6 posts tagged movie development slate

Inspiration can come from anywhere. For James Abrams, writer of Dreamcatchers, the latest movie project added to the Amazon Studios development slate, it came from a series of nightmares he experienced while sick with the H1N1 flu virus.

The unrelenting visions James experienced during his illness made him think about what would happen if nightmares crossed over into the real world. He started to explore the concept and wrote what became Dreamcatchers – the story of an insomniac security guard who must help stop the worst nightmares from destroying our world.

A lifelong fan of comic books, James attended art school and later went on to produce and write a comic of his own called Archaic, which was independently published by Fenickx Productions in 2005. Soon after, he caught the screenwriting bug, starting out with more violent, action-oriented scripts which he describes as “something that Bruce Willis could be in.” 

We spoke to James about his dreams, his script and what made him switch to more family-friendly material.

Tell us about the story of Dreamcatchers.

James:  The story is about this secret organization that captures nightmares and takes them into the real world.  Our protagonist is a guy named Nick, who had one of these nightmares when he was very young and it has made him into an insomniac.  He works as a night watchman and during the day he’s a computer tech, and eventually he gets involved with the Dreamcatchers who recruit him.  Because of his insomnia, he is able to understand the nightmare’s powers.

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Leo’s thirst to avenge his brother’s death leads him on an intense journey. Watch the story unfold in the new storyboard for Animal Heads, a project on the Amazon Studios Development Slate.

The storyboard was drawn by Rob Nix, and embraces the comic aesthetic — building tension, playing with time, and driving the story forward with powerful images. We’d love to know what you think of it.

Animal Heads was written by Alexis Piza and submitted via Amazon Studios’ open door process. Learn more about how to submit your script.

See additional storyboards created by Amazon Studios for development slate projects.

This gang’s real battleground is the streets of Los Angeles. But their skills are being honed in Iraq by the U.S. Army — unless someone can find a way to stop them. That’s the story of Soldier Boys, the latest movie added to Amazon Studios  Development Slate.

The script was written by Simon Paniora, who said he got the idea after seeing a TV show about the potential dangers of the military unknowingly providing gang members with weapons and tactical training. “It immediately struck me as a great concept for an action/thriller. So much so, that I was surprised that it hadn’t been turned into a film already.” He also drew inspiration from the gritty urban action of Training Day.

Paniora, who is based in New Zealand, has been writing for 10 years and sold a short film in 2011. This is his first feature option.

Details on the project:

Soldier Boys

Writer: Simon Paniora

Logline: An FBI agent joins the Army, and the war in Iraq, to stop a dangerous L.A. street gang hidden inside its ranks from secretly training for a new war back home.

Why we optioned it: This action/thriller delivers an incredible, compelling and gritty concept that is ripe for the big screen.

Learn more about how to submit your own ideas via Amazon Studios’ open door process.

“The great thing about Amazon Studios, is that for a writer, they let you know where you stand,” Paniora said. “Your script has been read. … It’s all very clear. … You know exactly what could happen financially and hopefully professionally with your project moving forward.”

- Stephanie Reid-Simons

Can a “monster” delivery from his past help make an absentee father a better man? That’s the question at the heart of It Came in the Mail, the latest movie project optioned by Amazon Studios.

The family comedy joins more than 20 other projects on the Amazon Studios Development Slate. Learn more about how to submit your own ideas via the Amazon Studios’ open door process.

Details on the project:

It Came In The Mail

Writer: Michael Rabb

Logline: As a birthday present for the love of his life, twelve-year-old Joel sends away for a monster out of the back of a comic book. It finally shows up … twenty years later.

Why we optioned it: This film has a great core premise with a lot of opportunity for comedy and heart.

Ryan has found the girl of his dreams, and wants to spend the rest of his life with her. But there’s just one problem — or three, actually. So goes the story of Her F’ing Sisters, the latest movie project added to the Amazon Studios Movie Development Slate.

J. Wilder Konschak said he wrote the script because “I really wanted to do something that had strong female characters in it. In comedy, you don’t get to see as many strong female characters, and the nonpolitical side of that is that those characters are very fresh.” Konschak is repped by Jordan Beyer at Original Artists and managed by Jason Weiss.

Some details about the project:

Her F’ing Sisters
By J. Wilder Konschak

Genre: Comedy
Logline: Only three things stand between Ryan and the woman he wants to marry: her sisters.
Why we love it: This is a really fun, well-written script with great characters, lots of comedy and heart.

Amazon Studios intends to add projects to its Movie Development Slate on a regular basis. If you have an original script that you’d like to see considered, you may submit it privately or publicly. The Amazon Studios team will evaluate each submitted script and in 45 days decide whether or not to pay $10,000 to extend the initial option by 18 months and add the project to the development slate.

Three projects on the Movie Development Slate have producers attached: Touching Blue (Denise Di Novi, Crazy, Stupid, Love.), Original Soldiers (Bill Gerber, Gran Torino) and Children of Others (Oscar winner Edward Saxon, Silence of the Lambs).

WGA members can learn more by having their agent contact our Los Angeles-based production company, Amazon Studios, Inc.