Reader Question: Is it better to have talent attached to a spec script or not?

Jack Benjamin asks:

When trying to sell a spec, what are the advantages of trying to attach talent vs. just going wide with the script itself? Which one should I be doing (assuming the script is the type a studio is looking for)?

Unless you have a direct in to a piece of talent that allows you to circumnavigate that talent’s usual phalanx of ‘people’ whose job it is to weed out script submissions, there’s not much you should be doing. That is the job of your agent, your manager, and the producer. And even if you do have an in with a piece of talent, you will want to analyze that possibility with your reps. Is that talent going to help your script’s marketability or not? 

The same is pretty much the case with a small indie film although there it’s pretty much all about getting talent attached in order to get financing. Oftentimes you have to get at least some of the financing first before you can get any talent attached. If that sounds like a Catch 22, you’re right. But even here, while you may have contacts with talent, your moves should all be coordinated with your reps.

Your reps are hugely important on this front for a number of reasons:

* They know the buyer’s market.
* They know which talent is hot and which is not.
* They have access to and credibility with the talent’s reps.

So basically when it comes to talent, while you can and should express your opinions, it should pretty much all flow through your reps and the project’s producers.

As to whether it’s a benefit to have talent attached to a spec before it goes out to buyers: That completely depends upon the script, budget, talent, studio, and mood of the market. In recent years, we’ve heard about a lot of projects with top actors and director attached that did not get a green light because the studio thought the budget was too high for them to have a reasonable expectation it would make money. Imagine having a couple of A-list actors attached and that being a detriment to your script. In this economic environment, it can happen. If on the other hand, you could get someone like Kristen Wiig attached, coming off a huge hit with Bridesmaids, that could be a huge plus. It just all depends. And once again, these are decisions best made in consult with your reps.

There have been times in the last 5–10 years where it felt like a spec had to have attachments in place in order for it to sell. But that tide may be turning. If you go here and read the interviews I’ve done with screenwriters who have sold spec scripts in the last few years such as Friedman & Palmer (“Family Getaway”), Jeff Morris (“True Memoirs of an International Assassin”), Greg Russo (“Down”), and John Swetnam (“Evidence”), to my knowledge those were all projects that sold without talent attached.

[FYI I have a new interview to post this week with another screenwriter who recently sold a spec and that, too, had not attachments].

So to sum up: While it can be a benefit to have talent attached to a spec, it depends upon many variables. The fact is specs do sell without attachments. Any decision made in this regard should be done with your reps. If the choice is to pursue talent, they take the lead in that department.

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