📝 Is the spec script market suddenly hot again?

The Dailies

Hollywood studios are finally opening their wallets for original scripts again, and writers who've been collecting “passes” and subsisting on ramen might want to sit down for this one: 8 spec deals have closed in August 2025 alone. That’s the highest monthly total since March 2017.

To put this in perspective: The spec market hit rock bottom with just 11 deals in all of 2023. Industry vet Scott Myers, who's tracked specs since 1991, notes that during the '90s golden era, Hollywood averaged 12-13 deals per month. In recent years we've seen an average of just 1-2 per month. But 2025 is already looking stronger with 19 total deals so far, surpassing 2024's year-to-date numbers. Some of the deals making waves this month:

• 'With The 8th Pick' went to Warner Bros. The Kobe Bryant NBA draft drama, described as 'Social Network' meets 'Air,' explores the behind-the-scenes pursuit of Bryant in the 1996 draft.
• 'Bald Eagles' from Brandon Cohen landed at Paramount for seven figures in a preemptive deal (meaning they bought it before other studios could bid).
• 'The Pirate' sold to Amazon MGM with Jason Momoa attached to produce and potentially star.
• 'Incidents' sparked an 11-studio bidding war before Searchlight won. The psychological thriller comes from William Gillies, who wrote the acclaimed 'Hallow Road.'
• 'The Survival List' went to Lionsgate with Blake Lively attached.

The bigger picture: Several signs suggest this could be more than just a lucky month. Original films like 'Sinners' and 'Weapons' came out of nowhere to become genuine hits. Meanwhile, the TV pilot market has dried up, so managers are generally pushing their writers toward features as the clearer path to breaking in. And after years of throwing money at everything, studios are getting more selective, which makes complete, ready-to-shoot scripts suddenly look more attractive than vague concepts that need years of development.

Looking ahead… We’ll see whether this momentum continues through the rest of 2025. But for screenwriters who've been hearing "IP only" for years, August's numbers offer some real optimism.