EXCLUSIVE: Jackson Pictures & Stampede Ventures have teamed up to land The Debriefing, a spec script by Black Hawk Down scribe Ken Nolan based on the Robert Littell novel. They will fast-track the thriller, and the plan is to get into production next year and the script will be put on submission to directors immediately.
Matt Jackson of Jackson Pictures (The Trial of the Chicago 7, upcoming All the Old Knives) and Stampede’s Greg Silverman and Jon Berg made the deal with Nolan’s reps at CAA and Kaplan/Perrone.
The Debriefing is a cat-and-mouse psychological espionage thriller that centers on a top-level CIA intelligence operative who must debrief an asylum-seeking GRU computer tech to verify the veracity of his story before the critical information he possesses expires. Aside from Black Hawk Down, Nolan’s credits include Only the Brave and Transformers: The Last Knight.
“Ken’s scripts are always written at the highest level with magical, beautifully crafted roles and exquisite dialogue,” said Berg. “This script is so tense and compelling. Greg and I couldn’t be more thrilled to bring it to the big screen.”
Silverman set up Stampede in 2017 after a two-decade tenure at Warner Bros that saw him rise to President of Creative Development and Worldwide Production. Recent credits for Stampede include Pink Skies Ahead and the live action comedy special, Mo Willems & the Storytime All-Stars Present: Don’t Let The Pigeon Do Storytime! which just received two Daytime Emmy noms.
Jackson’s Jackson Pictures is in post-production on Amazon Studios’ All the Old Knives and most recently produced Aaron Sorkin’s Academy Award-nominated The Trial of the Chicago 7. Jackson has produced more than 15 films, and coming up is Spike Lee’s first musical, based on the breakthrough Pfizer miracle drug Viagra. Jackson, repped by CAA and Manatt, has a first-look with eOne.
