Pitch sale: “License to Steal”
Paramount’s new regime wastes no time making noise with a seven-figure purchase of action-comedy pitch “License to Steal” from writer Shane Salerno:
Shane Salerno will pen the script. Project is loosely based on Marc Weingarten’s Salon.com article about the high-end repo business, in which agents travel all the world to reclaim play toys including private jets and speedboats.
Though a portion of the article got published in two parts by Salon.com, Salerno actually acquired the article from Weingarten a year ago. Studios read an 8,000-word unpublished version, along with a pitch by Salerno, who is currently writing a project that James Cameron is producing at Fox.
Reading between the lines in the obligatory fawning comment for the press — from producers Alex Kurtzman & Roberto Orci:
Kurtzman and Orci said: “We’re thrilled to be working with Shane, a wildly inventive and talented creator. His passion was clear the minute he started telling his story. He has crafted a smart, lighthearted action movie that’s fun and topical, with a ton of unexpected plot twists.”
“A smart, lighthearted action movie”: Salerno had a clear understanding of the exact type of movie he was crafting.
“That’s fun and topical”: While relevant to today’s economic climate, it’s good escapist fare.
“With a ton of unexpected plot twists”: Beyond the core concept, this is probably the narrative element that sold that pitch. If you can surprise veteran moviemakers with complications, twists, roadblocks, and reversals, then you stand a good chance of selling your project.
In September 2008, Salerno sold the spec script “Doomsday Protocol”.
Salerno is repped by WME.