Get the Hottest IP While It’s Hot!
Timing is everything — and now is the time for SUPER SANTA
Did you know that at least four studios have spent over $200M on RED ONE, an upcoming action-adventure comedy film directed by Jake Kasdan? Or that the film stars Dwayne Johnson — who is reported to have received $50M for his role alone —along with J.K. Simmons, Chris Evans, Lucy Liu, Bonnie Hunt, Mary Elizabeth Ellis, Nick Kroll, among others?
Without a doubt the most expensive and elaborate Christmas movie in history, the film is set for a wide theatrical release by Amazon MGM Studios on November 15, 2024. The plot has been kept secret, but far as anyone can tell from teasers, Santa Claus is in trouble, and The Rock and his crew seem to help Saint Nick out by turning him into a Superhero.
Here’s another wild bit of news: My creative partner and I wrote a screenplay (WGA# 1306100) back in 2008 called SUPER SANTA, and last September published a 471-page illustrated novel based on the script. Our story is no doubt very different from next season’s blockbuster, but from the looks of both close enough to interest enterprising publishers/studios.
Creative convergence happens often, sometimes intentionally, sometimes not. Isaac Newton developed calculus at the same time Gottfried Leibniz did, while Charles Darwin and Alfred Russel Wallace simultaneously discovered natural selection — while Hollywood is certainly known for competitive pairings, such as asteroid and comet disaster movies.
Creative themes are also finite, too, so a story that somehow combines Santa Claus with Superheroes isn’t as unlikely as it might seem. Although we pitched SUPER SANTA back in 2008–9, we don’t assume the writers of RED ONE necessarily ever saw it or were influenced by it — and we certainly had no idea about their project years later, time machines not invented yet.
That all said, a Santa Claus-becomes-a-Superhero story of 141,000 words and 181 illustrations is already copyrighted and published (with two equal length books in the trilogy soon to be released) — and the authors are eager to partner up to repurpose the content as an animated or live action film, miniseries, graphic novel, or all of the above. Get it while it’s most hot!
Although eight months isn’t much time before RED ONE launches, the studios see a seasonal franchise in the making, especially if the film is a hit. The buzz is already building, and should become explosive by the end this fall — all together making an otherwise risky idea like “Super Santa” a known, welcome, and low risk commodity well into 2025, and beyond.
So get you some SUPER SANTA right now! My creative partner and I are curious to see Hiram Garcia, Chris Morgan, and Jake Kasdan’s still secret take on a similar concept, and welcome the opportunity to embrace what can happen to our own IP in the wake of this serendipitous creative coincidence. Message me at mookiespitz@gmail.com to learn more!
