Reese Witherspoon, Simon Kinberg Team On ‘Pyros’
Studios are bidding on Pyros, an intriguing package that has Reese Witherspoon attached to star in a sci-fi film she will produce with Simon Kinberg. The film will be written by Thomas Pierce, who is adapting his short story Tardy Man, which published last year in The New Yorker. Pierce has done well with this strategy: his short story Chairman Spaceman was bought and is being developed by Fox Searchlight. Kinberg is producing that one as well.
Hello Sunshine’s Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter are producing with Genre Films’ Audrey Chon.
Tardy Man deals with a group of augmented people who are fitted with indestructible fire suits that are fused to their spines. They work for a corporation that recovers objects for wealthy people when their houses are burning. It is strictly forbidden for them to veer from their salvage missions, even when other humans are in danger. The protagonist decides to make an exception to this rule and that is the jumping off point.
I’m told that numerous offers are on the table. This is one of the high profile star packages currently drawing bids; the other is Don’t Worry Darling, a genre spec script that Booksmart‘s Olivia Wilde will direct and star in.
CAA is in the middle of both auctions, which are expected to sort themselves by next week. Witherspoon is managed by LBI and the writer by Kaplan/Perrone.
Deadline