EXCLUSIVE: Veteran literary scout Philippa Donovan wants to reverse engineer the books-to-screen market through her new business, Two Script Studio.
The operation will create ‘reverse adaptations’ to allow producers and screenwriters to turn screenplays into novels at an early stage of development. Book rights are then pitched to literary agents and publishers to build an audience or developed as underlying IP for the film or TV project.
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Donovan will also help writers rework dormant scripts for publishers, and is offering mentoring where a pitch deck or script is used for narrative structure.
Two Script is so-named to represent the idea that one story becomes two scripts at the earliest possible stage.
Donovan, an experienced literary scout, spent decades working in the U.S., UK and Australia, and developed her idea after noting how little provision is given to screen-to-book adaptations. Given her working history, Two Scripts will be available as a service in those three territories.
“Two Script draws on my decades of experience in literary scouting, structural editing and introducing authors to agents,” Donovan told Deadline.
Her take is that original screen IP such as KPop Demon Hunters or Stranger Things will often get book adaptations, but these tend to be through one-off novelization partnerships that occur after a brand is established.
The likes of Paramount have launched book imprints for original productions and development projects to better manage the process, but broadly screen-to-books can be considered an underdeveloped space.
“When I moved from London to L.A. in 2014, I actually planned to facilitate a publishing trajectory for screenwriters, but life got in the way, so I am overjoyed to return to this original vision,” said Donovan. “It is nothing short of a miraculous alchemy when a book is given a second life on screen, so I think it’s high time that books returned the favour.”
Donovan has helped scout books for the like of Red Arrow Studios, Dynamic Television, Vertigo Films, Jungle Entertainment Australia, ITV America’s Circle of Confusion, Fremantle Australia and Escape Artists/Amazon MGM Studios. She has run her own business, Smart Quill, since 2011 after a 15-year career as a literary agent, scout and commissioning editor.
Deadline understands Two Script is in early stage discussions with publishers to establish a pipeline for any novels that come from producer deals.
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