Movies
‘Something’ Discovered in Space… It’s a Horror/Comedy!
Color me intrigued. Space and horror don’t always mix (although the Alien franchise is my favorite), and neither does horror and comedy (yet, look at Zombieland), yet I can’t help but find myself completely fascinated by this new announcement. Universal pictures is heading to space with Something, a horror/comedy from a writer on “Late Night With David Letterman”. Read on for the skinny.Just when it appeared that the spec market had all but dried up, Universal Pictures has preemptively acquired Rodney Rothman’s pitch “The Something” for mid-six figures.
Rothman, who was the youngest head writer in the history of “Late Night With David Letterman,” will write and produce via his newly minted banner.
Story, which the studio is keeping under wraps, is described as an ensemble comedy/horror hybrid set in deep space, similar in tone to Sony’s breakout hit “Zombieland.”
Over the past year, the spec marketplace has become dismal, particularly for original material without talent attachments. In the past 12 months, only a handful of specs have sold that didn’t have a director or thesp attached.
Universal’s Erik Baiers and Anikah McLaren will oversee “The Something” for the studio.
Rothman, who began his career writing for “Letterman,” previously sold his script “Early Bird” to Paramount. He was also an exec producer on “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and a producer on the upcoming “Get Him to the Greek” — both Universal pics.
Two-time BAFTA winning filmmaker Joe Wright (Hanna, “Black Mirror“) is set to direct the feature adaptation of post-apocalyptic thriller novel, Juice, Deadline reports today.
Emmy winner Abi Morgan (Shame, “Eric”) will adapt Tim Winton‘s novel for Working Title Films.
In Juice, “A young husband and father is recruited into a top-secret resistance organization, to join the ranks of militia men tasked with targeting the isolated and wealthy culprits responsible for this global catastrophe. When a mission goes wrong, he finds himself on the run, having to fight to the end to survive in this hostile world.”
It’s set in a world ravaged by climate-change disaster.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled that Tim Winton has entrusted us with his extraordinary epic,” Wright told Deadline. “The story is both a thrilling modern family saga and an urgent call to action. I cannot wait for audiences to experience it on the big screen.”
Winton added, “I’m pleased to know a filmmaker of Joe Wright’s calibre has chosen to adapt Juice for the screen. His capacity to portray the turmoil and the turning points of nations and peoples as well as private individuals distinguishes his work as a director and I’m confident that Juice is in good hands.”
Juice was initially published in October 2024 and longlisted for The Climate Fiction Prize 2026.
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