Just in time for Halloween, Tyler Marceca’s thriller “The Disciple Program” has been voted to the top of the 2012 Blood List.
Compiled by Kailey Marsh, the Blood List features the top 13 most-liked unproduced screenplays in the horror, thriller, sci-fi and dark comedy/drama genres, as voted on by 117 feature executives who each chose their three favorite scripts of the year. Ninety-nine scripts received votes; to make the 2012 list, a script must have received at least five votes and come out within the past calendar year.
“Disciple Program” sparked a bidding war back in May, when Universal beat out Warner Bros. for the project. Mark Wahlberg is attached to star and produce with Steve Levinson; Morten Tyldum (“Headhunters”) is attached to direct.
Last Halloween, John Scott III’s slow-burn zombie script “Maggie” was voted to the top of the 2011 Blood List, with vfx veteran Henry Hobson attached to direct. In May, Chloe Moretz and Paddy Considine became attached to star, catapulting the script and the Blood List back into Hollywood’s spotlight.
Marsh is a 25-year-old manager at Station 3, which she joined after launching Faction M, a management, production and financing company. Marsh started the Blood List in 2009 as a way of finding out what everyone was reading through Trackula, the tracking board she operates. Upon publishing the initial Blood List, she realized there was a lot of interest in genre scripts, and as the list has grown in stature, Marsh has expanded the accepted genres. She has subsequently seen an uptick in scribes angling for position in the list, which means better material for more voters to pass judgment on. In addition to gaining exposure for projects, the Blood List fuels the discovery of new voices and helps writers secure representation. Marsh recently co-exec produced “The Day,” which WWE Films bought at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival. She’s currently producing several projects in both film and TV in addition to repping comicbook publisher Bluewater Comics with APA.
For more information about the 2012 Blood List, visit BloodList.com.
“The Disciple Program” by Tyler Marceca
25 Votes
Logline: A “Manchurian Candidate”-style thriller in which a man’s wife dies and upon investigating, he discovers it was no accident.
Agents: Rich Cook & Phil d’Amecourt (WME)
Managers: Bard Dorros & Michael Sugar (Anonymous Content)
Status: Mark Wahlberg attached to star and produce for Universal, with Morten Tyldum attached to direct.
“Stephanie” by Ben Collins & Luke Piotrowski
19 Votes
Logline: Psychological horror film described as “Paperhouse” meets “Carrie” that concerns a young girl whose strange powers seem to doom her to a world of lonely solitude.
Agent: Emerson Davis (UTA)
Manager: Nate Matteson (Gotham Group)
Status: The Gotham Group producing with Bryan Bertino and Adrienne Biddle of Unbroken Pictures. Jonathan Van Tulleken (“Off Season”) directing.
“Lockdown at Franklin High” by Joe Ballarini & Gregg Bishop
17 Votes
Logline: A girl and her brother must break-out of their locked down high school while a monster stalks the halls.
Agents: David Boxerbaum, Ida Ziniti & Tanya Cohen (Paradigm)
Managers: George Heller (Apostle) reps Ballarini, while Andy Cohen (Grade A Entertainment) and Cindy Cowan (Cindy Cowan Entertainment) rep Bishop
Status: Set up at Sony with Benderspink and Platinum Dunes producing.
“Story of Your Life” by Eric Heisserer
16 Votes
Logline: Sci-fi drama about alien crafts landing around the world and Louise Banks, a linguist expert recruited by the military to determine whether they come in peace or are a threat. As Louise learns to communicate with the aliens, she begins experiencing vivid flashbacks which become the key to unlocking the greater mystery about the true purpose of their visit.
Agents: Barbara Dreyfus & Jon Huddle (UTA)
Manager: Julie Bloom (Art/Work Entertainment)
Status: Set up at 21 Laps.
“Country of Strangers” by Sean Armstrong
13 Votes
Logline: Based on true events, thriller follows an inspector during his 40-year search for three siblings taken from an Australian beach in 1966.
Agents: Bill Weinstein & Rob Herting (Verve)
Managers: Peter Dealbert & Susan Solomon (Principato/Young)
Status: In negotiations with unnamed buyer.
“February” by Osgood Perkins
13 Votes
Logline: Horror pic about an unidentified young woman who makes a pilgrimage to the site of a demonic possession at an all-girls boarding school in the dead of winter.
Managers: Scott Halle (Gramercy Park Entertainment)
Status: Bryan Bertino and Adrienne Biddle of Unbroken Pictures producing.
“Interstate 5” by Seth Sherwood
11 Votes
Logline: Described as “Jacob’s Ladder” meets “Natural Born Killers,” this psychological thriller follows the son of an infamous serial killer and the daughter of one of the victims who go on the road in hopes of tracking the killer down, only to find themselves haunted by demonic forces intent on driving them mad.
Manager: Kailey Marsh (Station 3)
Status: Available.
“Somnia” by Mike Flanagan & Jeff Howard
9 Votes
Logline: Horror pic about a couple who recently lost their son and take in a young boy as a foster child. They soon discover that the boy’s dreams manifest themselves in the real world when he sleeps.
Agents: Sheryl Petersen, Debbie Deuble & Chris Ridenhour (APA)
Manager: Nicholas Bogner (Affirmative Entertainment)
Status: In negotiations with unnamed buyer.
“Darkfall” by TS Faull
8 Votes
Logline: Supernatural thriller about a group of residents who must survive the night in their apartment complex as they slowly learn that Darkfall (the rising of demons to take over the Earth) is upon them.
Manager: Michael Botti (Industry Entertainment)
Status: Available.
“Viral” by Dustin T. Benson
8 Votes
Logline: A thriler with action and sci-fi elements described as “I Am Legend” meets “Outbreak.” Told from the first-person point-of-view via the helmet cam of a bio-safety suit, story follows a scientist who joins an extraction team through quarantined areas of Manhattan while secretly searching for her missing daughter.
Agents: Ramses Ishak & Mike Sheresky (UTA)
Manager: Brooklyn Weaver (Energy Entertainment)
Status: Adrian Askarieh (Prime Universe) attached to produce with Weaver and Energy Entertainment.
“The Importance of Blood” by James Breen
7 Votes
Logline: Horror pic about the mute servant of a modern-day vampire who returns home to her estranged family 20 years after her disappearance. As she grows closer to her family, her loyalties to her master are finally tested.
Managers: Jarrod Murray & Allard Cantor (Epicenter)
Status: Available.
“Shut In” by T.J. Cimfel & David White
6 Votes
Logline: Horror-thriller about an agoraphobic woman who must fend off a home invasion while she protects a dark secret.
Manager: Marc Manus (Manus Entertainment)
Status: Available.
“Peste” by Barbara Marshall
5 Votes
Logline: Sci-fi/horror pic about a 16 year-old girl who begins to record her life for her high school media class just as a terrifying virus begins to spread.
Agents: Debbie Deuble & Lee Dinstman (APA)
Manager: Ava Jamshidi (Industry Entertainment)
Status: Set up at IM Global with Sherryl Clark producing.
