Lionsgate Bags Year’s First Material Deal: ‘After Shock’ Is Star Vehicle For Fast Rising ‘1923’s Brandon Sklenar

EXCLUSIVE: In the first major sale of the year, Lionsgate has pre-emptively purchased the big concept earthquake short story, After Shock, for a sum in the mid-six figure purchase price range. At the center of all this is Brandon Sklenar, poised to headline movies after a breakout turn in It Ends With Us and the imminent second season of Taylor Sheridan’s 1923, in which he plays Spencer Dutton. Four suitors chased the deal with different actors attached and the deal closed within 24 hours of when Verve put it in the marketplace. Lionsgate insiders claim the number was lower.

The 35-page short story written by Aaron Jayh will be produced by Todd Lieberman and Alex Young for Hidden Pictures and Scott Glassgold for his newly launched film banner, 12:01 Films.  Sklenar is also expected to be involved in a producing capacity.

The logline for After Shock is being kept under wraps but it said to have the feel of Signs and Nope with the natural disaster sweep of Twisters.

Sklenar will next be seen in Universal/Blumhouse’s The Drop and Lionsgate’s The Housemaid, the latter opposite Sydney Sweeney with Paul Feig directing.

This is yet another in a sales template that has worked well for Verve and Glassgold, brokering unpublished proof of concept short stories with star attachments. It’s also the second recent short story that involves Hidden Pictures and Glassgold. Last year, the duo packaged and sold Run For Your Life, also written by Jayh, to Universal with Sam Hargrave directing.  Hidden Pictures is currently in production on Rawson Thurber’s Voltron for Amazon. Glassgold recently produced the Sony thriller Tarot, which grossed 50m worldwide.

This is Glassgold and Verve’s 20th recent deal for an unpublished short story. Other recent sales include the Steven Spielberg-produced Long Lost at Universal, and the Akela Cooper-scripted It’s Over to Sony; the Aaron Jayh short story The Dwelling went to Amazon with Michael B Jordan starring and producing; Occupant landed at New Line with Zach Cregger producing; My Wife and I Bought A Ranch has Drew Hancock writing and directing for Amazon; and the Query Bros. are aligned to Wilderness Reform at Paramount.  

Sklenar is represented by WME and Neon Kite. Hidden Pictures is repped by WME and Deborah Lintz. Jayh and 12:01 Films are represented by Verve and Jeff Frankel.