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Michelle Trachtenberg, best known for her roles in Harriet the Spy, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Gossip Girl, ventured into screenwriting before her untimely death on February 26 at the age of 39. As an adaptation of Jerry Oppenheimer’s book uncovering the dark side of Mattel, she penned a screenplay titled Toy Monster in 2019, which delves into the tumultuous life of a 1950s toy executive.
In an interview with People, producer Casey Tebo, who was attached to the project, revealed he’s still trying to get a studio to buy it. Since posting about Trachtenberg’s script on social media, an “angel investor” has reached out and reinvigorated his hopes of getting the late actor’s project off the ground. Read what he had to say below:
I don’t remember when, but my dear friend Jay Cohen [Michelle’s boyfriend] sent me a script she had written called “Toy Monster.” The only scripts I remember staying with me like that in recent memory were two: “Here Comes The Flood” by Simon Kinberg and “Toy Monster” around 2019. Because they were the two best, by a landslide.
One of the issues with our industry is they will recognize someone like Simon as a great writer, but they will always look at Michelle as Harriet the Spy or Georgina Sparks. The truth is—Michelle was an incredible writer. But no one expects her to write like that. It’s about the struggle for credit, compensation, and recognition for success. Something Hollywood knows nothing about, I’m sure.
We’re putting the pieces together to get this film made for Michelle. Maybe Michelle is looking out for us. I’ve never been a superstitious or spiritual person, but things like that are hard to deny.
More to come…
Source: People