New Line Cinema has recently acquired the rights to famed screenwriter Zach Helm's original script The Naughty One. The action-comedy will be developed by New Line for HBO Max, and apparently, the production company had to battle quite a competition to grab the pitch.

Known for writing scripts and stories with a variety of flavors, it is no wonder that a pitch from Zach Helm will cause some sort of a bidding war between production houses. The Naughty One is an action-comedy film set around Christmas. The exact details regarding the plot are currently unknown. It seems New Line has not yet zeroed in on a director for this upcoming HBO Max project as well.

Zach Helm is famously known for his work on the Stranger Than Fiction screenplay, something that earned him a National Board of Review Award for Best Original Screenplay and a PEN Center USA West Literary Award. Stranger Than Fiction is a 2006 film starring Will Ferrell, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Dustin Hoffman, and Queen Latifah. It tells the story (quite literally) of I.R.S. auditor Harold Crick, who suddenly finds his mundane Chicago life to be the subject of a narration that only he can hear. The charming fantasy comedy-drama even went on to earn a Golden Globe nomination.

Helm is also known for his work as the screenwriter and director of Mr. Magorium’s Wonder Emporium, yet another fantasy comedy film starring Natalie Portman and Dustin Hoffman, among others. He was also one of the directors associated with the experimental online project 140, where 140 filmmakers in 140 locations across the world were synchronized through Twitter to film 140 seconds at the same time. The common theme of the 140 seconds was 'connection'.

Zach Helm's upcoming projects include the much-anticipated Deep Water, starring Ben Affleck and Ana de Armas. Helm has co-written the upcoming 20th Century Studios/New Regency movie adapted from Patricia Highsmith’s novel with the same name. The plot revolves around a well-to-do husband, who allows his wife to have affairs in order to avoid a divorce. However, when some of the lovers involved with his wife start to disappear, he becomes a prime suspect in the investigation. Deep Water will see Oscar-nominated filmmaker Adrian Lyne’s return to the Director's chair after 2002’s Unfaithful. However, a recent report says the project is delayed.

As for The Naughty One, it will be produced by Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter of Berlanti/Schechter Films. Tony Award-winning Broadway actor Michael McGrath will be presiding as the Executive Producer of the film.