Described as Silver Linings Playbook meets Ocean's 11, it should come to no surprise Septillion to One attracts the attention of many. Turns out, one of those heads turned is none other than Academy Award-winning filmmaker Alexander Payne (Nebraska, Sideways), who is currently circles the film to add to his upcoming slate.
The Wrap reported on the new film. It comes from OddLot Entertainment, who won a heated auction to the rights to Adam R. Perlman and Graham Sack's spec script. The company produces and finance the upcoming romantic comedy, which they intend to fast-track as it the deal featured fierce progress-to-production wording on the deal and also because the company doesn't have many projects currently in the works. Tom McNulty, Linda McDonough and Gigi Pritzker produce the feature.
Septillion to One centers on an overambitious former FBI agent regulated to the fraud unit of the Texas State Lottery. From there, he investigates an attractive but shrewd woman who won the lottery jackpot three times. From there, he gets into a cat-and-mouse game with the woman, whom he ultimately falls in love with. It is inspired by true story of Joan Ginther, the four-time Texas State Lottery winner who found herself with more than $20 million to her name thanks to a PhD from Stanford in statistics.
“Linda and Tom brought us this contemporary romantic comedy that kept us riveted and entertained until the end,” Pritzker said. “This is a smart script, based on a true story out of Texas, has commercial viability with a slew of A-list talent and directors already interested.”
Although this feature draws Payne's interest, it comes in conflict with his upcoming Downsizing, a long-gestured, high-concept comedy which has Matt Damon, Reese Witherspoon, Neil Patrick Harris and Alec Baldwin attached to star. With production on Septillion to One eager to begin, it's possible he'll push back Downsizing back to make this or simply just pass on this new feature so he could make the film he originally intended to make.
No actors are attached to the film at the moment. More details are expected to come as the project picks up heat.
Image courtesy of ACE/INFphoto.com