Things are getting festive for Star Trek 3 scribes Patrick McKay and J.D. Payne, as Deadline reports that the duo has been earmarked for another high-profile project. Currently on the fast track, Winter’s Knight is being rushed into development, hence the need for a sparkly new rewrite on the script. If McKay and Payne commit, then the studio plans to entice Joachin Ronning and Espen Sandberg into the director’s chair(s) once they complete work on Pirates Of The Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.
Dubbed a “Viking-mythology-tinged origin story of St. Nick and Christmas,” Winter’s Knight is based on Wizard Of Oz author L. Frank Baum’s 1902 book, The Life And Adventures Of Santa Claus. The original script – penned by Ben Lustig and Jake Thornton – was sold in after heated bidding frenzy for a gigantic $1 million dollars.
The steep price of the auction was thought to be instigated by the “concept and the fact that Ronning and Sandberg were attached and so high on it.” It’s an ambitious deal by Sony production president Michael De Luca, who purchased the script. With the studio dubbing it “a priority,” the aim is get cameras rolling as soon as possible.
Have a read of the synopsis (via B&N) for Baum’s original tome below, and be sure to check back for more updates on Winter’s Knight.
Where did Santa Claus come from? In this classic tale from Oz scribe L. Frank Baum, the beloved symbol of Christmas is removed from his conventional trappings and placed into the world of imaginative folklore. From his humble beginnings in an enchanted forest of mythical creatures to his toy deliveries to all the world’s children, The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus is a must read for all ages. A human foundling child, adopted by a wood-nymph and raised by the creatures who inhabit a magical forest, grows up to be the immortal Santa Claus.