some pitches don't sell at all, because studios have cut back so drastically on development deals or don't have money to spend.
By putting in the work and writing several drafts he honed with the producers, Harper--who most recently wrote the Paramount project Black Hole for Plan B and David Fincher to produce--bypassed the pitch morass, made his first seven-figure payday, and has likely improved his six-figure quote by presenting Warners with a movie that can be made quickly. Harper has several other scripts percolating including Dreamland, a drama he hopes to direct about domestic terrorist Timothy McVeigh, and The Immortalist for director Bennett Miller, the latter for Paramount. He also wrote with Rupert Sanders The Wild Geese, the latter of which was done for Warners' Silverman, who made the new deal.
The storyline puts a Groundhog Day plot device into a futuristic alien invasion storyline. A raw recruit, pressed into battle against an alien species, gets killed in action. But he is reborn each day to suffer the same fate. Eventually, he notices that he is becoming a better warrior and that other circumstances are changing, which might be the key to altering the outcome.
The film will be produced by Stoff, Lassally and Hoffs, with Hidemi Fukuhara executive producer.
Movie is getting helped by WOM and chugging along to $100M domestic. So in the end its gonna be around $350-400M WW which is respectable enough considering how it started out.
http://otlnews.wordpress.com/2014/06/23/edge-of-tomorrow-review/
Just saw the movie, I thought it was fun but could have been handled a bit better. It struggled (imo) due to the way they implemented the reset stuff. Made character development outside of Cruise non existent. Check out my review if ur interested
With Cruise's character we got plenty of development and in the case of Rita, the Cruise's character and the audience gradually found out more about her which added depth in a similar way.
I think it handled it just fine.
None of the Marines in Aliens got development. Apart from arguably Hicks.
But even then, through the course of the movie J-Squad's attitude towards Cage changes. In the end they are all willing to go on a suicide mission with him as their leader.
Actually they went with Blunt & not Cruise as Cruise even said "Don't follow me. Follow her"
With Cruise's character we got plenty of development and in the case of Rita, the Cruise's character and the audience gradually found out more about her which added depth in a similar way.
I think it handled it just fine.
Domestic: $84,155,000 26.4%
+ Foreign: $234,500,000 73.6%
= Worldwide: $318,655,000
Aside from a few gains here and there, Japan will pretty much dictate how much it grosses now. I wonder if it could still hit 100 million domestically.
Im in love with this movie...
Any other films that have time-loop stories? Similar to this and Groundhog Day
Yeah, it's not gonna make it to $100M domestic. Oh well, at least it's doing well elsewhere.
I think the era of the movie star is dying. With the rise Rotten Tomatoes and Metacritic, more and more audiences domestically are realizing no longer have to rely on starpower as much as they used to in order to gauge whether a movie will be worth their time. Now, there are some exception as not every RT Fresh or Good rating on Metacritic will be successful reviews wise (like Edge of Tomorrow), but for the most part people are relying on RT and Metacritic more to gauge whether a movie will be worth their time.