Joss Whedon, Drew Goddard Feature Greenlit at MGM

LOS ANGELES, July 9: Cabin in the Woods, a spec script from Joss Whedon—the creator of FOX’s upcoming Dollhouse—and Lost writer and producer Drew Goddard, has been acquired and greenlit for production by MGM.

The feature—the first to get the greenlight by Mary Parent, the chairman of the studio’s Worldwide Motion Picture Group—will be directed by Goddard and produced by Whedon. Parent is leading an aggressive effort to bolster MGM’s theatrical production and marketing divisions. In a statement, she called Cabin in the Woods “one of the most original and clever scripts I’ve ever read. It’s a visceral thrill ride and I’ll leave it at that."

Whedon’s film credits include the scripts for Speed and Toy Story, as well as the more recent X-Men and Alien Resurrection for 20th Century Fox. He also wrote and directed Serenity, based on the cancelled TV series of the same name, for Universal Pictures. He first began working with Goddard on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Angel. Goddard went on to write for Alias and, under an overall deal at ABC Studios, has served as writer and producer on Lost for the past two seasons. He also penned the script for the J.J. Abrams science-fiction thriller Cloverfield.

—By Mansha Daswani