Cynematik • Cyndi Greening

Peter Jackson’s adaptation of the Alice Sebold novel THE LOVELY BONES has found a home at DreamWorks. DreamWorks acquired the package late Friday, beating out Warner Bros. Pictures, Sony Pictures and Universal Pictures. DreamWorks acquired the package with Film 4, which originally acquired the project, then developed it with Jackson.

BONES, which went out to the town on Monday, generated a lot of heat because of Jackson’s name but came under intense scrutiny for the way it was being sent to market. Jackson and his team shopped the script with a budget in the $80 million range, complete with a start of production date and, uniquely, a focus on marketing. Integral to the deal were conversations about release dates and what other films the winning company will have in the same quarter, because Jackson wanted to know how time and attention will be divided between his movie and others.