TV | Film | Podcast
IP Picks
FROM PAUL BROWN
Original source material for your next development project.
Welcome
Your Next Project
IP Picks is a showcase for recommended book and longform intellectual properties suitable for option for your next TV, film, and podcast development projects.The focus is on unusual true stories with bold characters and cinematic arcs. The stories are from Paul Brown, a writer with a track record of optioned material.Reach out to the writer or rep for more information.Imagined movie posters are generated by Midjourney AI.
True adventure
The Dog And The Dinosaur
The True Story of the Great Brontosaurus Hunt
A British WWI hero and his rescued German war dog travel into the unexplored heart of Africa on an epic quest to find a living brontosaurus in the Belgian Congo.A wild adventure with emotional and comedic elements, grounded by relationships between the protagonist and his dog and family, and a present-day sub-plot with his fossil-hunting granddaughter. 'Lost City of Z' meets 'The Lost World'.WRITER Paul Brown | REP Richard Pike @ C&WLongform article
True crime
Death Of An Angel
Did A White Cop Kill A Black Guardian Angel?
The police shooting of a volunteer crime fighter ignites claims of a cover-up of a racially-motivated killing.A forgotten true crime story set in the mean streets of the 1980s with pertinent modern themes. 'Fruitvale Station' meets 'The Warriors'.WRITER Paul Brown | REP Richard Pike @ C&WLongform article
True historical drama
The Female Horse Thief
A young English heiress becomes a notorious American criminal after crossing the Atlantic in search of her exiled lover.*An epic historical blockbuster with an extraordinary female protagonist. A one-woman 'Thelma and Louise' set in the era of 'The Revenant'. *WRITER Paul Brown | REP Richard Pike @ C&WLongform article and expanded ebook
REAL LIFE MONSTER HUNTER
The Man Who Discovered The Loch Ness Monster
A fisherman's quiet life in a tiny Scottish village is turned upside down after he encounters a strange creature that newspapers christen the "Loch Ness Monster".The untold true story of the man who inadvertently created a legend. A small-town monster story. 'Jaws' meets 'Local Hero'.WRITER Paul Brown | REP Joe Lugo @ NarrativelyLongform article
True wartime sports drama
The Ruhleben Football Association
How Britain's Best Soccer Players Survived A First World War Prison Camp
A group of famous soccer players must play to survive inside a brutal First World War prison camp.A true wartime survival drama with bold characters. '1917' meets 'Escape to Victory'.WRITER Paul Brown | REP Richard Pike @ C&WBook (PDF available for consideration)
True pirate epic
Sins Dyed In Blood
The Lost Pirate Of Blackbeard's Golden Age
A captured sailor must battle pirate hunters and his conscience after being forced to sail under the black flag by infamous pirate captain Blackbeard.A true historical drama with monstrous characters. 'Kidnapped' meets 'Pirates of the Caribbean'.WRITER Paul Brown | REP Richard Pike @ C&WLongform article and expanded ebook
Transatlantic true crime
The Bank Robbers Who Couldn't Shoot Straight
A pair of self-styled American gangsters botch an armed robbery at a small British bank and must face off against brave bank staff and a market full of cleaver-wielding butchers.A blackly comic true crime story of wannabe Al Capones. 'Bonnie and Clyde' meets 'Dog Day Afternoon.'WRITER Paul Brown | REP Joe Lugo @ NarrativelyLongform article
Historical sports drama
The Mermaid Hunter Who Invented Football
An intrepid New York journalist, adventurer, and mermaid hunter negotiates 'Gangs of New York'-era Manhattan while reflecting on his past as the man who invented the rules of soccer.A true historical drama with an unsung and eccentric protagonist, and an untold sports origin story. 'The English Game' meets 'Gangs of New York'.WRITER Paul Brown | REP Richard Pike @ C&WLongform article
True Adventure
The Man Who Rode The Bear
A gold rush pioneer is pursuing his friend’s murderer through Californian redwoods when he stumbles into a deadly encounter with a grizzly bear.
A thrilling true story set in 1850s California, part true crime mystery, part survival adventure. A man vs. bear tale with shades of 'The Revenant,' 'Grizzly Adams,' and 'Jeremiah Johnson.'WRITER Paul Brown | REP Richard Pike @ C&WLongform article
Historical sports / crime
The Man Who Walked His Life Away
Two hundred years ago, Britain's most famous sportsman is a jailed endurance walker who must survive a brutal prison and overcome physical injury to achieve a grueling sporting record.A true historical drama set in early 1800s England following a colorful protagonist on an obstacle-laden journey through the bizarre sport of pedestrianism, or competitive walking. 'Chariots of Fire' meets 'The Duellists'.WRITER Paul Brown | REP Richard Pike @ C&WLongform article
Optioned
The Rocketbelt Caper
Optioned
FROM A BLOOD-RED SEA
Optioned
How Four Americans Robbed the Bank of England
Meet the writer
Paul Brown
Paul Brown is a writer from England who specializes in unusual true stories with colourful characters and cinematic narratives. He is the author of The Rocketbelt Caper, From A Blood-Red Sea, and How Four Americans Robbed the Bank of England. Several of his properties have been optioned and set up with major movie studios, production companies, and streaming platforms. He has worked with Paramount Pictures, DreamWorks, Focus Features, eOne, Netflix, BBC, and more. IP Picks showcases his optionable work.
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Newsletter
Singular Discoveries
Singular Discoveries is a newsletter by Paul Brown featuring a regular selection of unusual stories and interesting recommendations, plus links to his latest longform articles and books. The newsletter is free and is sent directly to email inboxes roughly once per month.
© Paul Brown. All rights reserved.