“Unearthed Secrets: The Shocking Truth Behind the Unreleased ‘Fantastic Four’ Movie That Could Have Changed Superhero History”
Option rights used to be a hot commodity for screenwriters, in particular, during the lucrative screenwriting boom of the 1980s and 1990s. Screenwriters with high-concept scripts could make tens of thousands on options to start, often leading to big spec script sales in the six to seven-figure range.
Sadly, those days are long gone. Options still exist, but screenwriters won’t get the five-figure option deals of yesteryear. Most option agreements these days are free options called shopping agreements where you sign over exclusive permissions for a producer or development executive to shop your script for a certain amount of time.