Let’s all get a celebratory egg and cheese sandwich, because it seems that Margot Robbie and Christina Hodson’s Lucky Exports Pitch Program has been a resounding success. The respective “Birds of Prey” star and screenwriter’s all-women script-writing lab saw six emerging scribes crafting “studio-ready pitches” — and now there’s word that all of those projects have found homes.
“Each of the six women writers in the room marked their first major sale following the workshop, all in the action or genre arena and all with commitments for distribution,” Variety confirms. “It’s not only a win for representation in a male-dominated space, it’s a victory for feature film sales at a time when coronavirus has plunged the theatrical market into chaos.”
Most of the titles sold during a week-long roadshow for major buyers from the industry. Robbie’s LuckyChap Entertainment and Hodson’s Hodson Exports will produce all the projects.
Lucky Exports’ participants — Sue Chung, Charmaine DeGraté, Eileen Jones, Faith Liu, Dagny Looper, and Maria Sten — all began the program with just a logline or title. Collaborating with patrons and guest speakers, they broke their stories and developed their action pic pitches over the course of a month.
The projects include Chung’s immigration-themed action thriller, “Sanctuary,” and Liu’s “Grinders,” a slasher flick following bio-hacking college kids. The former has been acquired by Universal, and the latter is in negotiations with Thunder Road.
Robbie and Hodson created Lucky Exports with Josey McNamara and Tom Ackerley of LuckyChap, and Morgan Howell of Hodson Exports. The duo will reunite for a female-led “Pirates of the Caribbean” pic. Robbie will star in the Disney film, while Hodson is set to pen the script.
A two-time Oscar nominee, Robbie has scored nods for “Bombshell” and “I, Tonya.” Her upcoming projects include “Barbie,” Greta Gerwig’s live-action story based on the iconic doll, and “Marian,” an action pic about Maid Marian from Robin Hood folklore. She also produced “Promising Young Woman,” Emerald Fennell’s dramatic thriller about a woman preying on sexual predators that will open December 25.
Hodson broke out with 2018 Hailee Steinfeld-starrer, “Bumblebee,” a “Transformers” spin-off that took in over $467 million worldwide. Her other credits include “Shut In” and “Unforgettable.” She wrote “The Flash,” currently slated for release in 2022, and is signed on to pen a live-action “Batgirl.”
Find out more about the Lucky Exports writers and their projects below, courtesy of Variety.
Sue Chung (“The Red Line,” “The Brave,” “Marvel’s Agent Carter”): SANCTUARY has been acquired for distribution by Universal. The feature is a gritty action thriller with an immigration story at the center. Chung is represented by Aaron Kaplan and Lindsay Perraud / Kaplan Perrone.
Charmaine DeGraté (“House of the Dragon,” “Daisy Jones & The Six,” “The 100”): PROTÉGÉ is a lethal spy games ensemble thriller, which is in negotiations with Thunder Road. DeGraté is represented by Josh Goldenberg / Kaplan Perrone.
Eileen Jones (“Prodigal Son,” “Lethal Weapon”): HIGHWAYMAN is in development as a feature at New Line. The film is a high-octane western at the height of the California Gold Rush. Jones is represented by David Boxerbaum / Verve.
Faith Liu (Writer’s Assistant on “Warrior”): GRINDERS is a teen slasher centered around a group of bio-hacking college kids. The feature is in development and has been acquired for distribution by Sony with development by Blumhouse. Liu is represented by Nicky Mohebbi / Verve.
Dagny Looper (“See,” “Brave New World,” “Strange Angel”): HIJACKED is in development as a feature at Warner Bros. The film is an action rom-com about a cruise ship wedding gone wrong. Looper is represented by Amar Hansen / Anonymous and Michael Chung / Verve.
Maria Sten (“Big Sky”): LEGACY is now being developed as a television series. LEGACY is a high- concept heist drama set in the criminal underbelly of New Orleans. Sten is represented by Grandview.
