
Exclusive: A story about a Fiji surf paradise gone wrong by David Kushner, the journalist behind A24’s Zola, is to be turned into a documentary.
Kushner has penned Paradise Lost for Vanity Fair and the story is now being adapted by Anchor Entertainment, the production company behind HBO’s Undercurrent: The Disappearance of Kim Wall, and Vanity Fair Studios.
The story follows Navrin, Woody, and Jona – two Aussie surfer bros and their local partner – who thought they’d found their own little slice of paradise in Fiji. That was until the deep-pocketed Chinese developer set up shop next door and started digging up the reef offshore. Then a Silicon Valley-backed scientist who swears he can build the perfect surf break got involved and the whole place became a stopover for the pandemic-era megayacht set.
The doc will be exec produced by Kushner, Ethan Goldman and Dan Baglio for Anchor Entertainment,...
Kushner has penned Paradise Lost for Vanity Fair and the story is now being adapted by Anchor Entertainment, the production company behind HBO’s Undercurrent: The Disappearance of Kim Wall, and Vanity Fair Studios.
The story follows Navrin, Woody, and Jona – two Aussie surfer bros and their local partner – who thought they’d found their own little slice of paradise in Fiji. That was until the deep-pocketed Chinese developer set up shop next door and started digging up the reef offshore. Then a Silicon Valley-backed scientist who swears he can build the perfect surf break got involved and the whole place became a stopover for the pandemic-era megayacht set.
The doc will be exec produced by Kushner, Ethan Goldman and Dan Baglio for Anchor Entertainment,...
- 5/2/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV

Exclusive: Oscar nominated producer David Permut and Jamie Cohen of Australian-based Clockwork Films have acquired the narrative motion picture and television rights to award winning journalist and author David Kushner’s book, The Players Ball: A Genius, A Con Man, And The Internet’s Secret Rise.
The book tells the true story of the birth of the internet and two men’s ensuing battle over who controlled the rights to the multi-million dollar domain name: “sex.com.”
This epic, decade long war took them from the boardrooms of Silicon Valley to a gun fight on the bordellos of Mexico – and to the edges of their sanity. Along the way involving the likes of an eclectic cast of porn stars and programmers, billionaires and brainiacs, goons and gangsters.
In one corner is the hapless in-love, visionary tech entrepreneur Gary Kremen, who in 1994 used a 2,500 loan to create the first online dating service,...
The book tells the true story of the birth of the internet and two men’s ensuing battle over who controlled the rights to the multi-million dollar domain name: “sex.com.”
This epic, decade long war took them from the boardrooms of Silicon Valley to a gun fight on the bordellos of Mexico – and to the edges of their sanity. Along the way involving the likes of an eclectic cast of porn stars and programmers, billionaires and brainiacs, goons and gangsters.
In one corner is the hapless in-love, visionary tech entrepreneur Gary Kremen, who in 1994 used a 2,500 loan to create the first online dating service,...
- 2/3/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV

David Kushner, a bestselling author and journalist whose stories are often developed for film and television, will publish his next book at Substack.
Kushner’s magazine articles have inspired films like A24’s “Zola” and upcoming projects involving Christian Bale and Spike Lee. Substack, a subscription newsletter service, will now be home to his new work “Masters of Disruption: How the Gamer Generation Built the Future,” which will see a serialized release and feature multimedia components over 9 installments. The book is a sequel of sorts to his 2003 bestseller “Masters of Doom,” from Random House.
Normally found in the pages of Rolling Stone, Wired and Vanity Fair, Kushner follows an increasing number of journalists going the newsletter route. It’s notable that an author as frequently adapted as Kushner would seek a deal like this, which guarantees him sole adaptive rights in an age where publishing houses like Conde Nast have ambitious content production divisions.
Kushner’s magazine articles have inspired films like A24’s “Zola” and upcoming projects involving Christian Bale and Spike Lee. Substack, a subscription newsletter service, will now be home to his new work “Masters of Disruption: How the Gamer Generation Built the Future,” which will see a serialized release and feature multimedia components over 9 installments. The book is a sequel of sorts to his 2003 bestseller “Masters of Doom,” from Random House.
Normally found in the pages of Rolling Stone, Wired and Vanity Fair, Kushner follows an increasing number of journalists going the newsletter route. It’s notable that an author as frequently adapted as Kushner would seek a deal like this, which guarantees him sole adaptive rights in an age where publishing houses like Conde Nast have ambitious content production divisions.
- 9/21/2021
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
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