Final Table, the script I wrote with my lovely wife Deborah, has been optioned!
Here's the logline: In a deadly Texas Hold 'Em tournament, nine strangers are forced to confront their pasts and fight for their lives while trying to decipher the enigmatic motivations of their mysterious dealer.
The script was optioned by Brian Finn. Brian is a filmmaker whose career began on the set of the Michael Jackson music video Black or White, working as an assistant to director John Landis. He gravitated toward the stunt department. He started doing utility stunts on the Nicolas Cage/John Travolta film Face/Off and eventually worked his way up to become Tom Cruise's stunt double on War of the Worlds. He later started his own commercial production company as a director.
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| Director Brian Finn |
I had met Brian a couple of years ago at the Churches Making Movies Film Festival. We hit it off immediately and I gave him some advice regarding his first film, Resilience and the Lost Gems, that he found helpful. He called me a couple of weeks ago to see if I was interested in writing a faith-based project for him. While we were talking, Brian said one of the reasons he called me was because I did both faith films and horror films.
Little did Brian know that Deb and I had literally finished Final Table earlier that morning. Little did I know that Brian was working with a production company that specialized in limited cast, limited location horror films. I immediately pitched Final Table. He said he wanted to read it. I sent it to him. He liked it. He presented it to the production company. They liked it. Brian optioned the script. Now, if they can get the bankable cast they need for the international market, we have a film.
This has to be some kind of record for getting an option. It is for me, at least! We wrote the script with a quick sale in mind. I have subscribed to the screenwriting service InkTip for years and their newsletter almost always features producers looking for limited location, limited cast scripts. We wanted to meet that market. However, little did I realize the script would be optioned by a producer who requested it within hours of its completion. That's not how it usually works with spec scripts!
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| The Happy Screenwriters |
I am hopeful Brian and the production company will find the talent they need and they will make a great movie! I can't wait.
I have to admit I've had a pretty good couple of months, screenwriting-wise, since I was laid off from Warner Bros Discovery. In addition to writing another short film for the FBI, which is currently in post-production, Final Table is my second optioned screenplay. I will write about the other one after the official press release comes out!
It would be great to have two films go into production this year. (And let's not forget the streaming series I co-created. That should be coming out soon....)
Here's the video of Deb and I signing the option agreement.
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