Early‑stage adaptation oxygen is thick this month. Our August sweep surfaces unoptioned or barely‑buzzed properties across books, audio, journalism, games and theatre—each with a clear “why now” spark and expandable world‑building:
Intimate & off‑beat fiction: a Swedish widower’s fight for autonomy (When the Cranes Fly South), a canine‑tinged 18th‑century mass hysteria (The Hounding), and four suburban moms cracking a cold case over PTA carpools (The Carpool Detectives).
Audio with built‑in arcs: the creation myth of the NYPD (Empire City), Ireland’s oldest missing‑person mystery (Stolen Sister), and Brazil’s rainforest murders (Missing in the Amazon).
Long‑form big swings: a Trump‑branded Albanian island development, Indigenous rangers versus cartels in the Javari Valley, and London’s suavest legal fraudster—each begging for limited‑series treatment.
Wildcard spotlights: mythic Afro‑fantasy platformer (Tales of Kenzera: Zau), dystopian space‑fugitive RPG (Citizen Sleeper 2), a debate‑club dark comedy (Trophy Boys), and a Seoul robot‑romance musical (Maybe Happy Ending).
Let us know what you're hunting for.
Read Next
Hollywood Inc.: When IP Becomes the Asset Class
Hollywood Signal: Wall Street hijacks Tinseltown—Netflix goes profit-first, Paramount-Skydance closes, Gen Z craves analog vibes.
Jumpstart: What Q2 Earnings Reports Say About the Future of Streaming
This week on Hollywood Signal: Big Tech’s Q2 earnings reshape the industry playbook. Apple reins in TV+ losses. Amazon bets on sports and ads. Meanwhile, Fantastic Four powers up, and Paramount’s last solo report hits before its Skydance merger. Profit is the new protagonist.
Friday Briefing: Profitability Now Hollywood’s Hottest Metric
Netflix’s Q2 marks a seismic shift—Wall Street now values profits over subscriber counts, redefining Hollywood’s streaming playbook. Studios, creators, and competitors scramble to adapt to the new era of sustainable, margin-driven media economics.
Jumpstart: Reserve IMAX Or You're Doomed
Good morning—Superman leads 2025’s box office, but the real story is IMAX. With F1 exiting, Jurassic shut out, and Fantastic Four incoming, premium screens are the summer battleground. Plus: streaming hits 46% of TV time, and Comic-Con kicks off.
Subscribe now!
Hollywood Signal is the anti-gossip newsletter for decision-makers — distilling market data, buyer mandates, and trend analytics into a weekly briefing that helps execs, producers, and creators green-light, pitch, or pivot.
