Originality Is Making a Comeback

There was a time when spec scripts — those speculative scripts written in cafes fueled by coffee and stubborn optimism — were being bought by studios, like “Good Will Hunting” and dreams were born. That era faded when IP-driven movies and packaged projects (films already assembled with cast, director, and producers attached) took over.

Think of Spirited, the Christmas film starring and produced by Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell, where Apple reportedly spent over $75 million just on talent. That’s the kind of project that’s dominated Hollywood for the last decade.

But lately, there’s been a noticeable shift.

Final Draft recently wrote about The Return of the Spec Screenplay Sale, sharing that this summer alone, 23 original spec scripts and pitches sold to major studios and streamers — and 9 of those sales happened in August, the biggest month for specs since 2017. It’s not just a blip; it’s starting to look like a trend.

Matt Belloni on The Town podcast spoke with Geoff Shaevitz, a literary manager and producer at Entertainment 360 (and someone who’s actually sold a few of these recent specs), in an episode titled “The Return of the Spec Script – Is There Hope for Original Screenplays in Hollywood?”

A few takeaways stood out to me:

• Shaevitz said he’s been seeing this upswing for the past couple of years. Once he noticed the momentum, he started encouraging all his writers to focus on original material again.

• Recent original successes include Weapons, Sinners, and Anyone But You — all based on fresh ideas, not IP.

• Specs can move fast. A good script can go out to 50 producers in 24 hours and hit the studios the next day, which creates that old-school sense of urgency and competition.

• The slowdown in the superhero market is actually helping. With those movies no longer guaranteed hits, studios and audiences are more open to something different.

Julia Cox’s Love of Your Life is a good example — it sparked a bidding war that ended with MGM paying around $2 million, one of the biggest spec deals in recent memory.

Of course, original ideas are still the minority. Out of roughly 500 films released or planned between 2022 and 2026, only about 10% are non-IP. Still, there’s opportunity.

Paramount is ramping up now that David Ellison owns it, and Warner Bros. reportedly doesn’t have any films hitting theaters for the next few months. Companies like Mubi (which has started distributing films like The Substance) and a new player called Rho K (backed by private equity, aiming to release 10 films a year) are also looking for projects.

Even more encouraging: streamers are also open for business — including Netflix. As Shaevitz said, “Everyone is open to specs if it’s the right spec at the right time.”

The current appetite? Horror, erotic thrillers, and comedies with contained budgets.

Right now, top writers are once again landing mid-six to seven-figure deals, just like in the heyday of the spec market. The key seems to be generating heat — getting everyone to read at the same time. Some reps are using a new platform called Embershot, which lets you securely share scripts and control who reads them (no screenshots, no forwards).

After years of franchise fatigue, it feels like Hollywood might finally be ready to bet on originality again. And if you’ve got a great idea and the persistence to see it through, this could be the time to put it out there.