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Warner Bros. buys the rights to Gitty Daneshvari’s “School of Fear,” a four-part fictional series about teenagers learning to face their fears, for Graham King, Oscar-winning producer of “The Departed,” “The Aviator” and “Traffic,” among other films.

Daneshvari was represented by Creative Artists Agency on the film rights, and by Sarah Burnes, with the Gernert Co., for literary rights. Producers Gail Lyon and Grey Rembert spearheaded the deal for King and Warner Bros. The books will be published by Little, Brown.

When movie studios buy the rights to literary material, they usually know exactly what they’re paying for: a published book with developed characters and a plot, and if they’re lucky, good critical buzz. But sometimes filmmakers get wind of a hot property and snap up material that is only the germ of an idea, long before it becomes a book. It’s one of those fairy-tale deals that many authors dream of, yet only rarely come true.

The deal

The players

The back story

Such was the case with Daneshvari, 29, a former CAA assistant and development executive with Contra Films. She came up with the idea for her series several years ago, drawing on her experience as a child grappling with phobias and fears. She had wondered what it would be like if kids were sent to a camp or school to overcome those problems.

“I was hoping it might turn into a series,” said Daneshvari, a Los Angeles resident. “But I never dreamed that the deals would come together so quickly.” Earlier, as she began writing a proposal, the author gained representation from CAA. She expected to get a book deal first, but then -- in Hollywood parlance -- the proposal “got out there” ahead of schedule and filmmakers showed interest.

The proposal for “School of Fear” was submitted to several studios on a Monday, and the Warner Bros. deal was finalized two days later. Later that week, Daneshvari hooked up with Burnes and sold foreign literary rights to Germany and France. Days later, she signed a book deal with Little, Brown at the Frankfurt Book Fair.

Daneshvari may still be wrestling with some of her childhood anxieties, but she’s showing no fear about the series. “When I worked at CAA as an assistant, I always wondered what it would be like being a client,” she said. “I’m one of those persons who’s seen this business from both sides of the fence, and it’s been a real learning experience.”

josh.getlin@latimes.com