20th Snaps Up Action Spec ‘Test Drive’ From ‘Dexter: Resurrection’s Matt Venne; Safehouse Producing

EXCLUSIVE: In a competitive situation, 20th Century Studios has won rights to Test Drive, an original action spec from Matt Venne, to be produced by Safehouse Pictures.

While plot details are under wraps, sources said Venne secured a healthy mid-six against seven figure deal for his script. The spec had no talent or director attachments and caused a stir on the back of its concept and writing alone, in a scenario not too commonly seen these days.

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Director of Development of Safehouse, Austin Bowman, found the spec. We’re told Joby Harold and Tory Tunnell will produce.

Currently staffing on Showtime’s Dexter spin-off series Dexter: Resurrection, Venne is a prolific genre writer who previously adapted Stephen King’s Bag of Bones as a limited series for A&E. He sold his series Cruel Summer, based on the same-name novel, to Legendary TV, with David Goyer boarding to produce, and also previously wrote an installment of Shudder’s Creepshow reboot.

In the feature space, Venne wrote an original supernatural thriller titled Black Box, which was set up at Dark Castle Entertainment. His original sci-fi film Dark Star will be produced by Sugar23.

Known for mythical action-adventure flicks like King Arthur: Legend of the Sword, Safehouse Pictures most recently saw Netflix release its sci-fi thriller Atlas, starring Jennifer Lopez, which over the summer reached the service’s Top 10 in more than 90 countries. Other credits include Apple TV+’s Monarch: Legacy of Monsters and OWN’s Underground, as well as feature dramedy My Blind Brother and Kevin Asch’s Gotham Award-winning crime drama Holy Rollers. The company’s action thriller Novocaine, starring Jack Quaid and Amber Midthunder, will be released by Paramount in 2025.

Coming off critical and commercial success with Fede Álvarez’s Alien: Romulus, 20th Century Studios’ slate for next year includes espionage thriller The Amateur (April 11, 2025) starring Rami Malek, Dan Trachtenberg’s Predator: Badlands (November 7, 2025) starring Elle Fanning, and Avatar: Fire and Ash (December 19, 2025). On the development front, the company has most recently announced a film in the universe of David Cronenberg’s The Fly from Nikyatu Jusu, as well as the Amy Adams comedy Lazy Susans, both of which we scooped.

Venne is repped by Independent Artist Group, Heroes and Villains Entertainment, and Jackoway Austen Tyerman. Safehouse is with CAA.

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