Spec script sale: “Rites of Men”

Universal buys thriller “Rites of Men” from writer Jonathan Herman:

Herman’s script centers on a working-class single dad whose only son is murdered and must then set out on a quest to solve the killing.

The deal marks the second spec sale for Herman in less than a month. The writer, who is repped by WMA and Luber Roklin Entertainment, previously made a pre-emptive deal to sell his script “Conviction” to Warner Bros. and Silver Pictures.

That project centers on a former bank robber who is forced to go to undercover to nab his former protege.

Herman seems to be making hay harvesting similar narrative dynamics:

* “Rites of Men”: Protagonist on a quest to nail the murderer of his son
* “Conviction”: Protagonist on a quest to nail his former bank robbing protege

High concept, simple throughline, clear theme: Revenge / comeuppance.