Young & Hungry No More – A Look Back At Some Of The 2013 Young & Hungry Alums (2016)

On Monday, October 3, we will be releasing the 2016 Young & Hungry List, comprised of the 100 best up-and-coming writers in the business, as voted on by industry professionals. In anticipation of this year’s list, we’ll be highlighting Young & Hungry success stories from past years. Seeing how far these writers have come and grown in a short amount of time is inspiring and exciting.

Yesterday we took a look back at some of the 2012 Young & Hungry List writers, who have made tremendous strides in the industry over the past three years. Today, we proudly present the latest updates from some of the writers who made the 2013 Young & Hungry List. And don’t forget to check back on Monday for the release of the 2016 Young & Hungry List!

HERE ARE A FEW STAND-OUT HONOREES FROM THE 2013 YOUNG & HUNGRY LIST

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Andrew Sodroski made the list with his brilliant spec Holland, Michigan, which is actively in development with Errol Morris directing and Naomi Watts and Bryan Cranston attached to star. He also has two different crime thrillers in the works with Warner Bros: Vor V Zakone and American Blood, an adaptation of a novel with Bradley Cooper attached.

Bradley and Kevin Marcus hit the market with two specs in 2013, the second of which, the period werewolf film The Wolf’s Hour, sold to Universal in 2014 and is currently in development. They are also working on Once Upon a Time, a role-reversal fairy tale movie with the princesses as the heroes, for Epidemic Pictures and MGM.

Chris Galletta made it onto the list with his heartfelt drama spec The Kings of Summer. The script was made into a critically acclaimed film by Big Beach Films with Jordan Vogt-Roberts directing and starring Nick Robinson, Alison Brie, and Nick Offerman. Currently, he’s penning the script for Burk & Weiss at New Line Cinema.

Elijah Bynum also hit the market with two specs in 2013, and sold both of them: Hot Summer Nights to Flashlight Films, and Mississippi Mud to Darko Entertainment. Both scripts landed on the Hit List that year, the former of which took top honors. The former is in production and set to wrap this month, with Bynum also directing. He is also writing and directing In the Morning Blood.

Akashic

Erica Oyama, along with her husband, Ken Marino, were recruited to write Fox 2000’s adaptation of the adult-oriented nursery rhyme Go the F*ck to Sleep, along with 20th Century Fox’s sports comedy Return of the Jocks. They also recently sold their road trip comedy pitch Me Time to Universal, but it doesn’t stop there — Erica is also writing Schooled for Amy Poehler’s Paperkite Productions. Oyama was a writer on Children’s Hospital and The Eric Andre Show, as well as writing and executive producing the Yahoo series Burning Love, which is now on E! Networks. She also previously worked on White Girl Problems for Lionsgate.

Hernany Perla made a name for himself in the development world prior to landing on the Young & Hungry List, after which he soon found his scripts Blink and Revelation moving into development. Perla continues to build his resume as a producer, on films like The Last Stand with Arnold Schwarzenegger and Nightingale with David Oyelowo. Perla’s script Torture Man, which he adapted from the book by Warren Adler, is currently in development with Grey Eagle Films and he’s working on Day One for MGM.

Jesse Andrews adapted his own novel into the script for Me and Earl and the Dying Girl, and also penned the script Crazy U. Earl was directed by Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, and became a breakout hit at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. Crazy U was picked up by Gary Sanchez Productions with Adam McKay and Will Ferrell producing, as a starring vehicle for Ferrell. Also coming up, he’s writing and directing the comedy Empress of Serenity, with Bill Hader attached.

Lionsgate, Roadside Attractions

John Scott III made the list when his trio of scripts Maggie, Otherland, and Loveland Monster turned heads in town. He went on to executive produce Maggie starring Abigail Breslin, Joely Richardson, and Arnold Schwarzenegger — providingSchwarzenegger with one of the best-reviewed performances of his career. In development are Parable X, which he is directing and writing, as well as rewriting Caves of Steel at 20th Century Fox.

Leah Rachel made it on the Young & Hungry List when her The Young, The Hot, and the Bothered garnered serious attention around town. Now, her Untitled Threesome Comedy is in the works at Gary Sanchez, with Will Ferrel and Adam McKay producing and recently, Rachel was hired to rewrite the film adaptation of Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus. She is also adapting Here Lies Bridget at Galgos Entertainment.

Matt Lieberman sold his hot spec 12/24 to 1492 Pictures immediately before he was recognized by the Young & Hungry List. He was the first writer on the latest Scooby-Doo reboot, his script for the big screen version of The Jetstons was optioned, and he also wrote a previous draft of Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, the feature adaptation of the classic children’s book, The Wind in the Willows. At the moment, he’s working on Evil Genius for Disney and Personal Security for Fox, with Hugh Jackman attached.

Nathaniel Halpern landed on the list with the script Rose, which is in development at Focus Features with Robert Zemeckis producing. Halpern has been a staff writer on the hit TV series Resurrection, Manhattan, and The Killing. Currently, he’s also writing the scripts for Midnight at Noon and Joe Petrosino for Lionsgate.

Olivia Milch was tapped by Fox to pen the Ellen Page-starring Queen and Country, produced by Chernin. She was previously set up to adapt Little Women for Sony last year and it was recently reported that she had turned in a draft to producers of an all-female Ocean’s Eleven installment with Sandra Bullock set to star, a film which now has an all-star cast and is in active development. Also newly announced, her 2013 comedy spec, Dude, will begin shooting later this month with Milch directing and starring Lucy Hale.

HBO

Nic Pizzolatto created one of the most talked-about new series of the last few years, HBO’s True Detective, which finished its second season last year. Pizzolatto was also tapped by Universal to pen an update of the classic television series The Rockford Files, and will adapt his own novel Galveston for the big screen. He was also brought on board to write a draft of The Magnificent Seven remake, which premiered last week. In development, he has another series at HBO with Robert Downey, Jr. attached.

Phillip Gelatt arrived on the Young & Hungry List with Dead Space and Europa Report getting him some well-deserved attention. The latter was made in 2013 starring Daniel Wu, Sharlto Copley, and Dan Fogler, and was produced by Wayfare Entertainment. Previously, he also directed and wrote The Bleeding House and Country Road.

Terrance Mulloy burst onto the scene with his take-no-prisoners spec Priority Run, which was set up at Arclight Films and has Northmen director Claudio Faeh set to helm. He signed with Madhouse Entertainment and is currently set to adapt Matthew Reilly’s sci-fi novel, Contest, for Animal Logic, with Wolf Creek helmer Greg McLean attached to direct.

These are just a few of the remarkable success stories from the 2013 Young & Hungry List writers. We’re consistently amazed by the stunning showcase of talent that makes up our list year after year. Tomorrow, we’ll take a look at the 2014 Young & Hungry List writers — where they’ve been and where they are now. And be sure to check back Monday when we present the 2016 Young & Hungry List!

Missed the 2011 or 2012 recap? Check the links below to read up on some of the highlights from previous years.

YOUNG & HUNGRY NO MORE – A LOOK BACK AT SOME OF THE 2011 YOUNG & HUNGRY ALUMS
YOUNG & HUNGRY NO MORE – A LOOK BACK AT SOME OF THE 2012 YOUNG & HUNGRY ALUMS