Pitch sale: “Untitled Jim Field Smith & George Kay Project”

Paramount buys family-adventure-comedy pitch from director Jim Field Smith and writer George Kay:

The logline is being kept under wraps, but those familiar with the project describe it as a fantasy-tinged four-quadrant comedy in the vein of “Night at the Museum.” Field Smith is on board to direct from a script he will write with Kay. No producer is attached.

The WME- and Underground-repped Field Smith and Kay are teaming up to direct and write, respectively, “Good Luck Anthony Belcher,” a British indie whose script recently topped the Brit List, that country’s version of the Black List.

The sale of Field Smith and Kay’s pitch continues a trend for potential four-quadrant projects that contain comedy and heart, a category partly pioneered by “Museum” at Fox and also epitomized by the feel-good film “Everybody Loves Whales” at Warners.

What does “four-quadrant” mean? A 4Q movie is one that appeals to everyone: young, old, male, female. Obviously desirable per studios because that maximize potential audience.