Options (Re: [UA] The Screenplay (was Re: [UA] Dream)

[John Nephew]

> Lastly, in a backwards-from-the-norm step, if someone were to write a
really
> >cool UA screenplay, what would it take to get the Atlas stamp of
approval?
> >(Obviously, this last is a question for people who actually work for
Atlas.)

Sorry, I hadn't been following the thread closely...

If you are completely serious and you want to have an official Stamp of
Approval(tm), what you need to do is actually buy a movie option, which
gives you an exclusive right to develop and shop a script based on the UA
property over a specified period of time.  Most properties that are optioned
never become movies (or TV shows or whatever), but that's the way it works.

The problem about NOT getting an option is that you're even more on spec
than you are normally when you write a script on spec -- not only might a
studio not like your work, but they won't even consider it unless you have
an option sewn up...and if you didn't get the option nailed down before
writing the script, you might find that the intellectual property holder has
already sold an option to somebody else.

Then again, if you're not in a position where you already know all this and
are making some kind of living doing screenwriting...you probably don't want
to throw money or time into getting an option anyhow.  But there would be
nothing to stop you from working on a script for fun, and if it turned out
to be fantabulous and you wanted to be able to shop it to studios, then you
could see if the option was available (or when it would be, if some other
option had been purchased but looked likely to expire unused).

Does this make any sense?  My brain feels a little addled today so I hope
I'm making sense...

If someone IS interested in optioning the UA property for motion picture
adaptation, they should contact me directly.

------------------------------------------------------
John Nephew    voice (651) 638-0077 fax (651) 638-0084
President, Atlas Games             www.atlas-games.com



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