For those who don't know, or have never seen The Player, most Hollywood pitches are sold as a mix between two formally successful projects or ideas. An example of this would be to say Twilight is a mix between Interview With A Vampire and getting bamboo shoots forced under your fingernails. In addition to proving that there truly are very few original ideas left out there, these pitches also give an idea of what the film will be about before any details are given out about the actual project. It would be all too easy to pass on "Blade Runner meets Mary Poppins," "The Godfather meets Porky's," or "a teen version of 21." Oh shit, that last one is real.
According to Variety, 20th Century Fox, under its Dos Tontos label, has picked up a pitch by Parks & Recreation writer Alan Yang, entitled Jackpot. The film will be about a group of friends in high school who win the lottery. What exactly that has to do with counting cards in Las Vegas I have no idea.
What I find truly baffling about this idea, however, is the implication that 21 wasn't already skewing for the younger generation. Not only does the movie have all the fresh, pretty young faces, but it featured characters in their early 20s. Unless I missed a memo saying that only people 20 and up can go to movies featuring adult characters, Jackpot may represent a paradox that could end existence as we know it.
