After an auction drew 40 offers and massive behind-the-scenes secrecy, Jennifer Lawrence is now attached to star and produce the romantic comedy “One Month Mark,” with Apple Original Films coming aboard for the package.
By the time Chernin Entertainment secured the rights to “One Month Mark,” the script had already become the kind of Hollywood chase that starts before anyone even speaks in public.
The spec drew a flood of attention after an auction in which 40 buyers put in offers before Chernin Entertainment landed the package. Jennifer Lawrence is now attached to star and produce the romantic comedy. and Apple Original Films has come aboard following a competitive auction for the deal. Sophie Fleur de Bruijn wrote the script, with Chernin Entertainment’s David Ready and Peter Chernin producing.
Fleur de Bruijn will executive produce the project, along with Brady Fujikawa, EVP of Chernin Entertainment, who will oversee for Chernin. Lawrence will produce through her Excellent Cadaver banner alongside her partner Justine Ciarrocchi.
Once Lawrence was on, the momentum didn’t stop with the rights. Insiders say producers and the studio will now work to find the right director for the film.
The romantic comedy has a simple premise that fits the kind of relationship math studios like to build around: the film follows two individuals—she has never made it past a month in a relationship, while he has never gone longer than a month without one.
What made the auction feel different. according to the people caught up in it. was not only the number of bidders. It was the secrecy. Insiders say that to even read the script. producers had to use Embershot as a website to securely distribute it without exposing it to buyers. The platform currently has 892 views from potential producers, agents, and managers. Studio executives, the reporting says, borrowed laptops or Embershot logins to get an early look.
Several producers in the mix told Deadline, “It’s one of the best rom-com scripts in years.” Chernin Entertainment will now decide whether to take the project to studios without talent or to add movie stars that were already chasing the script to produce.
The package also keeps both Apple and its talent connections active. Chernin has a first-look deal with the studio, and Apple is also tied to Lawrence through recent work. Lawrence just wrapped production on the Martin Scorsese period thriller “What Happens at Night,” which also stars Leonardo DiCaprio. Other Apple projects the two have worked on include Lawrence serving as star and producer of “Causeway. ” and Lawrence producing on the Peabody-winning Apple Original documentary “Bread & Roses.”.
Lawrence was most recently seen in the Mubi drama “Die, My Love” opposite Robert Pattinson. She is repped by LBI Entertainment and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller, Hoberman, Newman, Warren, Richman, Rush, Kaller & Gellman.
Sophie Fleur de Bruijn is described as an emerging comedic voice spanning stage. screen. and stand-up. with training at Second City. iO. and the Upright Citizens Brigade. “One Month Mark” is only her second feature. following her first film “Early Action. ” which sold competitively to Apple with Kevin Walsh producing. Fleur de Bruijn is managed by Collin Litts at Anonymous Content. Lawyers are Tara Kole and Tiffany Graddick at Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole LLP.
Chernin Entertainment’s recent slate includes “Backrooms. ” which has already grossed more than $215 million worldwide; “Apex. ” which premiered in April and climbed to No. 1 on the Netflix global English film list; and “Man on Fire,” which debuted in April as the No. 1 TV show in the world on Netflix. Chernin Entertainment is represented by Elliott Kleinberg at NextWave.
Jennifer Lawrence One Month Mark Apple Original Films Chernin Entertainment Sophie Fleur de Bruijn rom-com Embershot David Ready Peter Chernin Brady Fujikawa Excellent Cadaver Justine Ciarrocchi