Evans wants to make 'Climb'
The coming-of-age pic reportedly will be made at a modest studio budget, sources added.
Hollywood Pictures reps had no comment.
Evans/de la Torre, who have a two-year first-look deal on the Fox lot, was repped in the "Climb" deal by United Talent Agency partner Jeremy Zimmer; UTA agent Risa Gertner reps McKewin. Steve Warren, a partner at Hansen, Jacobson, Teller & Hoberman, was also instrumental in ironing out the deal. None could be reached for comment.
Described as likely to go into active preparation in the spring for a summer shoot, "Climb" resembles Evans' last directorial effort -- Fox/Island World's "The Sandlot"-- only in that it is said to rely more on characters and plot than big-name talent.
McKewin reportedly will also do some production polish once the project moves to that stage.
"Climb" marks the first time Evans has directed a film he didn't script.
The story is set in Baltimore circa 1959, where a 13-year-old boy's friendship with a reclusive neighbor helps him to fit in with the other kids. A central theme in the script is a derelict radio tower, which the kids decide they must climb before it is demolished. The boy's friendship with the older man suddenly becomes a tutorial as he waits for his turn to perform the rite of passage.
So far, the domestic B.O. gross for "Sandlot" is around $ 35 million. Among Evans/de la Torre's other projects in development is Ian Seeberg's family thriller "Cat and Mouse" at Fox.
