An unknown writer, a fast-rising feeding frenzy, and a true multimillion-dollar deal. It’s enough to make executives or aspiring screenplay authors dream of the heady spec script deals of the 1990s.

Searchlight Pictures has successfully acquired the rights to the spec script Clean Break from rising writer Ryan Brennan. The studio won the project in a bidding competition against other studios.

THE BUSINESS: Original material is hot again as money flows after a long strike hangover. By Jay A. Fernandez, Borys Kit It’s a sign of just how far the spec market has fallen that even a glimmer of ...

As writers hit the picket lines during the 146-day WGA strike, they were absolutely barred from writing anything for the Hollywood studios and streamers. But there was no reason they couldn’t write ...

With the motion picture business shifting almost exclusively to franchises over the past decades, screenwriters are increasingly put through the wringer as they find themselves replaced and replaced ...

Netflix has acquired “I Don’t Know Who You Are Anymore,” a spec script penned by writer Matt Lawton. Plot details for the project remain under wraps, but it’s described as “Palm Springs” meets “The ...

Skydance has picked up The Gorge, a spec script by Zach Dean, the writer behind the company’s upcoming Chris Pratt sci-fi tentpole, The Tomorrow War. By Borys Kit Senior Film Writer Skydance has ...

EXCLUSIVE: Stampede Ventures has acquired the rights to Brandon Constantine’s spec script, Lady Krylon, in a competitive situation, tapping Grant Torre and Reed Simmons to shepherd its development for ...

Netflix has acquired an erotic thriller spec script “Undying” from writer Ben Ketai, according to an insider with knowledge of the project. According to Deadline, which first reported the news, the ...