Spec Script Sale: “Autobahn”

Spec Script Deal: “Autobahn”

Inferno buys action-thriller spec “Autobahn” from writer Greg Russo. Per THR:

Autobahn is the story of a washed-up ex-Formula One driver who wakes up trapped inside a BMW on the side of the Autobahn, Germany’s famed high-speed roadway, which has no general speed limit. He answers a phone ringing in the glove box, only to be told that he has 90 minutes to deliver the bomb-rigged car to a target or his wife and daughter will be killed.

The setting of the project was switched from the United States’ Eastern seaboard to Germany in order to court the international marketplace. Inferno would look to cast a star ahead of the American Film Market in November and pre-sell the film.

First off this is Greg’s second spec script sale following up last year’s “Down”.

Second Greg is a longtime Go Into The Story reader and was kind enough to do an exclusive Q&A here.

So it is with special happiness I write this post. Congratulations, Greg!

Big note from this sale: They switched the location from the U.S. to Germany specifically to “court the international marketplace.” I have discussed this many times, especially in the last year, most recently here. As a screenwriter, if you aren’t thinking about the potential impact of your story decisions on the international marketplace, you might want to rethink that approach.

Russo is repped by ICM and Dan Halsted at Manage-Ment.

By my count, this is the 55th spec script to sell in 2011.

The 55th spec script did not sell last year until December 16. NOTE: By my count, there were only 55 spec scripts to sell in 2010. There are nearly 5 months left in 2011. We could be approaching 2009 spec script sale numbers: 68. Or more.

Spec script sales are up 77% this year over last.
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