Universal Pictures has picked up a pair of interesting new projects, as the studio has acquiredMeredith Dawson’s spec scriptWhen Michael Met Carrie… and Other People, as well as the family adventure projectOutside the BoxfromFreaksfilmmakersZach LipovskyandAdam B. Stein.
Paul Feigwill produceWhen Michael Met Carrie, which promises a new take on the romantic comedy, while Mandeville Films duoDavid HobermanandTodd Liebermanare attached to produceOutside the Boxunder their first-look deal at Universal.
Lipovsky and Stein will write and directOutside the Box, which was chased by several suitors thanks to its sci-fi/fantasy elements and a tone that is said to recallSteven Spielberg’s Amblin films of the 1980s. I caughtFreaksat last year’s Toronto International Film Festival and really enjoyed it. I was impressed by what the duo accomplished with a relatively low budget, and by the performances they elicited fromEmile Hirsch,Bruce Dernand newcomerLexy Kolker, who plays a young girl with special powers. The film has drawn comparison to Spielberg’s early work, and coincidentally, both Lipovsky and Stein were contestants onOn the Lot, Spielberg’s short-lived reality show about filmmaking.
As forWhen Michael Met Carrie… and Other People, plot details remain under wraps, but Dawson will direct from her own screenplay, and Feig will produce under his FeigCo banner. He previously directedBridesmaidsand the upcoming holiday rom-comLast Christmasfor Universal, and has long advocated for the industry to hire more female filmmakers – not that Universal’sDonna Langleyneeded a push. She has made it her mission to diversify the studio’s pool of directors, which now includesStella Meghie(The Photograph),Gandja Monteira(Talent Show) andSophia Takal(Black Christmas), while Oscar-nominated cinematographerRachel Morrison(Mudbound) is slated to make her directorial debut with the Universal dramaFlint Strong. Universal executivesErik BaiersandLexi Bartawill oversee Dawson’s film on behalf of the studio.
Reports describe Dawson as aMindy Kalingprotege who worked in the writers room for her Hulu seriesFour Weddings and a Funeral. Dawson also wrote the original screenplaySpark, which was voted to the 2018 Black List and is currently in development at Amazon Studios andReese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine banner. She and Feig are represented by CAA, while Stein and Lipovsky are repped by Verve and Ground Control.
