BOOKIT

The deal

In its first potential project, CBS Films options Alex Flinn’s “Beastly,” a modern-day retelling of the “Beauty and the Beast” story set in a New York City high school.

The players

Amy Baer, president and chief executive of CBS Films, plus Maria Faillace, senior vice president, and Bruce Tobey, chief operating officer. Susan Cartsonis ( “Aquamarine” and “No Reservations”) will be the producer. Flinn is represented on literary rights by George Nicholson of Sterling Lord Literistic and on film rights by Jody Hotchkiss of Hotchkiss and Associates. The book is published by HarperTeen.

The backstory

It may be a tale as old as time, but Hollywood thinks there’s more gold to mine in the “Beauty and the Beast” story. And when Baer was looking for a movie to launch the new studio at Les Moonves’ CBS Corp., she was drawn to Flinn’s quirky recasting of the childhood yarn. “I thought it was a really smart idea, because this is a classic tale that can work on a very intense, personal level,” said Baer, who previously was executive vice president of production for Columbia Pictures. “In high school you have popular people, beautiful people and ugly people. I’d read some early reviews, and the book was very interesting, not at all contrived. It’s a story that could definitely speak to a younger male and female audience.”

Just the kind of film, in other words, to inaugurate a studio that initially hopes to produce four to six movies a year in the sub-$50-million range. But Baer had company: Earlier, Cartsonis got advance word about Flinn’s novel and she too was impressed with its film potential. “I love the notion of contemporizing fairy tales and old stories, because we all have such a visceral response to them,” she said. “The book was witty and smart, and Jody [Hotchkiss] was kind enough to let me bring it to several buyers.” Baer entered the picture quickly, and the two parties made a deal soon thereafter.

Flinn was heartened by the positive critical reaction to her novel, which joins some 50-odd versions of “Beauty and the Beast” spread across several cultures. But she was also elated by the Hollywood response. “My agent told me it was best to go with the CBS offer because there was a good chance of the book actually being made into a movie,” Flinn said. “He felt they wouldn’t do this without following through, especially since this is a new direction for them.”

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josh.getlin@latimes.com