As a seasoned gamer of Hollywood’s intricate and unpredictable screenplay scene, I must say this latest development has left me utterly spellbound. Natan Dotan, a man with such a diverse background that he makes Jack of all trades look like a mere dabbler, has managed to catapult himself into the limelight with his spec script Alignment.
An unidentified author, a rapidly intensifying buzz, and an authentic multi-million dollar agreement. Such a scenario might ignite dreams among executives and budding scriptwriters, reminiscent of the lucrative spec script contracts that characterized the 1990s film industry.
Over the holiday season, I was thrilled to learn that I, as a fan, am part of an electrifying shakeup in Hollywood! Fifth Season and Brad Weston’s Makeready production house unexpectedly secured the rights to Alignment, an extraordinary spec script penned by Natan Dotan. Just a week ago, this talented writer was without representation – now he’s making waves in the industry!
This potential deal might turn out to be one of the most significant speculative deals of the year – Julia Cox, writer for Nyad, sold her script titled “Love of Your Life,” which Ryan Gosling is producing, to Amazon in October for a low seven-figure sum. However, this deal is unique because it’s about nurturing an author with limited Hollywood connections. Additionally, the subject matter – artificial intelligence – is currently causing a stir and concern within the Hollywood community.
Dotan has had several careers prior to this splashy entry into Hollywood.
He has a PhD in Sociology from Columbia University, has experience in biology, held the position of chief analytics officer at multiple advertising-media companies, served as the country director for a non-governmental organization in Sierra Leone, and co-produced/directed an investigative news segment on PBS with ProPublica. His areas of expertise include mass media, computer simulations, and data science.
Based on reports from reliable sources, Dotan had written his screenplay and subsequently reached out to two contacts in Hollywood. This contact resulted in Dotan meeting with two literary managers from Untitled Entertainment, who are recognized for their extensive talent roster but had recently acquired the boutique lit firm Grandview just a few months prior. Impressed by his work, they signed him during a Zoom call, aiming to quickly assemble it into a package and swiftly sell it to the market. Since AI was gaining popularity at that time, making a movie about the topic would have been an interesting proposition; however, given that the film wouldn’t be released for a few more years, the window of interest in such a project was quite narrow.
The story unfolds with the intensity of movies like “Margin Call” and “Contagion,” over a 36-hour timeframe. It centers around a board member in a thriving AI company, who grapples with corporate intrigue and distorted motivations as he endeavors to halt his colleagues’ obliviousness from triggering a worldwide disaster.
In just a blink of an eye, the standing of the script soared to unprecedented heights, and within a week, Dotan had secured more than twenty meetings with producers. Not only were producers clamoring for a chance to work on it, but directors themselves were eagerly seeking opportunities; it’s rumored that Damien Chazelle even met with the scriptwriter, while Matt Damon also showed interest in it.
On Wednesday evening, an unexpected turn of events occurred. All of a sudden, producer Weston and Fifth Season, formerly known as Endeavor Content, presented a robust proposal. The writing team was given a three-hour deadline to respond.
Subsequently, part of the negotiations occurred during The Hollywood Reporter’s Next Gen event, where representatives from each side intersected prior to retiring to different locations for finalizing deals around 1 a.m.
According to several reports by THR, Fifth Season is acquiring the script for approximately $1.25 million. If a movie is produced, the price could rise to $3 million. This is an extraordinary agreement in current Hollywood, where big-money spec deals, like those that launched careers for writers such as Shane Black, Joe Eszterhas, and M. Night Shyamalan in the 1990s, are less common. Back then, screenwriting was viewed as a promising avenue to enter the Hollywood industry.
Fifth Season has recently set a new ceiling with its upcoming project, Alignment. Notably recognized for hosting festivals and independent films, this company is also the brainchild behind the 80 for Brady series, the Book Club franchise, John Carney’s critically acclaimed Flora & Son, and Maggie Gyllenhaal’s Oscar-nominated film The Lost Daughter. This latest acquisition of a spec script within the company is viewed as a signal that they are prepared and eager to vie for projects they consider worthy.
In addition to Untitled, Dotan is repped by Gang Tyre.
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2024-11-22 02:56