I'm not sure BASTER is a real spec. It's an adaptation of a short story by Jeffrey Eugenides. It's not my list, but IMO, a real spec should be based on an original premise that originates from the writer of the SP in question. There are probably more titles that fall under this category, this one just caught my eye cuz I watched it recently. It was filmed as THE SWITCH starring Aniston & Bateman. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Switch_(2010_film)

Some rough numbers: Studio Fox: 8 Universal: 6 Warners: 6 Dreamworks: 5 Disney: 4 New Line: 4 Paramount: 3 Columbia: 2 Sony: 1 Genre (N.B. broad categorization, some Action Thrillers folded into Action etc.) Comedy: 32 Action: 9 Thriller: 12 Drama: 9 Horror: 1 More anemic numbers, little wonder some were prematurely proclaiming the death of the spec a few years back. I’m assuming this had a lot to do with the increasing bankability and international reach of preexisting properties with franchise potential, with Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and spandex-clad superheroes banging the drum. No sign of that trend slowing – rebooted Spidey, Avengers Hulk-smashing cinemas around the globe, the pitter patter of more hairy hobbit feet, Twilight still going gangbusters, 50 Shades of Grey incoming, The Dark Knight Rising. It doesn’t always work of course, unless you think John Carter’s gonna single-handedly resurrect the Blu-ray/DVD market. As far as specs that have made it into production, the number’s pushing double figures when you factor in some name/plot changes, so firmly in the standard 10-20% range (a little up on the average maybe). Invaders sounds like it could be funny, bit reminiscent of Sacred Cows which never made it to screen either. Shame Nottingham didn’t find its way to celluloid as originally intended – always sounded a hell of a lot more interesting than Robin Hood, which I’m still thankful I never saw, as are my brain and eyeballs. Wonder Woman yet to make her big screen bow, and it’ll be interesting to see whether there’s a push in this direction to try and launch a Justice League initiative a la Avengers (spoiler alert: it’ll never work). The $40,000 Man, Summer’s End, All About Adam and Untitled Treasure Hunt all sound like they could be fun (last one needs a better title though). Also some crushing, conclusive proof that it ain’t all Fillet Mignon and Mai Tais should you get your foot in that solid gold door. Diablo Cody’s stock rightly plummeted following the release of the misguided Jennifer’s Body, while The Happening was Shyamalan’s worst offering until his next one. The big twist in his career seems to be that he once appeared to be a very promising writer-filmmaker, but turned out to be a bit shit. Life imitating art indeed.

Laura, I humbly disagree. "Spec" simply refers to "speculative." The writer writes something without pay for services rendered or any financial guarantee. Nothing in there about original or not. For example, what about the sale of "All You Need Is Kill" which I posted about here, a deal that went down in April 2010. Here is the relevant excerpt: Originally published in Japan by Shueisha and imported by VIZ Media’s Haikasoru imprint, Kill was adapted by Dante Harper — who most recently tackled Disney’s upcoming Black Hole remake and who took a gamble and wrote "Kill" on spec, only to reap a seven-figure payday. The script is based on preexisting material, but Harper wrote "Kill" on spec. Why would that not be considered a spec script? Yes, most specs are originals. But because that is the case, that should not narrow the definition of what a spec script fundamentally is: A script written on spec by a writer. My guess is that is the generally accepted understanding in Hollywood. In any event, here's to you coming up with a great original idea, writing the heck out of it and selling it for big bucks!

At first glance, - 25 were produced from this list. In no particular order - THE BOOK OF ELI by Gary Whitta NEVER LET ME GO by Alex Garland THE TOWN by Peter Craig WHIP IT by Shauna Cross YES MAN by Nick Stoller THE DUCHESS by Jeffrey Hatcher & Anders Thomas Jensen DUPLICITY by Tony Gilroy EAGLE EYE by Hilary Seitz BURN AFTER READING by The Coen Brothers THE ROAD by Joe Penhall SOURCE CODE by Ben Ripley EDWIN A. SALT by Kurt Wimmer BLINDNESS by Don McKellar THE WOLF OF WALL STREET by Terence Winter CLASH OF THE TITANS by Travis Beacham DEAR JOHN by Jamie Linden DIRTY GIRL by Abe Sylvia DOUBT by John Patrick Shanley BLITZ by Nathan Parker SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE by Simon Beaufoy HANGOVER by Jon Lucas & Scott Moore JENNIFER’S BODY by Diablo Cody VALKYRIE by Chris MacQuarrie THE WRESTLER by Robert Siegel ZOMBIELAND by Rhett Reese & Paul Wernick One Best Picture - SLUMDOG Best Actor Nominee - The Wrestler Highest Grossing Spec - The Hangover The Best original spec? - Source Code IMHO The COOLEST, most original film EVER! - Zombieland Just my opinion, I could be wrong...

HATER! M Night Shamalackabing is the greatest 1 1/2 hit wonder EVAH!

Can someone refresh my memory as to what a "preemptive pick-up" is/means?

Jason, "preemptive pick-up" or "preemptive purchase" means a buyer secured the rights to a property before it 'officially' hit the market. The air quotes means there's considerable latitude about what 'hitting the market' means. It can literally be that the script gets slipped to a buyer before any other buyer has read it, and they make a preemptive offer. Or the script has filtered around town, then some buyer steps in with a big offer [this is what happened with K-9]. There is value in having the tag 'preemptive purchase' attached to a spec that sold because the implication is the script was so good, it warranted a buyer stepping up with a big deal in order to avoid getting into a bidding war. Of course, you as the writer have an opportunity to decline the first offer and hope for a bidding war, but that can be a risky business. I've heard of several specs that went out where there was a lot of heat and everyone was sure someone was going to snatch up the script... but it didn't happen. So chances are if you get a preemptive offer, you'll take it.

Thanks for the clarification/reminder, Scott.

Does anyone have a copy of Nottingham? I have heard nothing but amazing things about that script and that the end result (Robin Hood) was a bit of a disappointment... Strong year for specs. Funny there was a female bachelor party spec the same year Hangover was bought.

David, email me. theteddypasternak AT gmail DOT com

Scott, I've heard the definition you're using before, & I think it's a cheat to call works based on previously published material "specs". They are work-for-hire, ASSIGNMENTS, where the writer hasn't been paid yet for whatever reason.(And how name writers like Allan Loeb, who are presumably WGA, get away with doing free work, I don't know. ??) It's a personal opinion, but I think the term "spec" should be reserved for original ideas/scripts. This is more in keeping with the spirit of what ppl mean when they say "spec script". And some writers new to all this might not know the difference, or realize that assignment work is being included along side originals. Maybe in this instance you could make it clear that some projects listed here aren't original-- they might be based on previously published material.

Laura, I responded to this in another post. Please retrieve your previous comment and see my thoughts there.

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