Warner Bros. Nails Down Spec ‘Hammerspace’ As Potential Franchise Property

Warner Bros. has nailed down the spec Hammerspace from writer Mike Van Waes for what sources say was a mid-six figure deal. The project is said to be a live-action/animation hybrid about a terminallyy-ill teenager who, while searching for answers about his missing father, finds a mysterious key that unlocks a portal to an alternate animated dimension, releasing an unexpected new friend who helps him repair his broken family.

The term ‘hammerspace’ actually comes from an anime sight gag where a character produces a hammer out of thin air and clunks someone on the head for a brief moment in time for a laugh. Dan Lin is producing the project with Jonathan Eirich exec producing from their Lin Pictures. WB prod execs Courtenay Valenti (who brought the property into the studio) and Racheline Benveniste will oversee the development for the studio. Trevor Astbury and Joe Mann at CAA and manager Zac Frognowski at Grandview rep Van Waes.