SURFING Hollywood…

Santa Monica, CA —  (Updated 19 March 2016)

Buyers have been scooping up projects with Talent Attached. The list of Actors now producing/selling material is very long and growing longer by the day.

Usually, there is a connection between Actor and Buyer (stars in a series, etc.)  Or, that Buyer wants to be in business with that Actor, so they buy a script from them to get the ball rolling.  Eva Longoria wins 1st Prize for Most Sales this season with Mila Kunis a close second.  Both actors have been prolific saleswomen with comedy and drama scripts set up across town.

So, if you want to sell a script these days: Get Talent Attached.  Same goes for Buyers fearful of spending their development money as it’s easier to take a risk on an original idea with Talent Attached.

Here’s a list-in-progress of Who’s Got What Set Up Where:

• Drew Barrymore and Timothy Olyphant star and exec produce The Santa Clarita Diet at Netflix.
• Jason Bateman produces and stars in Ozark at Netflix.
• Scott Foley and Greg Grunberg have teamed up with Shonda Rhimes for a half-hour comedy, Toast, just picked up to Pilot at ABC.
• Rashida Jones has set up a comedy at NBC called Good Fortune, the story of a woman who takes advice from a fortune teller.
• Bill Hader writes/directs/stars in Barry at HBO, a half-comedy about a low-rent hitman who finds a circle of friends in the LA improve theater scene.
• Courtney Cox stars in and produces an Untitled Comedy pilot at Fox.
• Dwayne Johnson sold a one-hour script, Boost Unit, to Fox, a car-focused cop show.
• Sean Penn is attached to star in American Lion at HBO, the Andrew Jackson biopic.
• Bryan Cranston executive produces and stars in All the Way at HBO, reprising his Tony-winning role as LBJ.
• Charlize Theron has sold Mindhunter to Netflix with David Fincher attached to direct the series adaptation of the book by John Douglas and Mark Olshanker about Douglas’ 25-year career tracking down serial killers.  Theron and writer Kay Cannon (Pitch Perfect, SNL) also sold an adaptation of Girlboss to Netflix.
• Jason Statham is attached to star in (and exec produce) Viva La Madness, a one-hour drama sequel to Layer Cake.  Gaumont TV produces this story about an anonymous hero stranded in the Caribbean who heads back to London.
• Leonardo DiCaprio executive produces an adaptation of Simon Toyne’s novel, The Searcher. He also has an ’80s Mafia Drama at Showtime.
• John Legend & Chrissy Teigen have a put pilot deal at ABC for Ordinary People, an inter-racial rom-com. Legend also EPs Underground, a 10-episode escaped slave drama at WGN.
• Eva Longoria has done very well using her breakout role on Desperate Housewives and gaining traction as a producer.  Her series, Telenovela, a comedic Soapdish-style look at a telenovela, premieres on NBC this month.  Meanwhile, she has set up numerous projects including an Inter-racial Family Comedy at ABC, a drama at ABC adapted from a Vogue article about disparate Texas twin politicos, a Texas Rangers comedy at NBC, Bonita & Mechelle, a female buddy comedy at NBC.  She EPs Devious Maids on Lifetime, as well. Her company is UnbeliEVAble Prods.
• Patricia Heaton has sold a half-hour single-cam comedy to ABC called Kill Jill which finds a small-town girl (not unlike The Hustle) working for a glamorous West Coast bizwoman who has everything, including a plot against her life.
• Sean Combs sold The Hustle to ABC based on his assistant’s life as a small-town girl who assists a street-wise billionaire.  Yes, it’s a comedy.
• Mila Kunis executive produces the adaptation of Black Stiletto at ABC.  Javier Grillo-Marxuach writes and produces. Kunis also sold Champion: The Jeff Beekman Story, an underdog dad comedy, at Fox; as well as The Russians Are Coming, a fish-out-of-water comedy at NBC. She also has horror comedy Trapped at Starz.  Her company is Orchard Farm Productions.
• Reese Witherspoon, who is very active in Film development, dips her well-pedicured toe in the water this year with writer Rob Long at ABC for a mystery about a billionaire acquitted of murder.  Also at ABC,  Please Don’t Go is a drama script ordered to Pilot and set in Dallas and centered on a divorce attorney whose life unravels.  At HBO, she and Laura Dern have a script order for Cheryl Strayed’s Tiny Beautiful Things drama about a Portland family.
• Felicity Huffman landed a put pilot deal at ABC for House of Moore, a darkly comedic drama about a Fashion World family.

• Ryan Reynolds set up an Untitled Family Comedy at ABC with writer Spencer Porter.
• Jada Pinkett-Smith has a put pilot deal at ABC for Murder Town, a drama she’s attached to star in as Delaware’s first black district attorney.
• Lisa Kudrow and writing partner Dan Bucatinsky sold a female ensemble comedy to ABC (with Ryan Seacrest attached to exec produce).
• Ryan Seacrest also has Squad Goals at CBS, a 20something ensemble comedy.  He also has The Down Beat, a marching band drama at CBS.
• Kal Penn (of Harold & Kumar) parlayed his experience working in the Obama administration with a half-hour script sale, Fair And Balanced, a news channel ensemble comedy to ABC.
• Nicki Minaj stars in and exec produces an Untitled Comedy at ABC Family based on her own family’s life in Queens by way of Trinidad.
• Tobey Maguire has a 2-script deal at Amazon for drama Natchez Burning, an adaptation of Greg Iles’ novel about a small-town doctor in the Jim Crowe South.
• Gil Bellows of Ally McBeal fame executive produces the pilot Patriot at Amazon, a comedic thriller starring Terry O’Quinn.
• Sacha Baron Cohen exec produces Highston at Amazon, a half-hour comedy about a 19-year-old with a wide circle of friends.

• Louis C.K. executive produces One Mississippi at Amazon, a comedy starring Tig Notaro about her prodigal return to her town.
• Bryan Cranston sold the series Sneaky Pete to Amazon after originally developing it at another network. He also has a comedy at Crackle about a hotel housing super heroes with the Robot Chicken guys.
• Seth Rogen received a series order from AMC for his adaptation of the comic Preacher which stars Dominic Cooper in this sci-fi revenge drama. He also has a pilot, Future Man, at Hulu, about a janitor who saves Humanity.
• Tom Welling (Smallville) has sold a procedural drama, Section 13, to CBS.
• Daniel Dae Kim (Hawaii Five-O) exec produces Silicon Valley, a legal drama at CBS.
• Halle Berry exec produces Legalese, a drama at CBS with a script order for the story of a Chicago attorney in New Orleans.
• Henry Winker (The Fonz!) exec produces the re-boot of MacGyver at CBS.
• Tina Fey has a pilot production commitment at CBS for Jack Burditt’s Retired Pro Athlete comedy.  She and partner Robert Carlock also have an Untitled Comedy at NBC about a mother/daughter in the same workplace.
• Michael Weatherly sold a gritty version of Little Women to The CW, an update of the classic now set in Philly.
• Olivia Munn exec produces a period drama about a Female Sportscaster at The CW.
• Curtis 50 Cent Jackson exec produces and stars in half-hour comedy My Friend 50 at Fox.
• Idris Elba exec produces the US re-make of Luther at Fox.  He also sold The Crusaders, a family ensemble drama, to Fox.
• Peter Berg sold Trucker, an action comedy, as well as an Untitled Female Military Drama to Fox.
• Peter Facinelli exec produces the adaptation of the comic Protocol Orphans at Fox.
• Peter Horton exec produces Crooked, a family soap set in New Orleans, at Fox.
• Johnny Depp exec produces Designated Survivor, a drama script, at Fox.
• Masi Oka (Heroes: Reborn), exec produces ESL, an ensemble comedy at Fox.
• Roselyn Sanchez sold Familia En Venta, an adaptation of the Colombian comedy, to Fox.
• Steve Harvey exec produces the TV version of Think Like A Man at Fox.
• Sylvester Stallone sold a TV version of both Rambo and The Expendables to Fox.
• Misty Copeland exec produces an Untitled Dance Drama at Fox.
• Julie Bowen exec produces Hypochondriac, a comedic adaptation of the Colombian telenovela, La Hipocondriaca.
• Elizabeth Banks exec produces and directs the Fox pilot Front Man, a comedy about a wedding singer.
• Ty Burell has a put pilot deal at Fox for Hosed, a firefighter ensemble comedy set in America’s second-rainiest town.
• Key & Peele, the comedic duo. sold an Undercover Cop Comedy to Fox.
• Ed Helms sold the dark comedy, Starters, to FX, about a theme restaurant chain.
• Tom Hardy exec produces and stars in a BBC co-production with FX on Taboo, a period story set in 1813 London created by Hardy and his father.
• Donald Glover exec produces Atlanta, a comedy pilot at FX about two cousins in the rap scene.

• Laura Dern sold a Saleswoman Drama to HBO about a Tupperware-like story. She’s also partnered with Reese Witherspoon on a Cheryl Strayed script at HBO.
• Robert DeNiro exec produces and stars in Wizard of Lies, a Bernie Madoff biopic, at HBO.
• Matt Damon & Ben Affleck exec produce Thirst, a global water crisis telefilm at HBO. The BFFs also have drama Incorporated at SyFy.
• Sarah Jessica Parker exec produces and stars in Divorce, a half-hour at HBO, about, well…..divorce.
• Ed Burns sold political drama Capitol Hill to HBO.
• Lena Dunham exec produces and directs the 1960s feminism ensemble comedy pilot, Max, at HBO.
• Patricia Clarkson sold the romantic international political drama, Elisabeth, to HBO.
• Anna Paquin exec produces and stars in the period miniseries Madame X at HBO.
• Tom Hanks executive produces an Untitled Riggs/Kings Project at HBO.  He also exec produces the 6-hour miniseries Lewis & Clark at HBO.
• Ben Stiller is among the EPs on Start Making Sense, a comedy about a best-selling author, at IFC. He also EPs an Untitled Sensitive Guys Comedy at TBS.
• Denis Leary exec produces the beer-swilling amateur hockey league comedy Uncle Chubby’s at IFC.
• Jeremy Renner sold Knightfall to History Channel about the Knights Templar murders.
• Roma Downey exec produces Heavenly Creatures, a re-develop of pilot Unveiled, at NBC, a guardian angel ensemble drama.
• Anne Heche sold a period supermodel drama set in the 70s to NBC.  Cindy Crawford is attached.
• Amy Poehler parlays her Parks & Recreation cred at NBC with a pilot commitment for Dumb Prince, a family comedy about a reluctant Crown Prince.
• Marlon Wayans exec produces and stars in a Divorced Dad Comedy at NBC.
• Adam Scott sold a half-hour comedy about a Pot Shop in Denver, Buds, to NBC.
• Johnny Knoxville exec produces and stars in Hawaiian Dick, a drama adaptation of the graphic novel about a stateside cop exiled to Hawaii.
• Vince Vaughn exec produces “F” is for Family, an animated comedy at Netflix.

• Jason Momoa exec produces and stars in Frontier, a period fur trader drama at Netflix.
• George Clooney exec produces The Studio, a period movie biz drama, at Showtime.
• Jim Carrey exec produces I’m Dying Up Here, a period drama pilot about standup comics, at Showtime.
• Common exec produces an Untitled Southside Drama at Showtime.
• Andrew Dice Clay exec produces and stars in a comedy series about his life in Vegas.
• Pierce Brosnan exec produces drama The Crusaders at Spike.
• Bradley Cooper not only exec produces Limitless at CBS but also has drama Hyperion in development at SyFy.
• Angela Kinsey (The Office) sold call center comedy 1-800 to TBS.
• Conan O’Brien sold The Group, an alien abductee support group comedy, to TBS.
• Mark Wahlberg exec produces action drama pilot Shooter at USA.  Ryan Phillippe stars in the Wahlberg role from the film.

Yes, that’s a pretty long list.  Will update it as scripts get ordered to pilot, pilots get ordered to series, etc.  Thanks for reading.

Next Up:  Foreign Series About to Get Lost in TV Translation