Everyone knows that the biggest cost a film faces is hiring actors, producing special effects, shooting on location and all sorts of other factors. But sometimes it can cost a ton to even just get a script to work with. Certain screenwriters will sometimes find themselves in a position to charge millions for their screenplays. The ten most expensive are below, and as you’ll see, paying a lot for a screenplay doesn’t necessarily mean your movie will be a hit. But sometimes, it works out. Check out the list below.
[Photo via Columbia Pictures
10. A Knight’s Tale ($2.5M Fee)
You’re about to discover that many of the films on this last asked for a lot for their scripts, but that failed to translate into box office success. One of them would be A Knight’s Tale, a relatively obscure movie given a bit more attention because of Heath Ledger’s starring role. The script was written by Brian Helgeland, but the film barely turned a profit on a $56.5 million budget. Still, that puts it ahead of some of the others on this list, as there are some big disasters on the horizon.
[Photo via Columbia Pictures]
9. Mozart and the Whale ($2.75M Fee)
If you see this here and going “what?” you’re not alone. The movie is by far the biggest flop on this list, grossing only $36,000 on a $12M budget. Why did the script cost so much in the first place? Because it was written by Rain Man’s Ron Bass, and who wouldn’t want him writing your next film? It just goes to show that past success is not always an indicator of future quality, and this is a cautionary tale about paying too much up front for screenplays.
[Photo via Millenium Films]
8. The Pink Panther ($3M Fee)
The Steve Martin reboot of The Pink Panther demanded a heft asking price for the screenplay written by Martin himself. in addition to the $3M for the fee, he was paid $25M to star in the film. If you’re thinking that sounds like a pretty high price for Steve Martin in 2006, you’re right. The film barely broke even at the domestic box office on an $80M budget. But I doubt Martin really cared, given how much he made despite the film’s success (or lack thereof).
[Photo via FOX]
7. Medicine Man ($3M Fee)
Another obscure film lands on the list in the form of the 1992 Sean Connery vehicle, Medicine Man. Screenwriter Tom Schulman demanded a hefty fee for his work because he was behind the classics Honey I Shrunk the Kids and the Oscar-winning Dead Poet’s Society. But as you might expect, Medicine Man was far from a hit, failing to make back it’s $45M budget. It stands as one of Sean Connery’s strangest roles, and was one of his last films before his retirement.
[Photo via Buena Vista]
6. Basic Instinct ($3M Fee)
Finally, something approaching a classic appears on the list! Basic Instinct is actually a famous film unlike many of these others, and screenwriter Joe Eszterhas was paid handily for it. Ezterhas actually held the record for most expensive screenplays many times over the years, first for City Hall ($500K) then for The Last Boy Scout ($1.75M), and then set the record again with Basic Instinct. The film obviously was a hit, grossing $500M worldwide.
[Photo via TriStar Pictures]
5. Eurotrip ($4M Fee)
This one may surprise you, because though Eurotrip is a cult comedy classic in a few circles, it’s hardly the most memorable film, and that seems like a massive amount of money for the screenplay. But it’s important to remember that this was in the age of American Pie and Road Trip, and studios were looking for the next big comedy hit in that vein. But unfortunately for Eurotrip, it didn’t even make back it’s $25M budget domestically, and was relegated to DVD bins and cable replays forever.
[Photo via DreamWorks]
4. Talladega Nights: The Legend of Ricky Bobby ($4M Fee)
Talledega Nights was at the height of Will Ferrell’s comedy career, which allowed him and Adam McKay to demand big bucks for the screenplay. Technically that’s $2M a piece, but that’s still pretty good. And like Basic Instinct, Talledega Nights was indeed a big hit with Ricky Bobby the most quotable character of the year by far. The film doubled its budget domestically and was a hit around the rest of the world as well, even if NASCAR is an American pastime.
[Photo via Columbia Pictures]
3. Panic Room ($4M Fee)
Panic Room may not be director David Fincher’s greatest or most memorable work, but it performed better than many others on this list, doubling its budget in its US release alone. David Koepp was the man responsible for the screenplay, and Panic Room seemed to be an appropriate release in 2002 in the wake of 9/11 and “terror at home” movies that were growing in popularity at the time. It may not be Fincher’s best film, but it performed well enough for the studio and Koepp was worth his fee.
[Photo via Columbia Pictures]
2. The Long Kiss Goodnight ($4M Fee)
Before Shane Black was directing Iron Man 3, he was one of Hollywood’s best known screenwriters. He charged a hefty fee for movies like Lethal Weapon, but The Long Kiss Goodnight topped that by a mile. Unfortunately, unlike Lethal Weapon, The Long Kiss Goodnight was a massive flop, barely making up half of its $65M budget domestically. Still, it hardly hurt Black’s career, and he’s moved on to directing films of his own as of late.
[Photo via New Line Cinema]
1. Deja Vu ($5M Fee)
Topping the list is the outrageous $5M fee that Tony Rossio and Bill Marsili charged for the screenplay for Deja Vu, the Denzel Washington film that did not make back its principle, including the cost of the screenplay. I still can’t figure out why exactly this specific film with these specific screenwriters demanded such a massive cost, but between the high concept time travel plot and Denzel being on board, perhaps the studio thought that would be enough. It wasn’t.
[Photo via Buena Vista Pictures]
