Paramount Developing ‘What Kids Want’ From Screenwriters Sam Pitman, Adam Cole-Kelly

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount Pictures has launched development on What Kids Want, a new feature scripted by the Like a Boss duo of Sam Pitman and Adam Cole-Kelly, sources tell Deadline.

The film follows up the high concept comedies What Women Want (2000), starring Mel Gibson and Helen Hunt, and What Men Want (2019), starring Taraji P. Henson and Tracy Morgan, both of which were distributed by Paramount. While the former centered on a man suddenly gifted (or cursed?) with the ability to hear the thoughts of women, the latter reversed the equation. The new film will, of course, involve a look into the minds of children.

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Todd Garner will produce for Broken Road Productions, alongside Gina Mathews and Grant Scharbo for Little Engine Entertainmemt. Matthews comes to the project after producing What Women Want, along with such rom-coms as 13 Going on 30, All My Life (alongside Garner) and Isn’t It Romantic? (alongside Garner and Scharbo).

Pitman and Cole-Kelly are best known for scripting the comedy Like a Boss, starring Tiffany Haddish, Rose Byrne and Salma Hayek, which Paramount released in 2020. Directed by Miguel Arteta, the film brought in over $30M worldwide. Previously, the duo have worked on the YouTube Red series Ryan Hansen Solves Crimes and a number of other studio projects.

Most recently producing comedies like Vacation Friends and Senior Year, Garner has the Lionsgate mystery comedy Reunion coming out this year. Other upcoming projects include Mortal Kombat 2 and the Netflix teen comedy Incoming from Dave and John Chernin.

Currently in theaters with John Krasinski’s live-action/animated fantasy comedy IF, Paramount will next release A Quiet Place: Day One in theaters on June 28. Other theatrical titles to come from the studio this year include Transformers One (September 20), the as-yet-untitled sequel to Smile (October 18), Gladiator II (November 22), Sonic the Hedgehog 3 (December 20), and Robbie Williams’ Better Man (December 25).

Pitman and Cole-Kelly are repped by UTA, Mosaic, and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller.

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