The Walt Disney Company acquires drama spec script “Saving Mr. Banks” from writer Kelly Marcel. From Deadline:
The Walt Disney Company is near a deal to acquire Saving Mr. Banks, the Kelly Marcel-scripted saga of how Walt Disney persuaded Australian author P.L. Travers to sell him the rights to make a film out of Mary Poppins. That courtship took 14 years. Disney seems a natural place for the script, considering the studio owns many rights from making the 1964 classic film that starred Julie Andrews, Dick Van Dyke and David Tomlinson, the latter of whom played Mr. Banks in the film. Also, what studio is better equipped to make its founder, Walt Disney, a major character in a feature film?
If you had come to me for advice, telling me you had this idea for a spec script about Walt Disney’s attempt to convince P.L. Travers to sell him the rights to “Mary Poppins,” I would have been emphatically clear with my response: “Don’t do it!” There are multiple rights issues, it’s a period piece, it takes place over 14 years, and so on with my list of reasons based on conventional wisdom.
Fortunately Kelly Marcel, a London-based writer who is co-creator of the TV series “Terra Nova,” came nowhere near me, followed her passion and creative instincts, and — here’s the key — wrote a great script, one that landed on the 2011 Black List.
Takeaway: A great script trumps everything, including conventional wisdom.
Marcel is repped by WME.
By my count, this is the 11th spec script sale of 2012.
At this point last year, there were 4 spec sales.
Spec script sales are up 175% this year.
Wow. I’m developing an idea that faces almost the exact same hurdles, but have been a bit gunshy because of the challenges you cite, Scott.
I’d be very curious if Ms. Marcel had talks with Disney before she wrote the script, and if she had a backup plan if they didn’t go for it. Getting a buyer who doesn’t have underlying rights to material essential to the story would pose a huge challenge I’d think.
Congrats to her — sounds like a great concept.