Hie-
yah! Sony Pictures Family Entertainment is getting a little chopsocky, closing in on a deal to make "The Tenth Master."
The film is a kung fu action comedy by Craig Titley ("Scooby Doo," "Cheaper by the Dozen"), who will make his helming debut on the pic for the fledging family division of Sony Pictures Entertainment.
"Master" follows a fish-out-of-water 10-year-old Hong Kong kung fu prodigy on a trip to the States to complete his training with a particularly reclusive master.
But things go wrong when the boy takes a wrong turn and ends up at the wrong facility -- training instead with a down-market dojo run by a fast-talking lunatic Jackie Chan wannabe.
Titley will make his helming debut on the script, which he'll also pen for low-six figures against mid-six.
"Master" was based on an idea for a pic hatched by producer Adam Merims and Sony Family senior VP of production Stacey Attanasio. She will supervise its development and production along with SPFE senior VP of creative affairs Bob Higgins and exec director of creative affairs Joe D'Ambrosia.
Pic owes its genesis to creative relationships formed at Nickelodeon Movies: It is being produced by Merims, a former head of production at Nickelodeon Movies, who knew Titley as a creative exec there.
Craig Baumgarten of Baumgarten/Prophet Entertainment will also produce.
Titley is repped by Jeff Gorin at ICM and attorney Jason Sloane. He's managed by Warren Zide.
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