Shaye, Lynne outline Unique slate, will team with McCartney for animated feature (VAR)

By Nancy Tartaglione

Former New Line chiefs Bob Shaye and Michael Lynne have outlined the upcoming slate for their nearly one-year-old outfit Unique Features. Variety spoke with the duo and takes a look at the projects which include their first animated film (with an original score by Paul McCartney); two Broadway-bound musical adaptations and a Barry Levinson-directed screen version of the musical "City of Angels."

The three-year first-look deal at Warner Bros. is a shift for Shaye and Lynne but Shaye told Variety they are settling into their new roles. "Running a company with 650 people has its own excitement and thrill, but the reason you are doing it is to create quality content, and it is hard to feel close to that at the top of a big organization," Shaye said.

Lynne described the transition as "strangely exhilarating."

The lineup features the animated "High in the Clouds," an adaptation of a children's book written by McCartney, Geoff Dunbar and Philip Ardagh. The film will be directed by Rob Minkoff. The film has not yet been set at a studio.

Warner Bros. has committed to develop "7th Son," a drama based on graphic novels by J.C. Hutchins about seven strangers, assembled after the assassination of the US president, who each realize they are the same man, with the same memories. Justin Britt-Gibson is writing the script.

Warners is also aboard "Alt-Delete," a sci-fi comedy written by Tim Kelleher and Danny Zuker in which two guys working for a video game publisher realize they are avatars in a larger game.

Warners will also develop "Thieves of Baghdad," a 10th century family adventure that weaves Sinbad, Ali Baba, flying carpets, sword fights and genies in urns.

WB is also at the center of the stage musical transfers of "Elf," which is looking at a holiday 2010 opening, and "Secondhand Lions" with a 2011 launch.

Unique has made a Screen Gems deal for "The Birth Mother," a thriller about a couple whose marriage is threatened when their surrogate falls in love with the husband and becomes obsessed with keeping the baby.

Shaye and Lynne have also reteamed with "Wag the Dog" director Barry Levinson for the "City of Angels" feature. Larry Gelbart will turn his original book into a script. Marc Shaiman is attached to serve as music director and Unique is producing with PicturePlay Films.

"Barry brought it to us, and the story of a writer of classic film noir detective stories, with the same actor playing both the writer and detective...is as great an idea for the screen as it was the for the stage," Shaye told Variety.

The partners have also joined forces with Gay Talese on a sports feature based on the formative years of Bart Scott, the Baltimore Ravens linebacker who just signed with the New York Jets at $48 million for six years.

Further, two books have recently been acquired: "The Mortal Instruments," a young-adult fantasy trilogy by Cassandra Clare and "Even," an Andrew Grant novel published last month about an undercover Royal Navy intelligence operative who goes on the run after being framed for murder.