Spec Script Deal: “Humbug”

Universal acquires family fantasy spec script “Humbug” written by Todd Jones and Earl Ritchey Jones. From Deadline:

Universal Pictures has won a four-studio bidding battle to acquire Humbug, a spec that is fast coming together for Ice Cube to star in the title role, with Tim Story directing a contemporary retelling of the Charles Dickens’ tale A Christmas Carol. In the modern version, Cube will play a wealthy real estate mogul shown a path to redemption by the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

Universal prevailed over MGM, New Line and Disney in a script deal worth high six figures against low seven-figures for scribes Todd R Jones and Earl Richey Jones. They originally set this script up at Relativity, and got it back as that company was heading into Chapter 11.

Writers repped by UTA.

By my count, this is the 43rd spec script deal in 2015.

There were 40 spec script deals year-to-date in 2014.