Unstoppable T.J. Newman Skyrockets with Shocking ‘Worst Case Scenario’ – Must Read!

The newest sensation in Hollywood’s action writing scene is not a guy, but T.J. Newman, who’s breaking barriers in a male-dominated genre. Her first-ever script is an adaptation of her 2021 novel, “Falling,” which topped the national bestseller list and incited a fierce competition among prominent studios and producers, including Jason Bateman, Matt Reeves, Neal Moritz, and Jerry Bruckheimer. In the end, Universal emerged victorious.

Newman’s second book, “Drowning,” also published by Avid as part of a two-book agreement, was another hit. When it was introduced to producers in the spring of 2023, another bidding war broke out among streaming services and studios, with Nicole Kidman, Alfonso Cuarón, Damien Chazelle, the Russo brothers, M. Night Shyamalan, Steven Spielberg, and others vying for rights.

“The most challenging part was seeing names like Damien Chazelle and Nicole Kidman on the screen, knowing they were discussing my work,” Newman shares with The Times. “It was phenomenal to hear these artists, who’ve inspired me throughout my career and shaped the kind of art I wanted to create, discussing something I wrote and showing interest in it, and offering their unique perspectives on how they’d narrate the story.”

Newman’s agent, Shane Salerno, who’s also the founder of the Story Factory and managed the negotiation process, comments, “It’s quite tough when you have four or five potential buyers, all of whom have produced films you admire, all showing interest. My aim has always been to pair talented writers with compelling ideas. That’s what has worked for us. We’ve been lucky to discover people who were overlooked by others — Don Winslow, Adrian McKinty, Meg Gardiner. I believe we have a knack for spotting talent, and it all stems from a genuine love of books.”

Newman’s most recent work, “Worst Case Scenario,” published by her new publisher, Little Brown, releases Tuesday. It’s her first book that doesn’t revolve around an airplane, though it starts with a commercial pilot suffering a fatal heart attack, leading to a plane crash into a nuclear power plant in rural Minnesota. The rest of the story focuses on the town’s attempts to prevent a full-blown nuclear disaster threatening millions of lives.

“One of T.J.’s talents is that her heroes seem like everyday people, responding to a crisis and taking action just as most ordinary people would. They don’t seem any more extraordinary than the reader, which makes it easier for the reader to empathize with them and experience their fear,” says screenwriter Steve Kloves, who is adapting “Drowning” for Warner Bros., directed by Paul Greengrass. “There are no superheroes in ‘Drowning’ — just average people who must figure things out or they’ll perish.”

Since 2019, Newman has landed multiple million-dollar deals, including a two-book contract with Avid Reader Press, a division of Simon & Schuster, another deal for the film rights to “Falling,” and a two-book contract with Little Brown. Additionally, she scored a $3.3 million package deal for the film rights for “Drowning,” along with an executive producer fee with $1.5 million paid upfront.

“It’s been a whirlwind,” Newman reflects. “I’m looking back several years later and wondering, ‘What just happened?’ It still feels completely surreal and utterly unbelievable.”

Everything started one fateful day in 2019 when Salerno’s assistant called in sick, leaving him responsible for collecting the mail. Among the items was a manila envelope containing the manuscript for “Falling” and a note written by hand.

“What caught my attention was the audacity of the note, the feigned bravado,” Salerno recalls. “It’s the only unsolicited manuscript we’ve ever accepted.” At the time, he had no idea that 41 agents had already rejected the material. “We made an announcement in the Associated Press about the book. It created quite a buzz. And then we went ahead with the film sale. That was the ideal situation because we managed to catch everyone by surprise.”

After hearing numerous screenwriters pitch adaptations of “Falling,” Salerno and Newman decided that Newman should write the script herself. “Not every novelist can effectively transition to screenwriting,” Salerno points out, whose writing credits include “Avatar: The Way of Water,” “Armageddon,” “Savages” and three forthcoming “Avatar” sequels. “It’s like a different language. But Newman’s writing is incredibly cinematic. Her love for movies and her understanding of them made me confident, and they were confident that we could make it happen.”

Kloves, best known for writing all but one of the “Harry Potter” films, brings a focus on character development in films like “The Fabulous Baker Boys,” which he also directed, and “Wonder Boys,” which earned him an Oscar nomination. Drawn to Newman’s writing, he aims to bring a similar depth and nuance to “Drowning,” his first disaster film.

“What I’m aiming for are moments that naturally arise where I can provide some backstory for each character. Newman has set up a series of dramatic moments, and each time they occur, they feel realistic, which is not always the case in this genre. Sometimes, things happen in an absurd fashion,” Kloves explains. “Newman, however, has found a way to make it all feel inevitable. It maintains the tension but doesn’t feel like it’s become ridiculous.”

When the negotiations around “Falling” started, Newman was a newcomer anxiously waiting for a call. But when the same situation arose in the spring of 2023 with “Drowning,” she was actively involved throughout the week-long bidding war involving some of her Hollywood heroes.

“You can tell the difference between someone who wants the book because it’s popular and someone who wants the book because they genuinely love and believe in it,” Salerno observes. “In the case of ‘Drowning,’ we didn’t accept the highest offer. We went with the second-highest because we felt Warner Bros. was the most passionate. The executive who bought the book even called us in tears. The book has quite an emotional ending.”

For Newman, just being in a meeting with such icons was overwhelming. “I was left marveling at the unexpected turns my life had taken.”

A graduate of Illinois Wesleyan University in musical theater, Newman moved from her hometown of Phoenix to New York to try her luck on Broadway. Faced with disappointment, she went back home more humble but just as resolved. She worked at the local bookstore Changing Hands and eventually followed her mother and sister’s footsteps to become a flight attendant for Virgin America on the LA-New York route.

The story of how she wrote “Falling” is now legendary — on the red-eye flight, using her iPad and occasionally jotting down notes on cocktail napkins, she crafted a story about a commercial jet being hijacked when a pilot’s family is taken hostage and he is ordered to crash the plane.

“Her life is full of interesting events. If I hadn’t opened that envelope, things would have turned out differently,” Salerno reflects. “If a screenwriter had delivered a compelling pitch, Newman wouldn’t have stepped in to write the film.”

After the release of “Worst Case Scenario,” instead of auctioning the film rights, Newman and Salerno are taking a proactive role in packaging the book. But Newman, who has spent most of her life pursuing non-lucrative careers, isn’t primarily motivated by the money.

“I get to write books and make movies that people will read and watch, and hopefully be moved and entertained by. That’s why I’m doing this,” she says. “The money is incredible and mind-boggling, but I still live in the same one-bedroom, one-bath condo that I lived in when all this started.”