Jeff Stolarcyk somehow got his hands on a draft of the Lawyerbear: The Movie screenplay.

The marginalia lists it as the third draft of the screenplay, and there’s no way of knowing how much of the story has been changed (read: bastardized) by Time Warner just yet, but I have my fingers crossed that something resembling Church’s unique vision of a bear that is also a lawyer makes it intact to the screen. It’s quite literally The Country Bears meets 25th Hour meets A Few Good Men and it’s such a powerful read that it moved me to tears at least twice. The version of Lawyerbear that I’ve read is a dystopian introspection that would make Bret Easton Ellis flinch.

He makes some very good points and manages to give readers a good teaser without spoiling much at all. He should know that the heroin addiction was a “darkener” asked for by a Diet Coke-swilling New Line executive looking to get Eli Roth interested.

Lawyerbear optioned for Movie, Animated Series.

Los Angeles (BeaucoupKevin.com) April 1, 2007 — Lawyerbear, the beloved new creation by multimedia writer Kevin Church has been optioned by New Line Cinema and Warner Brothers animation for a cinematic presentation and animated series. Lawyerbear, whose adventures have been chronicled at Lawyerbear.org, is a bear that is a lawyer.

“I’m delighted to make this announcement,” said Church. “I’ve been writing comics and for the web for the last several years and it’s good to finally see my intellectual property get the notice it deserves.”

The animated series, slated for a 13-episode debut season, will be developed parallel to the feature presentation, which will feature a mix of live-action and CGI.

“We couldn’t be more excited to work on these projects,” April Sloof, VP for Family Entertainment, Time Warner said. “It’s rare that we have the ability to tap into the mind of a bright visionary like Kevin Church.” New Line Cinema is the force behind such recent smash-hit cinematic properties as The Lord of the Rings trilogy, the Austin Powers franchise, “Snakes on a Plane,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre: The Beginning” and many more. Warner Brothers Animation is best known as the home of the beloved Looney Tunes characters and recent animated hits such as “Kangaroo Jack: G’Day USA” and “Scooby-Doo! Pirates Ahoy!”

Church will provide a screenplay for Lawyerbear: The Movie as well as acting as the executive producer for Lawyerbear: The Animated Series. He will continue work on his other projects, including both “The Rack” with Benjamin Birdie and the upcoming “Cover Girl” for BOOM! Studios.

“Being as hands-on as possible is essential to me. The next year or so may involve some serious overtime on my part, but with my guidance, both projects will be exactly what Lawyerbear fans deserve.”

In an unusual deal, Church will retain all rights to Lawyerbear and both series will share a dual copyright with Church and Warner Brothers with merchandising profits will be split accordingly.

ABOUT LAWYERBEAR
Lawyerbear is a bear that is a lawyer.

Lawyerbear and all related elements, including, but not limited to: characters, images, illustrations, toys, games, dramatic and cinematic presentations, audio presentations, and video presentations, are ™ and © Kevin Church.

ABOOUT KEVIN CHURCH
Born in 1974, Kevin Church is a writer of both comics and prose. With others, he has created multiple comic strips and comic books including “The Rack” and “Nitroglycerin” as well as the upcoming “Cover Girl.” His most popular creation, Lawyerbear, immediately spawned an internet phenomenon of unprecented proportions.

ABOUT WARNER BROS. TELEVISION GROUP
A division of Warner Bros. Entertainment, the Warner Bros. Television Group (WBTVG) is an industry leader in the production and distribution of television and motion picture content. WBTVG consists of five production divisions (Warner Bros. Television, Warner Horizon Television, Telepictures Productions, Warner Bros. Animation and Studio 2.0), three distribution entities (Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution, Warner Bros. Domestic Cable Distribution and Warner Bros. International Television), and The CW Network, the new fifth national broadcast network, co-owned with CBS Corporation.

ABOUT NEW LINE CINEMA CORPORATION
Founded almost 40 years ago, New Line Cinema is the most successful independent film company in the world. Its mission is to produce innovative, popular and profitable entertainment in the best creative environment. In addition to the production, marketing and distribution of theatrical motion pictures, the fully-integrated studio has divisions devoted to home entertainment, television, music, theater, merchandising and an international unit. In 2005, New Line partnered with HBO to form Picturehouse, a new theatrical distribution company to release independent films. A pioneer in franchise filmmaking, New Line’s Oscar-winning The Lord of the Rings trilogy is one of the most successful film franchises in history. New Line is a division of Time Warner, Inc. (TWX).