Universal Pictures

Heat meterUpdated 09.02.16: Mark Townend’s high-concept sci-fi action thriller, pitched as Looper meets Safe House, continues to burn up the market ahead of the holiday weekend, with Screen Gems, Legendary Pictures, and AG Capital being the latest to take a closer look at what has become one of the summer’s hottest specs.

Screen Shot 2015-04-30 at 2.48.33 PMJane Charlotte has been arrested for murder. She tells police that she is a member of a secret organization devoted to fighting evil; her division is called the Department for the Final Disposition of Irredeemable Persons—”Bad Monkeys” for short.

Screen Shot 2015-04-30 at 2.48.33 PMThe story of two unlikely friends, Elphaba and Glinda, who struggle through opposing personalities and viewpoints, rivalry over the same love-interest, reactions to the Wizard’s corrupt government and, ultimately, Elphaba’s public fall from grace.