Directed by Paul Verhoeven and starring Sharon Stone and Michael Douglas, Basic Instinct resembles a neo-noir crossed with an erotic thriller. Whether that also has something to do with the decline in Hollywood’s spec-gluttony is anyone’s guess.Īccording to legend, Joe Eszterhas somehow managed to write Basic Instinct in a mere 13 days, prompting a bidding war in Hollywood that netted him a healthy three million in return for his troubles. To our eyes, many of the films on this list fared rather poorly when it came to return on investment. While you’re reading, see if you can spot any common trends (aside from just generally being Shane Black).
Until then, here’s a list of some of the highest selling screenplays of all time to whet your appetite. And with new industry titans like Netflix and Amazon Studios in need of material, the “spec script” is all but guaranteed a second wind. It’s how Spielberg, Lucas, De Palma and Coppola got in the game back when corporate giants bought the studios back in the sixties and seventies. Still, periods of transition tend to open just as many doors as they close. These days, you’re more likely to start a bidding war over a pilot than a feature spec, which in the era of peak TV, is far from a consolation prize (in case you needed clarification). Hollywood’s still buying, of course – but the rate has decreased. In other words, we’re in a period of transition. Why? It’s a long story, but the short version is this: unsustainable budgets, and a shifting distribution landscape. These days, spec scripts have fallen somewhat out of vogue. One boom in particular, which lasted throughout the 90s and well into the mid 2000s, was characterized by the rise of the “spec script” – a catchall term for an unsolicited bundle of blood, sweat, and tears intended to set the studios on fire and fetch a fortuitous screenwriter a few bucks in the process. Like any industry, Hollywood operates according to booms and busts.
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