The Town with Matthew Belloni The Return of the Spec Script—Is There Hope for Original Screenplays in Hollywood?
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Oct 1, 2025 Geoff Shaevitz, a literary manager and former studio executive at Entertainment 360, joins to explore the revival of spec script sales in Hollywood. He discusses how recent movie successes have reignited interest in original screenplays, highlighting a shift away from packaged deals. Genres like horror and comedies are making a comeback as buyers seek fresh content. Geoff also reveals insights on generating bidding wars and how managers can strategize specs for various studios. The chat concludes with cautious optimism about the future of original films.
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Spec Sales Are Back In Motion
- Spec script sales have risen recently as studios seek actionable, ready-to-shoot originals instead of long-developed packages.
- Final Draft reported 23 sales this summer, signaling renewed buyer appetite for un-packaged material.
Two-Year Uptick Driven By Actionable Material
- Geoff Shaevitz sees the upswing as a two-year trend sparked by early 2024 spec sales and internal encouragement to writers.
- He argues specs appeal because they can arrive at studios as actionable movies that executives can move on quickly.
Specs Offer Speed And Studio Control
- Specs aren't strictly replacing packages but offer speed and studio ownership that packaged deals sometimes limit.
- Buyers often prefer clean material they can shape internally rather than pre-set packages with fixed attachments.